March Madness: Top seeds dominate, McNeese State pulls upset, Michigan holds on

There were few upsets on the opening day of the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament Thursday. Only four of the 16 games saw the lower seed prevail, and not a single No. 1, 2, 3 or 4 seed was eliminated. 

The biggest upset of the day was (12) McNeese State’s 69-67 victory over (5) Clemson. The underdogs jumped out to an enormous 22-point lead with just over eight minutes to go in the game behind a strong performance off the bench from senior guard Brandon Murray, who finished the game with 21 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. 

Clemson began to claw back on the backs of its own senior guards, Jaeden Zackery and Chase Hunter. However, even with under a minute to go, McNeese State still led by 12 points. Clemson had a late barrage of 3-pointers, but in the end it was not enough to complete the comeback.

McNeese State won despite a disappointing game from its leading scorer, Jahvon Garcia, who had just 3 points on 0-6 shooting. Forward Quadir Copeland had a strong performance, scoring 16 points and getting downhill often to threaten the Clemson interior defense. 

The Southland Conference school from Lake Charles, La., is led by former LSU coach Will Wade, who is no stranger to the big stage. His 2018-19 team at the SEC giant won the regular season conference championship, but he was eventually fired by the school over allegations of recruiting violations after an FBI investigation. Now in his second season at McNeese State, success at the tournament could be a key step for Wade’s redemption arc in the eyes of the public. 

Cinderella watch: Creighton, Drake and Arkansas pull upsets 

There were three other lower seeds to win. The first happened in the Round of 64’s opening game, where (9) Creighton knocked off (8) Louisville, 89-75. 

Louisville came into the tournament with significant momentum, having won 21 of its previous 23 games. They were led in this game by senior guards Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards, who scored 22 and 21 points, respectively. However, Creighton’s potent offense was too much to handle for the Cardinals, who also lost sharpshooter Reyne Smith mid-game when he aggravated an ankle injury. 

Creighton was led by its own pair of senior guards. Jamiya Neal put on a dazzling display of skill on his way to 29 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, and Steven Ashworth added 22 points (4-8 3-pointers) and 5 assists of his own. 

In the second-biggest upset of the day, (11) Drake took down (6) Missouri, 67-57. The Bulldogs, the Missouri Valley Conference champions from Des Moines, Iowa, entered the tournament with a 31-3 record. They continued their winning ways against their SEC opponent. 

Drake was led by junior guard Bennett Stirtz, who played all 40 minutes of the game. He scored 21 points on 8-11 shooting and a perfect 3-3 from 3-point range. 

The underdogs led for most of the game, but Missouri was able to pull back within a point with just over four minutes to go. However, the Tigers simply were not effective enough scoring the ball, shooting just 33% from the field and 25% from the 3-point line, and Drake was able to hold on and win the game by 10. 

The final underdog of the day to win was (10) Arkansas, who took down (7) Kansas, 79-72. The Razorbacks are playing their first season under legendary coach John Calipari, who is looking to get back to his winning ways in the tournament. He has made six Final Fours in his decorated career, one with UMass (1996), one with Memphis (2008), and four with Kentucky (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015), and he won the 2012 NCAA championship with the Wildcats. 

In this edition, Calipari’s team came out fierce. Despite a poor shooting night, Arkansas recorded 11 steals in the game, which were key in gaining extra possessions. Senior forward Jonas Aidoo led the team in scoring, with 22 points on 10-19 shooting, all from 2-point range. 

Kansas was fueled by senior guard Zeke Mayo, who had 18 points on a sizzling 4-5 3-point shooting. The Jayhawks did not have a strong performance, however, from their leading scorer, senior center Hunter Dickinson, who scored just 11 points on 4-13 shooting, and they ultimately fell short. 

High seeds advance 

There was little drama in the four games played by No. 1 and 2 seeds Thursday. In keeping with its style all season, (1) Houston suffocated (16) SIUE, holding its opponent to just 30% shooting and 8% from deep en route to a dominant 78-40 victory. Junior guard Milos Uzan led the way for the Cougars with 16 points on 6-7 shooting. 

No. 1 overall seed Auburn defeated (16) Alabama State, 83-63, behind a strong performance from senior sharpshooter Miles Kelly (23 points, 7-15 3-pointers). The underdog Hornets, who advanced to the Round of 64 on a last-second full-court heave in the First Four against St. Francis, were led in this game by sophomore guard Amarr Knox (18 points, 4 rebounds). 

The story was the same for No. 2 seeds Tennessee and St. John’s. The Volunteers defeated (15) Wofford, 77-62, behind mammoth nights from senior guards Chaz Lanier (29 points) and Zakai Zeigler (12 points, 12 assists). 

The Red Storm, led by legendary coach and two-time NCAA tournament champion Rick Pitino, took care of (15) Omaha, 83-53, behind a big night from junior guard R.J. Luis Jr. (22 points, 8 rebounds). Pitino is looking for redemption of his own after being ousted from his former school, Louisville, in 2017. He made his return to college basketball in 2020 at Iona and is now in his second season at St. John’s. 

Michigan staves off comeback 

One more favorite nearly fell Thursday, (5) Michigan. Against (12) U.C. San Diego, the Wolverines jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first half, and it looked like they were ready to put their underdog opponent to bed. However, coming out of the halftime break, the Tritons put together a 12-0 run to bring the game back within one possession. 

U.C. San Diego finally took the lead for the first time with two-and-a-half minutes to go in the game, 65-63. However, on the very next possession, Michigan’s Tre Donaldson (12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) hit a deep pull-up 3-pointer to take back the lead, which his team never relinquished. 

In the final seconds, down just 3 points, the Tritons had the ball with a chance to tie. With the ball in the hands of their leading scorer, Tyler McGhie (25 points, 9-27 field goals, 3-15 3-pointers), he fired a shot to tie from the left wing that went off the back of the rim as time expired, falling just short of the Cinderella comeback.