The first round of the NCAA Tournament is over, capping the most excited two days in all of sports. There were not the plethora of major upsets we've seen in previous years, as just five double-digit seeds are advancing to the second round - and only three of those (Middle Tennessee, Rhode Island, Wichita State) are mid-major programs. Still, there was plenty of exciting action on a crazy Friday. Here is everything you may have missed and/or need to know:
UPSETS
(11) USC stuns (6) SMU with late comeback, wins 66-65
SMU led for the first 38+ minutes of this game, and star forward Semi Ojeleye (24 points, 10 rebounds) appeared ready to lead them to lead the Mustangs to a victory. The Trojans had other ideas, and Elijah Stewart hit the eventual game-winner just less than a minute to play. It is now the seventh straight year in which a First Four team has advanced to the Round of 32.
Elijah Stewart (@Lou_weezy_ana) hits what was the game-winning three to give @USC_Hoops the upset win over SMU! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Q8gE9Z0WAM
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
SMU had a chance to win the game with its final shot, but Shake Milton couldn't get it to fall. #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/1O32wWgpdy
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
(11) Rhode Island cruises for 84-72 win over (6) Creighton
Even though they were the lower seed, the Rams never trailed in this one and held a double-digit lead for most of the half. All five Rhode Island starters scored at least 12 points, while they limited Creighton to just 39.1 percent shooting. The Rams are looking like the dangerous 11-seed they were expected to be and may have a long run ahead of them.
TOP HIGHLIGHTS
Dunk of the tournament?
Even though SMU lost, Semi Ojeleye had the highlight of the night with this huge putback dunk.
.@SMUBasketball's Semi Ojeleye (@SemiOjeleye) with perhaps the dunk of the #NCAATournament so far!! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/gBg6UGbV8n
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
The Miles Bridges show
Michigan State's Miles Bridges is usually good for a highlight dunk or two a game, and today's win over Miami was no different.
Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges01) just dunked on the ENTIRE MIAMI TEAM!!! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/FKctsH64Mi
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 18, 2017
Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges01) puts a cap on Michigan State's win with a tomahawk reverse slam! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/gpD1l87trx
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 18, 2017
UCLA's offensive showcase
The Bruins were not able to put Kent State away until late in the second half, but star freshmen Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf provided us with a bunch of highlights.
Lonzo Ball (@ZO2_) skies for this impressive alley-oop finish!! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/a3xEKjHw7o
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 18, 2017
UCLA's TJ Leaf (@leafsquad22) drops the HAMMER! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/zmdXFanmy7
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 18, 2017
Some points are more important than others
With just a handful of seconds left and the game already decided, Jawun Evans' buzzer-beating three didn't have an impact on the outcome - but it did have a major impact on those out in Vegas.
In today's edition of great moments in gambling, Jawun Evans hits the buzzer beater to cover the -2.5 spread for OK St. #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/nQbJJMbA0X
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
Rejection at the rim!
There was some controversy in Arkansas' win over Seton Hall (we'll get to that later), but there was no debating this amazing defensive play from Moses Kingsley.
Arkansas' Moses Kingsley (@KingMoses_) with the rejection! #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/TeIFeTVn23
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
Here's another angle of that Moses Kingsley (@KingMoses_) block! #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/hbeBkrAQCo
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
Lob City, Kansas?
The Jayhawks showed off their high-flying attack in a blowout win over UC Davis, as Frank Mason III threw perfect lobs to Josh Jackson and Lagerald Vick.
Frank Mason (@FrankMason0) connects with Josh Jackson for the alley-oop! #kubball #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/nAMNe2xZKJ
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
Frank Mason (@FrankMason0) hooks up with LaGerald Vick (@Vicklovekicks) for the alley-oop! #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/Aldd4dDLg4
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
Who?
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. came off the bench to have a huge impact for Baylor, showcasing his skills on both ends of the court.
Oh look at the block from Jo Lual-Acuil of #Baylor! #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/bYdWGgVh2K
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
3 defenders weren't enough to stop Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.! #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/lkvbkvqcIW
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
STORYLINES
Michigan hits 11 three-points in the 2nd half in 92-91 win
The Wolverines trailed Oklahoma State for most of the game, and after an 8-0 gave the Cowboys a six-point lead early in the second half, Michigan got hot from distance, making 11 three-pointers in the final 16 minutes of the game to pull out the victory..
HIGHLIGHTS: Michigan defeats Oklahoma State to advance to the Second Round!
— Michigan Basketball (@umichbball) March 17, 2017
WATCH » https://t.co/R3gFOfjoSV#GoBlue #MarchMadness
Michigan finished the game with 16 made three-pointers. They will now face Louisville in the second round on Sunday.
Flagrant foul costs Seton Hall game vs. Arkansas
Arkansas and Seton Hall traded the lead back and forth throughout the entire game, so it's no surprise that the game wasn't decided until the closing seconds. However, that came when Seton Hall's Khadeem Carrington was called for a heavily criticized flagrant foul. Arkansas hit their free throws from that foul call and won the game, 77-71.
An atrocious late game flagrant foul call on Seton Hall's Khadeem Carrington ended their comeback attempt and clinched a win for Arkansas. pic.twitter.com/oj4DXeroSM
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
As you could imagine, Seton Hall was none to happy about the call - and they made sure the refs knew about it. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/gZ8MnqbujK
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 17, 2017
Arkansas advances to face North Carolina on Sunday in Greenville, SC.
1-seeds limping out of the gate
One-seeds held their ground and still have not lost to a 16-seed yet in NCAA Tournament history, but three of the top seeds struggled to put away their opponents. Gonzaga trailed South Dakota State for most of the first half before gradually pulling away in the second half, Villanova actually trailed Mount St. Mary's early in the second half before pulling away and Kansas didn't get a double-digit lead over UC Davis until late in the first half.
All of those teams won by at least 20 points, but they were not cakewalks by any stretch of the imagination.
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