If your bracket wasn’t already completely busted by Saturday, then Sunday might have pushed you over the edge.
Just one day after No. 1 seed Villanova was downed by No. 8 North Carolina State, two second-seeded schools in Kansas and Virginia were knocked out of the Big Dance by lesser foes. In fact, neither the Jayhawks nor the Cavaliers could even keep the scores of their respective games close for very long.
Virginia started the day with its matchup against No. 7 Michigan State, which knocked the Cavs out last year, too. Behind senior guard Travis Trice, who finished the afternoon with 23 points, the Spartans built up a 15-4 lead from the get-go. Virginia tried to creep up early in the second half, though, cutting Michigan State’s lead to two points in the first two minutes of the frame.
But the Spartans went on a run, turning a two-point lead into a 10-point lead and ending the game with a commanding 60-54 win.
As for Kansas, it met in-state rival and No. 7 seed Wichita State for the first time since 1993 — partly because Jayhawks coach Bill Self refuses to schedule the Shockers — so needless to say it was an exciting one. Kansas enjoyed a rather slim lead for much of the first half, but Wichita State finished out the final six minutes of the frame on a 15-4 run. The Shockers took a 29-26 lead into halftime and never backed down from there.
Behind 19 points from senior guard Tekele Cotton, Wichita State rolled into the Sweet 16 with a 78-65 win and all the glory in the Sunflower State.
Here’s what else you might have missed from Sunday’s NCAA Tournament slate.
MIDWEST
(5) West Virginia 69, (4) Maryland 59
EAST
(3) Oklahoma 72, (11) Dayton 66
(4) Louisville 66, (5) UNI 53
WEST
(1) Wisconsin 72, (8) Oregon 65
SOUTH
(1) Duke 68, (8) San Diego State 49
(2) Gonzaga 87, (7) Iowa 68
Thumbnail photo via Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports Images
