Yesterday was insane, as teams like Arizona and Miami bowed out of the tournament. What will happen today? OSN Senior Writer Abe Asher will provide running commentary throughout the day! Check back often:
9:15 PM: With Clemson closing out New Mexico State and Florida State up big on Missouri, I will leave you here. Thanks for following along!
9:04 PM: Pitt obviously botched the hire that followed, but they were entirely justified in letting Jamie Dixon walk and that’s why. His teams can’t play offense, and that’ll get you bounced early from the tournament every single year.
9:01 PM: Another upset win for the ‘Cuse.
8:54 PM: So UMBC advances to play Kansas State on Sunday. The winner of that game gets the winner of Buffalo against Kentucky. Elsewhere, Syracuse leads Texas Christian by three with two and a half minutes to go.
8:48 PM: Classy interview from Tony Bennett. “When you step into the arena… the consequences can be historic.” Touché.
8:42 PM: UMBC had 53 second half points! Goodness. One of the great sports moments in American history.
8:41 PM: It’s hard to describe just how thoroughly UMBC crushed Virginia in that second half. Offense, defense, transition, clock management, everything. They never even looked uncomfortable.
8:33 PM: After going 0-135 against #1 seeds, #16 seed UMBC just beat #1 seed Virginia by twenty points. 74-54. Mind-boggling.
8:32 PM: IT’S OUT TO 20! 72-52 with a minute left!
8:30 PM: America starting to celebrate.
8:28 PM: Virginia commits an intentional foul at midcourt. What an absolutely amazing, unbelievable night. 67-50 UMBC with two minutes left.
8:27 PM: If this were soccer, Tony Bennett would resign in his post-game press conference.
8:25 PM: Lyles hits the front end of a one-and-one.
8:24 PM: Virginia is out of timeouts. It’s 61-46 with three minutes left.
8:22 PM: LYLES FLOATER, TINY POINT GUARD STEAL, ICE-IN-YOUR-VEINS CORNER THREE IN TRANSITION. YOU’RE WATCHING HISTORY.
8:20 PM: Canzano just asking to be flattened right here. Asking for it.
8:18 PM: Virginia gets a steal and layup. 12 point game with four minutes left, and Lyles back on the sideline dealing with cramps. It’s all coming down to this!
8:15 PM: UMBC leads 56-42 with five minutes left. Lyles, cramps and all, is playing the game of a lifetime. He’s got 22.
8:12 PM: Uh oh. Lyles is cramping. Very bad break for the Retrievers.
8:10 PM: This is a DOMINANT Twitter performance, fools getting destroyed left and right.
8:09 PM: Virginia has found its stroke from outside. Three three-pointers have pulled it back to 12, and UMBC takes timeout with a 52-40 lead and seven – seven – minutes to go.
8:08 PM: UMBC’s 5’8 point guard sticks a three! “Playing like he’s 6’10!” Raftery shouts.
8:07 PM: Virginia gets a three and a strong defensive stand, forcing a shot clock violation. 47-34 now.
8:05 PM: Fifteen second half points for Lyles! 47-31 Retrievers, ten minutes left.
8:03 PM: Quick sweep around the rest of the tournament: TCU by 1, Florida State by 6, Clemson by 12. And then there’s UMBC by 16 with eleven minutes to play.
7:59 PM: Virginia can’t contain UMBC’s shooting guard Jarius Lyles! He’s got 18, and it’s 45-29 with 11:39 to go and the Hoos have to call another timeout!
7:58 PM: Goddamn the UMBC Twitter is DRAGGING Seth Davis.
7:54 PM: NINTH THREE OF THE GAME FOR THE RETRIEVERS, VIRGINIA IS COMPLETELY THROWN.
7:53 PM: Virginia is now facing their biggest deficit of the entire season. 38-24 UMBC.
7:52 PM: TNT just pulled out their package of close calls in 16-1 games. Too early?
7:49 PM: VIRGINIA JUST FOULED A THREE POINT SHOOTER AND I AM STRUGGLING TO REMAIN CALM.
7:48 PM: If UMBC wins this game, Seth Davis should get a statue outside of the CBS studio in Manhattan and you better believe something is happening because it’s 35-24 Retrievers.
7:45 PM: Oh my.
7:43 PM: 29-22 RETRIEVERS THEIR TINY POINT GUARD JUST SLASHED FOR AN UNCONTESTED LAYUP AND TONY BENNETT CALLS TIMEOUT.
7:42 PM: “If you thought Virginia was going to come out, find a spark, establish who they are………” Apparently all you have to do to bring Nantz to life is put him on the call of a 16-1 upset scare.
7:41 PM: This game is so much fun, even Nantz is making jokes: “This kid has never made a B in his life, which I can relate to… but I never made an A either!” The entire booth is going nuts.
7:40 PM: How does the second half start? A three-point play for UMBC. 24-21.
7:38 PM: Clemson up 19-15, Syracuse up 27-20, Florida State and Missouri getting ready to tip, and Virginia back out on the court for their second half in a tie game with UMBC.
7:33 PM: How do you want to live? As a decent person? A good husband? NOOOOOOOOO.
7:25 PM: I’ve stumbled onto a feature on the Tennessee team playing Settlers of Catan, which is the realest thing we’ve seen in this tournament since Fatts Russell and E.C. Matthews lit up Oklahoma what feels like four months ago.
7:22 PM: Syracuse, who we last saw in the First Four when Jim Boeheim was actively trolling his own offense, is leading TCU 18-13 at the under eight timeout. Clemson-New Mexico State also underway.
7:17 PM: At halftime, it’s Virginia 21, UMBC 21.
7:14 PM: Ah ha! It’s all starting to make sense.
7:11 PM: If you’d like an indication of how this game has gone so far for Virginia, Grant Hill just likened UMBC’s point guard to Steve Nash. The Retrievers lead by three.
7:06 PM: With four minutes left in the first half, Virginia is showing why this will be the year that they at long last reach the Final Fo – oh, wait, they’re tied at 16 with UMBC.
6:58 PM: The Cavaliers lead 13-10 at the under eight timeout, Xavier is trying to hit 100 against Texas Southern, and Syracuse and TCU are tipping off in Detroit.
6:56 PM: UMBC has airballed two straight threes in their game against Virginia, I wonder if Seth Davis locked them in too.
6:47 PM: Bruce Pearl screams “CHARLES THAT ONE WAS FOR YOU” in the post-game interview, how this man is employed as he actively tries to impede his own school’s investigation, I have no idea.
6:45 PM: The final is 62-58 Auburn. They move on to play the winner of Clemson-New Mexico State, while Charleston will have to return to the most beautiful college campus in the country. A shame.
6:43 PM: Auburn misses them both, but Ritter comes nowhere close on a potential game-tying three, and the Tigers are nearly there.
6:41 PM: Charleston gets the one, another foul with 14 seconds left. Two free throws for Auburn.
6:40 PM: Auburn gets one, Grant Riller at the line shooting two for Charleston where they have struggled immensely down the stretch.
6:39 PM: 60-57 now, Tigers back at the line for another one-and-one. Just 29.3 seconds to go.
6:37 PM: Auburn shooting one-and-one, needs just one to make it a two possession game with 46 seconds left.
6:36 PM: Charleston gets one of two, but Auburn sticks another three to make it 59-56 with a minute left. Some big time shooting keeping the Tigers in the driver’s seat.
6:34 PM: Bryce Brown lights it up from long range, and the Tigers retake the lead at 56-55. Charleston free throws upcoming.
6:33 PM: JESUS CHRIST A FIVE SECOND CALL AGAINST AUBURN! And they had a timeout left!
6:32 PM: Shot clock buzzer beating three for Charleston out of the timeout! 55-53 with 2:51 left.
6:28 PM: Lead going back and forth, it’s now 53-52 Auburn with three and a half to go.
6:24 PM: Charleston takes the lead! 50-48 on a corner three. Another 13 seed right there against a 4.
6:16 PM: Auburn’s point guard just threw a bounce pass off of a Charleston defender’s calf into the arms of his big man, who dunked it and was fouled, and I think it might be the quintessential NCAA Tournament play. The Tigers are up five with eight minutes to go.
6:11 PM: Auburn has led this game the whole way, but can’t quite separate. It’s now 40-39, with Charleston on another mini-run as Bruce Pearl takes timeout. Michigan State and Xavier continue to roll.
6:05 PM: Charleston.
6:02 PM: There are few things more enjoyable than watching a contested, heat-check three-pointer five seconds into the shot-clock hit the backboard.
5:55 PM: Hang on a minute! Charleston is within two! 31-29 at the under sixteen.
5:51 PM: “Chealey, hobbling with the ball in his hands coming up the court.” Things looking dicey for the College of Charleston, trailing by six.
5:42 PM: Since firing Bruce Weber, Illinois has been to the tournament once. Bruce Weber has been four times, and he’s four minutes away from picking up his first tournament win K-State coach.
5:40 PM: Creighton is running out of time to make its move. They trail by eleven with just five minutes to go in Charlotte.
5:38 PM: K-State is up by nine, as is Michigan State. Xavier leads by sixteen, and Auburn and Charleston are locked up at the half.
5:36 PM: Some guy for Kansas State has scored more points in this game than he had scored in the entire season leading up to tonight, so I guess you could say things are going well for Creighton.
5:32 PM: That is such blatant insubordination I’m almost in awe.
5:30 PM: This is the same Bruce Pearl who announced at the beginning of the season that he is refusing to cooperate with HIS OWN SCHOOL’s investigation into his program, an investigation triggered by its appearance in the FBI’s college basketball probe.
5:29 PM: Good to see Bruce Pearl back in the tournament, good to see he’s still completely belligerent.
5:27 PM: Xavier is on like an 85-4 run against Texas Southern, if only Seth Davis had LOCKED Texas Southern in.
5:24 PM: J.P. Macura has 19 points for Xavier and there’s still five minutes to go in the first half of that game, which is terrible news for everyone.
5:20 PM: I know I ducked out as this was going on, but Eric Musselman went completely nuts after Nevada won, kissing people in the stands, running into the locker room screaming, and then immediately dropping two f-bombs before TBS could cut the audio feed. If they beat Cincinnati on Sunday someone is going to have to tase him.
5:17 PM: Back for the last hurrah of the first round. On right now: Kansas State up five on Creighton midway through the second half, Michigan State up four on Bucknell at the half, Auburn up four on Charleston near the end of the first half, and Xavier up seven on Texas Southern midway through the first half.
3:46 PM: Nevada gets a couple of clutch free throws, a stop, and that’s it. The Longhorns blow a 14-point lead and lose in yet another devastating tournament loss for Shaka Smart as Texas coach. See you for the late games.
3:44 PM: “I LOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVEEEEE MARCH!” Catalon loses it.
3:43 PM: Nevada tacks on another free throw, but Roach takes it down and nails a three to make it a two point game with 14 seconds left.
3:42 PM: Texas in serious trouble now. Wolfpack back at the line, up four with 22 seconds left.
3:39 PM: Texas gets one of two at the line, and it’s 83-80 Nevada. Wolfpack have two shots upcoming.
3:37 PM: One of the twins, Cody Martin, just fouled out and Eric Musselman has lost it a little bit on the sideline. He just grabbed a Powerade cup with a coffee lid on it off the scorer’s table and is jumping up and down waving his arms.
3:35 PM: All of the sudden, Nevada can’t miss. One of their twins has hit two straight threes, they lead 81-79 with a minute left.
3:34 PM: KERWIN ROACH FOUR POINT PLAY.
3:33 PM: Another jumper for Coleman answered by a Nevada three. Knotted up at 73 with just over three minutes to go.
3:32 PM: Texas’ freshman guard Matt Coleman drills a three to open OT. 71-68 Longhorns.
3:30 PM: Nevada airballs the three. We’re going to overtime, and Andrew Catalon isn’t handling it particularly well. “PUT MORE TIME ON THE CLOCK,” he screams.
3:27 PM: The Nevada kid dribbles the ball about twelve times on the line, misses the first, but knocks down the second, and then Texas turns it over with 1.6 seconds to go. The Wolfpack will have a look for the win.
3:24 PM: Texas misses the free throw, and Bamba fouls out trying to block a put-back attempt from Nevada on the other end! The Wolfpack have two free throws down 68-67 with 3.8 seconds to go.
3:23 PM: Texas hits a couple of free throws, Nevada answers with a layup and gets a foul with 18.3 seconds to go. One-and-one upcoming.
3:21 PM: Nevada gets one of two, Bamba gets a put-back for Texas, and Josh Hall answers for the Wolfpack. 66-65 with a minute to go.
3:19 PM: ‘Horns miss the front end, now Nevada headed to the line for a one-and-one of its own after a dubious foul call out front.
3:18 PM: Texas throws the ball away on their possession, but gets a stop and is fouled. They’re shooting one-and-one.
3:14 PM: Shaka takes timeout with 2:50 left and the Longhorns up two. Bamba coming back into the game with his four fouls.
3:11 PM: Texas gets a tip-in off of a long missed shot before Nevada answers with a corner three. 62-59, under five to go.
3:08 PM: An and-one for Nevada made it a 56-55 game before Texas comes down and hits a three. 59-55 with six minutes left, and Bamba has four fouls. Trouble for the Longhorns.
2:59 PM: Kerwin Roach has 19, three shy of a career high. Texas leads 54-48, West Virginia is up 58-45.
2:54 PM: “It was a foul on the reach,” Lappas says, clarifying that he does not condone football tackling on dribble-drives.
2:52 PM: “That’s a foul. That is not a charge,” Steve Lappas huffs as Nevada’s point guard football tackles his defender and gets called for an offensive foul.
2:47 PM: Nevada back within single digits at 45-37, and Shaka Smart takes time. Murray State also within single digits, that game is 49-42 at the under sixteen timeout.
2:46 PM: Butler coach LaVall Jordan, shortly after being informed that his team will be facing Purdue minus Isaac Haas on Sunday:
2:38 PM: Texas has a star forward named Kerwin Roach, easily a top-five name in this tournament.
2:33 PM: MARCH IS #TruTVAwarenessMonth (and has been since 2011!).
2:31 PM: Halftime in the Texas game, with the Longhorns up 35-26. West Virginia leads Murray State at the half 38-29.
2:30 PM: Jim Nantz is in a commercial with the Barkley/Spike Lee/Samuel L. trio, might be the worst actor alive.
2:27 PM: Butler, who ended up winning their game 79-62, remains a marvel. The Bulldogs have now won eleven of their twelve first round games since the year 2001.
1:50 PM: Nevada coach Eric Musselman apparently had his team practice with broomsticks to simulate the height of Bamba. I have my doubts about the Wolfpack.
1:43 PM: Texas on a 9-0 run, has taken a 19-10 lead. Both coaches in this game have already shed their jackets.
1:40 PM: Texas center Mo Bamba’s standing reach is 9’6. Here is a man who barely needs to stand on his tiptoes to dunk a basketball.
1:37 PM: Butler has stretched its lead back out to ten early in the second half of that game. Texas-Nevada also underway from Nashville. West Virginia leads by two.
1:33 PM: Woah. Purdue’s star center Isaac Haas fractured his right elbow late in the Boilermakers’ win this morning and will miss the remainder of the tournament.
1:31 PM: “If you really love basketball, you don’t want it to end,” is apparently why Bob Huggins’ West Virginia teams win in March. Sounds terrifying.
1:27 PM: The path to success is unpredictable.
1:24 PM: Good start for WVU. They lead 7-2 at the end of the first timeout, with Murray struggling to break the press.
1:22 PM: West Virginia and Murray State has tipped in San Diego, should the Mountaineers win, we get an all-West Virginia second round matchup on Sunday.
1:10 PM: Halftime in Detroit, with Butler leading Arkansas 36-31. North Carolina just underway in their second half against Lipscomb, up 48-37.
