The big upset Friday was that there was only one upset.
The NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64 began in earnest Thursday with a rash of upsets and wire-to-wire games throughout the day. Friday was a completely different story, though, as No. 11 Dayton became the only team to knock off a higher seed by beating No. 6 Providence 66-53.
But there still were a few close calls.
No. 4 Louisville had its hands full with No. 13 UC Irvine, which entered the Big Dance hot after winning the Big West Conference Tournament.
The Anteaters took the lead with 1:02 remaining on a Luke Nelson jumper. Yet a Wayne Blackshear layup and two Quentin Snider free throws gave Louisville the lead with nine seconds remaining, and as the clock wound down, Cardinals guard Terry Rozier stole the ball from UC Irvine’s Alex Young, allowing his team to escape with a 57-55 win.
As that game ended, No. 4 Maryland found itself in a battle with No. 13 Valparaiso. The Terrapins held a slim three-point lead down the stretch, but the Crusaders had the ball and a chance to tie with 14 seconds remaining.
Valpo guard Keith Carter went up for a 3-point shot at the buzzer, but Maryland’s Varun Ram smacked the ball out of his hands. Ram appeared to hit Carter’s arm in the process, but no foul was called, and the Terrapins left with a 65-62 victory.
Check out the rest of Friday’s results below.
MIDWEST
(2) Kansas 75, (15) New Mexico State 56
(4) Maryland 65, (13) Valparaiso 62
(5) West Virginia 68, (12) Buffalo 62
(7) Wichita State 81, (10) Indiana 76
EAST
(2) Virginia 79, (15) Belmont 67
(3) Oklahoma 69, (14) Albany 60
(4) Louisville 57, (13) UC Irvine 55
(5) Northern Iowa 71, (12) Wyoming 54
(11) Dayton 66, (6) Providence 53
(7) Michigan State 70, (10) Georgia 63
SOUTH
(1) Duke 85, (16) Robert Morris 56
(2) Gonzaga 86, (15) North Dakota State 76
(7) Iowa 83, (10) Davidson 52
(8) San Diego State 76, (9) St. John’s 64
WEST
(1) Wisconsin 86, (16) Coastal Carolina 72
(8) Oregon 79, (9) Oklahoma State 73
Thumbnail photo via Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports Images
