The final day of the NCAA Tournament's opening weekend wasn't as chaotic as Saturday, but there were some great finishes. All but one game was a decided by less than 10 points and several higher seeds barely avoided an upset. With the Sweet 16 field now set, here is everything you may have missed and/or need to know.
Upsets
After a day full of upsets Saturday, Sunday was a bit quieter. The higher seeds mounted some key comebacks (more on that below), but there were a few lower seeds that will keep dancing.
(7) Michigan Tops (2) Louisville 73-69
The Cardinals led by 9 in the second half, but Michigan took control the rest of the way. Mortiz Wagner was great, racking up 26 points and 3 rebounds. D.J. Wilson was massive late, with four free throws and a block in the final seconds.
(7) South Carolina Knocks Off (2) Duke 88-81
In what felt and sounded like a home game, the Gamecocks knocked off Duke. Sindarius Thornwell was amazing, as the destruction of the East Region continued. The No. 3, 4, 7 and 8 seeds are the Sweet 16 reps from the East this year, wrecking many brackets.
Highlights
These aren't just the best plays - there are some head-scratching ones too. Check them out below.
D.J. Wilson's Block
D.J. Wilson gets the block and @umichbball is heading to the #SWEET16! "The journey continues" #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/PBH6kfqQSY
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 19, 2017
Michigan was probably going to win this game before Wilson's block, but it's a nice exclamation point on the win.
Michigan's Celebration
Michigan and head coach John Beilein celebrate their upset win with a water gun. #marchmadness #SWEET16 pic.twitter.com/3rYBZkysKC
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 19, 2017
College basketball is supposed to fun. And what's more fun than your coach attacking you with a water gun?
Handle Checks Out
De'Aaron Fox (@Swipathef0x) with the steal and the slam! #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/7UudGElA81
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 19, 2017
After that steal and dunk, there might not be a more accurate Twitter handle than De'Aaron Fox's.
UK's Blocks
Malik Monk (@AhmadMonk) & Bam Adebayo (@Bam1of1) came up with two HUGE blocks to help UK survive the Wichita State upset bid. #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/Bj0WdJAci2
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 19, 2017
The Wildcats' offense wasn't great against Wichita State, but the defense stepped up twice at the end.
Jackson Gets Denied By The Rim
Josh Jackson fought the rim and the rim won. #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/Gak4m1PuOQ
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 19, 2017
Kansas won, but Jackson took a big L here.
Stanford Robinson Balls Out
Stanford Robinson is balling for Rhode Island right now. Also, the bench celebration is on point. #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/jxGQmYlqbH
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 20, 2017
Robinson picked a great time to have the best game of his life, but it still wasn't enough.
Tyler Dorsey Is So Clutch
Tyler Dorsey delivers! Ends up being the game-winning shot for @OregonMBB as they survive Rhode Island's upset bid, 75-72. #marchmadness pic.twitter.com/oZEkmC62g6
— Chat Sports NCAA (@ChatNCAA) March 20, 2017
Dorsey is why Robinson's game wasn't enough.
Covering The Spread
Great moments in covering the spread: Chimezie Metu's meaningless buzzer beater covers the 5-point spread for #USC against #Baylor. pic.twitter.com/qa378v8pF7
— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) March 20, 2017
I think my tweet summed it up pretty well. Gamblers everywhere erupted at that final shot, even though Baylor had the game locked up.
The Rest Of The Results
We'll go rapid fire here, with the scores and a quick thought on the all "chalk" games.
(2) Kentucky 65, (10) Wichita State 62
The Shockers couldn't get their revenge this time, despite having a good chance.
(1) Kansas 90, (9) Michigan State 70
This was closer for much of the game, but when Josh Jackson and Frank Mason combined for 43 points and one turnover, beating Kansas is nearly impossible.
(1) North Carolina 72, (8) Arkansas 65
The Razorbacks had this upset, but UNC closed the game on a 12-0 run.
(3) Oregon 75, (11) Rhode Island 72)
Another near upset, as Oregon rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat the Rams. Tyler Dorsey, as seen above, was insanely clutch.
(3) Baylor 82, (11) USC 78
It looked like USC might use another monster second half to pull out a comeback win, but Baylor gutted one out. Manu Lecomte was huge down the stretch.
(3) UCLA 79, (6) Cincinnati 67
The Bearcats hung around, but even their great defense couldn't stop UCLA's high-powered offense. Lonzo Ball had 18 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds