After Thursday's NCAA tournament first-round action left us Cinderella-less, Friday gave us the March Madness bracket-buster we'd been waiting for.
CLOSE SportsPulse: While Liberty and UC Irvine busted brackets around the country, Duke and Zion Williamson aced their first tournament test. USA TODAY's Trysta Krick recaps day 2 and looks ahead to Saturday's action. USA TODAY
Maybe Mississippi State wasn't a juggernaut blue-blood opponent , but their obvious advantage in the size and athleticism departments made the Bulldogs the ideal villain. And while we were expecting a more boring style from this defensive oriented team led by coach Ritchie McKay , it was the unexpected offensive surges that led to this program-lifting victory.
CLOSE SportsPulse: We have our first real bracket buster of the tournament: UC Irvine. USA TODAY's Scott Gleeson explains how they did it and if they're a threat to make a legit cinderella run. USA TODAY 5. Virginia is not last year's Virginia. It was a painful spell of déjà vu for a Virginia team that's determined to silence doubters. The Cavaliers gave themselves a scare against another inspired No. 16 seed in Gardner-Webb, and their disastrous first half that saw them trailing by six at the half had the nation gasping for a repeat of history. But ultimately the second half showed why this Virginia team is a far cry from the one that got stunned by UMBC last year.
"It’s the best league I’ve ever been a part of, this year in the Big Ten. I can’t explain how difficult it is on a given night," Ohio State Chris Holtmann said after the No. 11 seeded Buckeyes took down Iowa State late Friday. Both No. 10 seeds Iowa and Minnesota also beat better-seeded teams, while the rest of the league beat their higher-seeded opponent to advance to the second round.
8. Tennessee looked beatable and dangerous; No. 10 seed Iowa is next. The Volunteers barely staved off No. 15-seeded Colgate in a game that saw them get flashbacks to last year's upset to Loyola-Chicago as a No. 3 seed. "I think a game like today is what makes the NCAA Tournament the NCAA Tournament," coach Rick Barnes said. True, but it also begs the question as to whether this team's Final Four — or even Sweet 16 — stock is as good as advertised.
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