March Madness Day 4: Live updates, analysis as men's Sweet 16 is set
The first day of the second round is over. Now it’s time to find out the remaining Sweet 16 teams for the men’s NCAA tournament.
With updates from writers on site and analysis of every game, this is your one-stop shop for coverage of Sunday’s March Madness action.
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Sunday results, analysis
Final: Michigan State defeated New Mexico 71-63
How Michigan State won: With their starting backcourt struggling, the Spartans turned to their bench — and their bench responded. Led by Tre Holloman (14 points) and Frankie Fidler (10 points), Michigan State’s reserves carried the team past New Mexico. The Spartans poured in 36 points off the bench, outscoring the Lobos’ bench by 29. That proved critical, especially with starting guards Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jase Richardson going 1-for-12 from the field. — Jake Trotter
Final: Ole Miss defeated Iowa State 91-78
How Ole Miss won: In a matchup of two tough-minded teams led by coaches who drill defense, Ole Miss proved to be much better on Sunday night, advancing to its first Sweet 16 since 2001. A late Iowa State flurry made the margin respectable, but Ole Miss led by as many as 26 points. Outside of the first five minutes, when Iowa State stormed out to a 13-5 lead, Ole Miss dominated the game at both ends, taking the will from a Cyclones team that had done that to quite a few opponents in coach T.J. Otzelberger’s tenure. The Rebels used a 19-9 run at the start of the second half to put the game away, as Jaemyn Brakefield, Sean Pedulla and others attacked a suddenly vulnerable Cyclones defense.
Pedulla — a Virginia Tech transfer from Edmond, Oklahoma — has channeled his inner Marshall Henderson in his first year with the Rebels, recording his second consecutive 20-point game in the tournament, while adding seven assists and four steals. He got help from forward Malik Dia, who had 18 points and eight rebounds, as well as Brakefield, who added 19 points and a win-punctuating slam with 59 seconds to go.
Three years ago, Chris Beard saw his Texas team eliminated in the second round at the same arena. A lot has changed for him since then, but he returned to Milwaukee and now has Ole Miss moving on to the South regional in Atlanta. — Adam Rittenberg
Final: Maryland defeated Colorado State 72-71
How Maryland won: Derik Queen showed why he might be a lottery pick in the next NBA draft. Maryland’s 6-foot-10 freshman center ended a back-and-forth thriller at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena when he banked a jump shot at the buzzer coming off a timeout, giving Maryland a 72-71 win over Colorado State. Queen finished with 17 points as all five Terrapins starters scored in double digits. That balanced attack helped them overcome a 37-30 halftime deficit to Colorado State, which was hoping to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the round was introduced in 1975. Maryland is back for the first time since 2016. — Brady Henderson
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Derik Queen’s buzzer-beater sends Maryland to the Sweet 16
After Jalen Lake’s 3-pointer puts Colorado State ahead with six seconds left, Maryland freshman Derik Queen delivers a buzzer-beater for the win.
Final: Alabama defeated Saint Mary’s 80-66
How Alabama won: The Crimson Tide shut down two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year Augustas Marčiulionis. The Saint Mary’s point guard from Lithuania — and son of Basketball Hall of Famer Šarūnas Marčiulionis — didn’t get his second field goal until the 7:31 mark of the second half. By then, Alabama had built a double-digit lead. The Crimson Tide rotated bodies on Marčiulionis, including Chris Youngblood and Labaron Philon, as well as Derrion Reid and Aden Holloway off the bench. Marčiulionis never found a rhythm and finished just 3-of-11 shooting.
At the other end, Clifford Omoruyi spearheaded Alabama offensively with a series of dazzling dunks — the highlight coming on an alley-oop reverse jam over Saint Mary’s center Mitchell Saxen. Omoruyi already has 11 dunks this NCAA tournament, which leads the field, according to ESPN Research. Saint Mary’s was the last remaining team in college hoops to not give up more than 75 points in a game — until Sunday night. Alabama set a program tournament record with six double-digit scorers. Up next for the surging Crimson Tide: a third straight trip to the Sweet 16, where BYU awaits. — Jake Trotter
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Alabama’s Clifford Omoruyi slams home a reverse alley-oop
Clifford Omoruyi rises over a Saint Mary’s defender and throws down a reverse alley-oop jam for Alabama.
Final: Kentucky defeated Illinois 84-75
How Kentucky won: In a matchup of remade rosters, Kentucky controlled play throughout and, in coach Mark Pope’s first season at the helm, advanced to its first Sweet 16 since 2019. The Wildcats flustered Illinois with their defense in the first half, then made 15 of their first 19 shots to open the second half and pull away. Although Illinois guard Kylan Boswell was excellent (23 points, five assists), Kentucky’s backcourt experience showed as Koby Brea, Lamont Butler and Otega Oweh combined for 52 points. Brea was unstoppable for most of the second half, while Butler, playing with a shoulder injury that Pope said would sideline most players, dictated play on both ends of the floor. Center Amari Williams manned the interior well. — Adam Rittenberg
Final: Duke defeated Baylor 89-66
How Duke won: There were plenty of highlights for Duke in a dominant win over Baylor to advance to the Sweet 16, but perhaps none more eye-popping than the 3-point shooting of veteran Tyrese Proctor. Proctor finished with 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting, including seven 3-pointers, giving him 13 for the tournament. That, according to ESPN Research, is a Duke record for the first two games of an NCAA tournament, topping Bobby Hurley’s 12 in 1993. What’s more impressive is that, until the ACC tournament final, Proctor was hardly a force from beyond the arc. In the regular season, he shot 40% from deep, and then in the first two games of the ACC tourney, he missed all 10 of his tries. But Proctor has been lights-out since, connecting on 19 3s in his past three games — making 63% of his 3-point shots. — David Hale
Final: Florida defeats UConn 77-75
How Florida won: Dan Hurley said after Friday’s opening-round win that “someone’s going to have to put us down” for the UConn Huskies to exit the tournament without winning a third straight national title. On Sunday, Walter Clayton Jr. proved to be that someone. Clayton scored 10 points in a three-minute span, turning a 59-58 Florida deficit into a 77-75 win to secure a spot in the Sweet 16 and snap UConn’s 13-game tournament winning streak. Clayton didn’t make his first bucket until 15 minutes had elapsed, but once he got hot, he was unstoppable. He finished with 23 points — leading all scorers — including 15 in the second half, draining all three of his second-half 3-point attempts in the process. Clayton’s 3 with 2:54 remaining was the dagger, erasing a two-point UConn lead. Florida never looked back. — David Hale