1:05 PM: The best games of the tournament so far have been the 13s against the 4s. North Carolina Greensboro took Gonzaga down to the wire, Buffalo ripped Arizona, and Marshall just beat Wichita State. Is this the new 12 vs. 5?
1:01 PM: 27-26, and Butler just throw a three-quarters court pass into the Razorback bench. Nothing like a little composure in March!
12:59 PM: I might have undersold it a bit: Butler took a 21-2 lead in that game, but it’s now 27-23. The Razorbacks have found their rhythm.
12:54 PM: Better news for the American elsewhere, where Cincinnati has seen off a strong challenge from Georgia State. Butler out to a big early lead over Arkansas.
12:51 PM: That, folks, is Marshall’s first NCAA Tournament win ever.
12:47 PM: So long, Shockers!
12:45 PM: Shaq Morris throws it away, Marshall recovers the ball on the floor and YES THAT’S RIGHT CALLS TIMEOUT. THEY SAID IT WOULD BE A CHESS MATCH AND I THINK WE HAVE A WINNER.
12:43 PM: Shamet misses the front end, Wichita gets the rebound, Frankamp misses a three, Wichita gets another look at it, and Shamet misses a three off the backboard. Ball out of bounds, still with the Shockers, but just 15.9 seconds left. Still 80-75 Marshall.
12:42 PM: Penava fouls out. Wichita’s point guard Landry Shamet at the line for a one-and-one.
12:40 PM: Officials went to review the clock, and while that review was happening, both coaches tried to sneak new players onto the floor! Officials now reviewing to see whether each team has the same five players they had in when they went to review the clock.
12:38 PM: Wichita loses Penava on the inbound and the big man throws it down! It’s 80-75 Marshall!
12:37 PM: Marshall can’t get the ball in, good thing DAN THE MAN SAVED TWO TIMEOUTS!
12:36 PM: Ball stays with the Herd. 36.2 seconds to go, three point game. About a six second differential between the shot and game clocks, so the Shockers don’t have to foul.
12:35 PM: Referees still trying to figure out who the ball went off of. Hard to imagine, after three minutes, that they’re going to come up with the evidence necessary to overturn the call on the floor.
12:32 PM: Marshall breaks the Wichita press and gets a look at a dunk, but it’s blocked out of bounds. Referees give it to the Herd, but the play is under review.
12:30 PM: C.J. Burks misses the front end of a one-and-one, and 36-year-old Wichita guard Conner Frankamp comes down and sticks a three. 78-75 with 44 seconds left.
12:25 PM: Another bucket by Penava followed up by a steal and throw-down from the Marshall point guard! Greg Marshall calls timeout with his team down six!
12:23 PM: UH OH 74-70 MARSHALL, Penava gets a bucket, Shaq Morris misses a gimme on the other end, and the Herd hit a three.
12:22 PM: 70-69 Wichita State. Four and a half minutes left.
12:18 PM: JON ELMORE HAS A BROTHER NAMED OTT.
12:17 PM: Jon Elmore three for Marshall! It’s tied at 65 with seven minutes to go!
12:13 PM: Debbie Antonelli says that Wichita-Marshall is a “chess match between the coaches,” which is exactly what you like to hear when one of the coaches is Dan “I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING” D’Antoni.
12:11 PM: Also: Lipscomb is beating North Carolina 21-15 and I’m betting that Barkley is gleeful.
12:09 PM: Ernie Johnson guaranteed that Marshall-Wichita is going down to the final possession, and Ernie is a smart man: it’s 59-58 Wichita with 8:35 to go.
11:46 AM: “Big shoutout to Mom and Dad, back in Sarajevo.” That’s right. Three-point play for Marshall’s Ajdin Penava.
11:43 AM: Cincinnati has 18 second chance points, which is absolutely killer for a big underdog. The Bearcats have called timeout with 2.8 seconds left in the first half of that one, up 35-30.
11:40 AM: Barkley just couldn’t be less amused. “If that was Duke in there, he wouldn’t be grabbing those babies,” he announces.
