JMU was the trendy 12-5 upset pick, on the basis of its 31 wins, including the season-opening upset at Michigan State.
Last night’s 72-61 win over Wisconsin in the South Regional was no upset.
The Dukes led 18-5 midway through the first half, was up by as many as 16 later in the opening 20 minutes, and withstood a Badgers run that got the game briefly to six on the way to the dominant victory.
Next up for JMU: #4 seed Duke, which broke open a close game with a game-ending 14-3 run over the final 7:26 to beat #13 seed Vermont, 64-47.
Longwood overmatched by Houston in 1-16 matchup
Longwood played its way into the NCAA Tournament with a surprise three-game run through the Big South Tournament.
The Cinderella story came to an end in an 86-46 loss to #1 seed Houston in the South Regional.
“Obviously tonight was not the Lancers’ night, but extremely proud of our guys to get to the tournament,” Longwood coach Griff Aldrich said. “The resilience and the character that they’ve shown throughout the year to battle the ups and downs, and their genuine love for one another is why they here. Extremely proud of this team and what they’ve accomplished.”
Clemson surprises New Mexico in rout
Clemson, the #6 seed in the West, was an underdog to #11 seed New Mexico, and seemed to play that chip on the shoulder, getting out to a 30-11 lead midway through the first half and leading by double-digits for the final 32:52 of their 77-56 win over the Lobos.
Chase Hunter had 21 points and six assists, and Ian Schieffelin had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Clemson, which advances to face #3 seed Baylor, a 92-67 winner over #14 seed Colgate.
The win improved the ACC to a 4-1 record in the 2024 NCAA Tournament – with wins by UNC, Duke, Clemson and NC State, and the loss in the First Four by Virginia.
Conference records in the First Four/Round of 64
ACC: 4-1
Still dancing: UNC, Duke, Clemson, NC State
Big East: 3-0
Still dancing: UConn, Marquette, Creighton
Big 12: 5-3
Still dancing: Houston, Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas, Texas
Big 10: 4-2
Still dancing: Purdue, Illinois, Northwestern, Michigan State
Mountain West: 3-4
Still dancing: San Diego State, Utah State
Pac-12: 5-0
Still dancing: Arizona, Washington State, Colorado, Oregon
SEC: 3-5
Still dancing: Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A&M
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Chris Graham
