The madness is back, and now that the first round is over there are some major spotlights in the bracket. Cinderella stories, and close games all to come in the Round of 32.
Gonzaga(1) vs. Memphis(9)
Out of the gate, Memphis looked like the best team on the court. They were able to pull out a ten point lead in the first half, and looked in control on both sides of the ball. Another big game by DeAndre Williams and Jalen Duren helped give Memphis a commanding lead. Coming out of half time though, Gonzaga looked to have an extra step in their game. Drew Timme, 25pts, got Gonzaga back in the game early in the second half. Both teams were trading buckets for the majority of the game, until the last minutes of the game. We finally saw what this Zags team was made of in the clutch, and big defensive plays from Chet Holmgren and big shots from Timme and Andrew Nembhard powered the Bulldogs to a 82-78 victory and berth into the sweet 16.
New Mexico St.(12) vs. Arkansas(4)
After a massive game by Teddy Allen, the Aggies were looking to play upset to another big name team. Things didn’t go as planned though, as a big first quarter by the Razorbacks helped them pull out a 9 point lead. A big and-one three by Clayton Henry helped give New Mexico St. some momentum going into half time, and a big game by Johnny McCants helped bring them back into the game. This was a game of run and response, and after the Aggies had pulled the game close, there was a final blow by Arkansas. A big run led by JD Notae helped close the game out with a 53-48 win for the Razorbacks.
Notre Dame(11) vs. Texas Tech(3)
For a Notre Dame team that gave Alabama a very hard beating in the first round, Texas Tech was a wake up call. The Red Raiders controlled much of the game, but the Fighting Irish were able to hold on and keep the contest close. Notre Dame slowly started taking back ground and on the back of Blake Wesley and Dane Goodwin were able to close the game and even take the lead. Even with a surging Notre Dame team, Texas Tech was able to close the game with good defense and timely buckets to lead them to a 59-53 victory.
Michigan State(7) vs. Duke(2)
This, like every other Duke game, will be filled with talk about whether or not this will be Coach K’s last game and especially against a coach as storied as Tom Izzo. Duke and Michigan State traded blows the entire game, as big games from Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham helped keep the Spartans in it. Duke would ultimately pull out a final run in the last few minutes of the game, as 19pts from Paolo Banchero and double digit scoring from 4 other Blue Devils helped finish the game 86-76.
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