NCAA Tourney: Sunday Third Round Late Games; Florida Gulf Coast Does It Again!

South Region

(1) Kansas 70 (8) North Carolina 58 - The Jayhawks, who couldn't buy a bucket in the first half, couldn't miss in the second, turning a nine-point deficit at the break into a 12-point lead at the midpoint of the second half. As or the Tar Heels, they were just terrible throughout, shooting 30% for the game and often looking distracted disorganized or disinterested.

Kansas, after a slow start, scoring just 21 first-half points, really picked things up in the second, putting down 49 points and running away late. Travis Releford had 22 points to lead all scorers, while teammate Jeff Withey scored 16 and pulled down the same number of rebounds.

The Michigan Wolverines, #4 seed in the region, await the Jayhawks in the next round.

(3) Florida 78 (11) Minnesota 64 - Putting the game out of reach early, the Gators took a 21-point lead into the half, and, while the Gophers cut into the lead to some degree, could never close the final gap.

The Gators blistered the twines at 57%, led by point guard Mike Rosario, who dazzled at 8-for-12 from the field, hitting six of nine form beyond the arc for a game-high 25 points.

West Region

(15) Florida Gulf Coast 81 (7) San Diego State 71 - As the saying goes, if the shoe fits, wear it, and that's exactly what Florida Gulf Coast is doing with Cinderella's glass slipper. The #15 seed Eagles, up a deuce midway through the second half, broke the game open with an exhilarating 17-0 run that left San Diego State gasping for breath.

The Aztecs are the last of the highly-touted Mountain West conference to fall, beaten by the Eagles, the first 15-seed ever to reach the promised land of the Sweet 16.

Sherwood Brown, saddled with foul trouble that kept him on the bench for long stretches of the game, still managed to score 17 points and snag eight boards. Point guard Brett Comer scored 10, whizzing though the Aztec defense to deliver 14 assists. Game high-scorer Bernard Thompson had 23 on 9-for-15 shooting, with a couple of treys.

The stunning twist of fate has them playing the Gators of Florida in the next round. It ought to be exciting, to say the least.

(13) La Salle 76 (12) Ole Miss 74 - Talk about a broken bracket. This was a 13 seed beating a 12 seed, the winner going onto the Sweet 16 to face 9th seeded Wichita State next week. Tyrone Garland hit a runner with 2.5 seconds left, breaking a 74-all tie to send Marshall Henderson and the Mississippi Rebels packing and the Explorers prospecting into the next round.

LaSalle's Ramon Galloway led all scorers with 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting going six for 10 from three-point range.

The Explorers won their third game of the tournament, beating Boise State in a Wednesday First Four play-in game, then topping Kansas State on Friday.

East Region

(2) Miami (FL) 63 (7) Illinois 59 - Miami became the first ACC to reach the Sweet 16, winning a tight game over a determined, motivated Illinois squad that gave the Hurricanes more than they bargained for.

Shane Larkin hit a key three-pointer and nailed a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to secure the Miami win. Larkin had 17 points and five assists. His teammate, Rion Brown, outscored everyone with 21 points, going 7-for-14 with five three-pointers.

The Hurricanes play Marquette next in the Sweet 16.

Midwest Region

(2) Duke 66 (7) Creighton 50 - The Blue Devils became the second ACC team to reach the Sweet 16, along with conference champion, Miami. Duke shot just 39% in their meeting with Creighton, but it was more than enough, as they held the BlueJays to just 30%. Naismith Award finalist Doug McDermott had one of his worst games as a collegian, making just four of 16 shots from the field and just one three-pointer. He did record a perfect 12-for-12 mark from the foul line and was the only Creighton player in double figures with 21.

Duke dominated a rather lackluster game to close out the round of 32. Leading by six points at the half, they ground down the BlueJays and gradually pulled away in typical Blue Devils fashion, ready to face Michigan State in the next round.

Creighton Wins MVC with 68-65 Win over Wichita State

Even though All-American Doug McDermott was saddled with fouls and was held well below his average, his teammates shouldered the load and defeated Wichita State, 68-65, to capture the BlueJays second straight Missouri Valley conference tournament.

Creighton will get the automatic bid to the NCAA tourney for the second straight season. The Shockers, which finished up with a solid 26-7 mark - identical to Creighton - is likely to receive an at-large invite.

Creighton joins Belmont, Florida Gulf Coast, Harvard and Liberty as early recipients of automatic bids to the NCAAs.

NCAA Round of 32 Sunday Game Previews

12:15 pm ET, Midwest region: (3) Georgetown vs. (11) NC State - A pretty even match-up overall as both teams are playing their best basketball at the right time, though especially NC state, which will be seeking their second straight upset win (topped #6 San Diego State in their opener). The battle will be likely won or lost by Wolfpack big men, who have a bit of a size advantage over the Hoyas, but either team could benefit from hot shooting by the guards. Looks like a wide-open, fun affair.

5:15 pm ET Midwest region: (1) North Carolina vs. (8) Creighton - Two questions immediately arise upon looking at this game: 1) Will John Henson suit up and play?, and 2) Will Harrison Barnes of the Tar Heels or Creighton's Doug McDermitt have the bigger game. Barnes and McDermott were teammates in high school when the two won state championships together in Iowa. Henson, the lanky, shot-blocking forward, sat out North Carolina's opening win over Vermont and is still nursing a sore wrist, suffered in the SEC final against Vanderbilt.

Whatever the outcome of those questions, North Carolina has been a dominant team all season and are the pick to prevail over the last survivor from the Missouri Valley conference, though Creighton has a solid attack and is one of the better defensive teams in the tourney. How well McDermott performs will be key.

6:10 pm ET West region: (7) Florida vs. (15) Norfolk State - The Gators had an easy time getting past Virginia, while Norfolk State upset Missouri in their opener. Florida may not have an answer (does anybody?) for the spartan big man, Kyle O'Quinn, though they'll surely do better than Missouri did handling him. The other question is whether Norfolk St. can maintain their poise, hot shooting and emotion after the biggest win of their program. No 15-seed winner over a 2 seed has ever won their following game. The spartans have a chance to make some more history.

7:45 pm ET, South region: (10) Xavier vs. (15) Lehigh - Like Norfolk State, the Mountain Hawks can make NCAA history if they take out Xavier, who upset 7-seed Notre Dame in their opener. After beating back #2 seed Duke, Norfolk State will need to stay focused on defense, lest Tu Holloway goes off for 30+ points and the Musketeers ride his hot hand. The Mountain Hawks are probably still hungry following the Duke win and Xavier looks like they could be another victim in a weak draw.

9:40 pm ET, east region: (3) Florida State vs. (6) Cincinnati - The opening weekend of the tournament concludes with a real hard-knocking contest. Both teams are primarily defensive-oriented, but have managed to find enough offense to reach this point. The battle in the paint and on the boards may be ferocious, but the feeling is that the Seminoles are battle-tested after beating North Carolina in the ACC final and then rallying to beat a very similar-looking St. Bonaventure team in their opening game. A hot hand for either team could decide this. Keep a close eye on Cincy guard Cashmere Wright, who, as the name implies, has a smooth game.