Mar 25, 2013
The second part of the Round of 32 was as exciting as the first. It had the spills, thrills and drills to make anyone jump up in awe and amazement.
With the end of the Round of 32, we saw some unexpected results.
First up on Sunday No. 7 OSU avoided a complete meltdown by eliminating 10th-seeded Iowa State 78-75 in the final seconds. Bucks won the game on junior Aaron Craft’s three-pointer. The Ohio State star and the team struggled the final six minutes after building a 69-56 advantage, but finally finished it.
It was not an easy win for Indiana. Temple’s Khalif Wyatt played the best to his ability scoring 31 points. It was not enough for his team to win though. Not with Victor Oladipo on the court. Oladipo had 16 points and eight rebounds but played some great defense. The Indiana Hoosiers showed everyone why they were given a No.1 seed when they won 58-52.
The matchup between the Explorers and the Rebels was very even. The No. 13 seed La Salle Explorers defeated the No. 12 seed Ole Miss Rebels and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament in the West Region Sunday night, 76-74. Ole Miss used its size advantage to control the glass, but La Salle’s guards scored off of penetration and knocked down several big 3-pointers. In total there were 11 ties and eight lead changes. La Salle became the third double digit seeded team to make it to this year’s Sweet 16 after knocking off Ole Miss.
Duke has lived with the memory of last season’s upset loss to Lehigh for a year, with a win over Creighton, 66-50. Second-seeded Duke moved into the Midwest Regional semifinals against Michigan State with Sunday’s 66-50 victory against seventh-seeded Creighton, overcoming foul trouble and putting the defensive screws to a Bluejays team that had been one of the most efficient offensive units in the nation.
The Florida Gators took a big lead in the first half and held up the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the second half. The Gators ended up winning 78-64. Mike Rosario, Erik Murphy and Scottie Wilbekin led the Gators to victory. Rosario scored 25 points and Murphy added 15. Wilbekin had 12 points and six assists.
The first half of the game it looked like the North Carolina Tar Heels were going to win but the second half belonged to the Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks came out ready to play hard and won 70-58. Travis Releford led his team to victory with 22 points and eight rebounds. Jeff Withey also helped out with 16 points and 16 rebounds
The Illini’s R.I.P. date arrived Sunday night with a 63-59 loss in the NCAA tournament at the hands of a No. 2-seeded Miami squad with all the makings of a championship team. That the seventh-seeded Illini still were ticking this late in the season will be considered a success. But as Brandon Paul slumped over for several seconds on the court, just shy of adding to another memorable March moment in the tournament, he appeared to be regretting an oh-so-close miss of a Sweet 16.
Florida Gulf Coast ousted San Diego State, 81-71, becoming the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16. The Eagles’ improbable run will continue thanks to their victory Sunday in NCAA South Region third round action. FGCU moves on to face the third-seeded Florida Gators at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas Friday night.
This brilliant round has given way to the teams for the Sweet Sixteen which will hopefully be one of the best ever!
-Heisenberg