11:39 AM: CBS comes back from commercial with a shot of Roy Williams playing with his grandson before his team’s game. “As a grandfather of three, there’s nothing better than that,” Ernie Johnson says.
“Except for playing Lipscomb,” a grim-faced Barkley replies.
11:35 AM: Cincinnati is on a 7-0 run, and has taken the lead over Georgia State for the first time today at 28-25. Panthers are going to need some more magic.
11:34 AM: The Pac 12, on the other hand…
11:32 AM: With Texas A&M’s win, the SEC has started the tournament 5-0 with the Aggies, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama all winning. Auburn, Missouri, and Arkansas have yet to play. Quite a turnaround for a conference that was irrelevant in basketball outside of Kentucky and Florida for years.
11:26 AM: Georgia State 22, Cincinnati 16. In less fun news, Wichita State has come back to take a 37-34 lead over Marshall into the break of that game.
11:22 AM: After an 11-1 start yesterday, I’ve now lost four of the last five. I tell you this because we all will revert to the mean eventually, striving for excellence is pointless.
11:14 AM: Stick a fork in the Friars. Their center just committed a flagrant foul so weak that the A&M big man still scored a basket in the progress. The lead is double digits with time ticking away.
11:11 AM: Providence is scoreless in the last four minutes. A&M leads by ten with two-and-a-half minutes left.
11:07 AM: Georgia State, America’s team, leads Cincinnati 8-3 at the first timeout of that game. Marshall leads by seven in San Diego.
11:05 AM: Raftery just compared a pass to a grapefruit. A&M back up seven as Providence’s struggles at the offensive end continue.
11:01 AM: OH MAN Marshall’s center just threw down a 30-foot lob to the basket. They’re up 28-21 with six-and-a-half to go in the first half.
11:00 AM: “YOUNG and RESTLESS, send it in!” Bill Raftery, as Providence’s Kalif Young throws down a dunk.
10:58 AM: Friars-Aggies continues to be a slugfest. 53-52 A&M at the under-eight.
10:56 AM: A&M’s point guard jukes a guy out of his shoes, steps back behind the line, and… airballs the three. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
10:54 AM: Providence with a little run of their own! It’s 50-50, and A&M has taken timeout. Remember, Ed Cooley’s team played three straight overtime games in the Big East tournament including the latter two against Xavier and Villanova. They’re resilient.
10:52 AM: Marshall is up 18-12 and I don’t think Wichita State is going to win this game if they have to simply outscore the Herd.
10:48 AM: LIPSCOMB. LOCK IT IN.
10:47 AM: If they didn’t let Seth Davis make his ridiculous UNDERDOG LOCK pick today because of what happened yesterday, I am going to be extremely disappointed.
10:44 AM: The Aggies are on a big run in Charlotte, they’re out to 45-37 lead. Marshall leads Wichita 14-11, Purdue up 30-21 at the half.
10:41 AM: HAVEN’T FINISHED MY DAMN ANALYTICS STORY YET
10:38 AM: Providence is shooting 1-9 from three, delicious.
10:35 AM: Marshall is out to an early 5-2 lead on Wichita State, so now is as good a time as any to relay the basketball gospel according to the less successful D’Antoni brother, Thundering Herd coach Dan:
10:32 AM: This Providence-A&M game is hideous, perfect for the Friars. 62-60 and pain is where they live.
10:16 AM: Fullerton starting to shoot a little bit, and Purdue has missed 12 of their last 13 shots. It’s 20-18.
10:11 AM: A&M is up 28-27 over the Friars at halftime; Purdue leads CSU Fullerton 17-12 with seven-and-a-half minutes to go first half.
10:09 AM: Yeah this booth is going to have some moments today.
10:05 AM: “Give credit to Josh Pintz!” Bit of a demand from Ian Eagle, who is working games with Jim Spanarkel this year.
10:04 AM: Here’s what happened yesterday. Fatts Russell was en fuego.
10:02 AM: Welcome to Day 2. On right now: Providence and Texas A&M locked in a tight battle in the last minute of the first half in Charlotte, and Purdue in the first minutes of their game against Cal State Fullerton.
