Friday, March 16, 2012

NCAA Tournament, Round of 64 Early Games Results & Recaps; #2 Missouri Dumped by Norfolk State

East Region

Cincinnati 65 Texas 59 - The Longhorns dug themselves a very deep hole, scoring just two points in the opening 12:30 of the first half, but they clawed back to tie the game at 52-all on a put-back by Johnathan Holmes at 3:45 in the second half. Cincinnati squandered a 19-point lead, but regained their composure and the lead on three consecutive baskets - one by Cashmere Wright, sandwiched between a pair of Yancy gates buckets. Texas could get no closer than four as time wore down. Gates recorded another double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Florida State 66 St. Bonaventure 63 - The Bonnies, a 14 seed which got into the big dance by winning the Atlantic-10 tournament, proved their value by taking it to the Seminoles for most of the game and even had a chance to tie the contest when they had the ball with 8 seconds left. To avoid the major upset, 3-seed Florida State needed a 16-2 run to take its first lead with 5:15 left on a 3-pointer by Ian Miller.

The battle in the paint was ferocious. St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson scored 19 points with seven reounds and two blocks, matched by the Seminoles' Bernard James, who scored 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting, with nine boards and three blocked shots. Florida State moves on to a match-up with 6-seed Cincinnati.


Midwest Region

North Carolina St. 79 San Diego St. 65 - 11th-seeded NC State put a whipping on the #6 seed San Diego State, out of the Mountain West conference, dominating inside and shooting a blistering 58.5% from the field. The Aztecs' Jamaal Franlin led all scorers with 23 points, but Wolfpack forward Richard Howell made 10 of 12 shots for 22 points to lead his winning squad.

Creighton 59 Alabama 58 - Led by Doug McDermott's 16 points and 10 rebounds, Creighton, the number 8 seed in the Midwest, held on for the win against #9 seed Alabama. The Bluejays took the lead for good with just over five minutes left to play, but were inefficient at the line, allowing the Crimson Tide a chance for the win, down just one point with 2.4 seconds to play, but Trevor Relaford's three-point heave was partially blocked by Josh Jones.

Georgetown 74 Belmont 59 - Jason Clark had his jumper working as he poured in 23 points for the 3-seed Hoyas, making none of 12 overall and three of five 3-pointers. The Hoyas easily handled the 14-seed Bruins, as they shot 61% and had a 30-22 rebounding edge.

North Carolina 77 Vermont 58 - Even without John Henson - who sat out again with a bruised wrist - the Vermont Catamounts were no match for the mighty Tar Heels, the region's #1 seed. Henson's replacement, James Michael MacAdoo, and Tyler Zeller each scored 17 points to pace the Heels. Zeller also had a game high 15 rebounds.


West Region

Florida 71 Virginia 45 - Billy Donovan's Gators dominated the game from start to finish, taking an eight-point lead into half time and expanding it through the remainder of the game. Florida shot 53% for the game and out-rebounded Virginia, 36-21. The Gators will face Missouri on Sunday, the winner going to the Sweet Sixteen.

Norfolk State 86 Missouri 84 - It's official. March Madness has arrived, as the 15 seed Norfolk State Spartans upset the #2 seed and #3 ranked Missouri Tigers. Missouri, which shot 52%, could never shake free in a game that saw numerous lead changes and ties. The Spartans led by two at the end, but Phil Pressey's desperation three-pointer at the buzzer clanged off the rim and Norfolk State became just the fifth #15 seed to defeat a #2 seed in tournament history. The Spartans got a huge effort from center Kyle O'Quinn, who led all scorers with 26 points and hauled in 14 rebounds.

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