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Best of NCAA tournament 2019: Friday

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Day 2 of the 2019 NCAA tournament tipped off Friday, and we compiled the best sights and sounds of the day. If you missed anything from Day 1's Morant and Magee Show, here's what you need to know:

+ Ja Morant is a superstar

+ Wofford's Fletcher Magee can shoot a little bit

+ The reason Fairleigh Dickinson lost by 38 and was 'euphoric'

+ ESPN Final Four and title picks

Friday's results

No. 4 Virginia Tech 66, No. 13 Saint Louis 52

Though it took Saint Louis nearly 12 minutes to reach double digits in scoring, the Billikens did make things interesting in the second half. It helped that the Hokies made just four shots from the field after halftime. That said, Virginia Tech ended up with a comfortable victory thanks to 25 points off turnovers and Nickeil Alexander-Walker's 20 points. Justin Robinson had 9 points in 27 minutes in his return from injury. -- Jeff Borzello

Tournament Challenge update: With 32 games in the books, we are down to nine perfect brackets out of 17.2 million.

No. 11 Ohio State 62, No. 6 Iowa State 59

Chris Holtmann's team backed into the NCAA tournament, and Iowa State won the Big 12 tournament -- but it didn't matter Friday. Nick Weiler-Babb missed an open 3-pointer in the final seconds as the Buckeyes survived. Kaleb Wesson led Ohio State with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Marial Shayok had 23 points for Iowa State. The Cyclones couldn't hit shots late, though, making just two 3-pointers after halftime. -- Jeff Borzello

Tournament Challenge update: No. 11 Ohio State upsetting No. 6 Iowa State was predicted in 28.7 percent of brackets. The Cyclones' loss is a tough hit, as 29.4 percent of brackets pushed them to the Sweet 16.

With Ohio State's thrilling victory over Iowa State, the Big Ten has advanced seven teams into the Round of 32. That ties the Big East ('08, '11) for most by any conference in NCAA Tournament history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff Writer5y ago

No. 9 UCF 73, No. 8 VCU 58

The Knights took complete control of this game toward the end of the first half, going on a 19-0 run spanning intermission after it was tied at 24. VCU made a couple miniruns late, but UCF wouldn't let the Rams get within seven points in the second half. B.J. Taylor led the Knights with 15 points, but Tacko Fall had 13 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocks. We might get a chance to see Zion try to dunk on Tacko on Sunday. -- Jeff Borzello

No. 1 North Carolina 88, No. 16 Iona 73

Iona led at halftime, but North Carolina started the second half on an 18-5 run and put the contest to bed fairly quickly. Cameron Johnson and Luke Maye were too much for the Gaels inside, combining for 37 points and 16 rebounds, and Iona shot just 5-for-20 from 3-point range in the second half after making 10 3s before halftime. Rickey McGill led Iona with 26 points. -- Jeff Borzello

No. 12 Liberty 80, No. 5 Mississippi State 76

The Flames pulled off the third 12-over-5 upset of the NCAA tournament, following Murray State and Oregon. This is the fifth time that three 12-seeds defeated 5-seeds in the round of 64 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Mississippi State led by 10 points with seven minutes remaining, but made just one of its final 11 shots from the field. Caleb Homesley was terrific for Liberty, hitting five 3-pointers and finishing with 30 points. Quinndary Weatherspoon and Lamar Peters carried Mississippi State offensively, combining for 48 points, but couldn't get shots to fall late. -- Jeff Borzello

Tournament Challenge update: After 28 games, 49 of 17.2 million brackets remain perfect.

No. 3 Houston 84, No. 14 Georgia State 55

There would be no heroics for Ron Hunter, R.J. Hunter or Georgia State this time around. Houston was up 15-3 in the first 4½ minutes Friday and then went on a 17-2 run in the second half to seal it. Cougars guard Corey Davis Jr. (26 points) outdueled Panthers star D'Marcus Simonds (18 points) and Houston won by 29 despite shooting just 8-for-29 from 3-point range. The Cougars were locked in defensively. -- Jeff Borzello

Houston's Corey Davis Jr. produced one of the finest openers of this NCAA Tournament. Davis broke an American Athletic Conference with seven made 3s in an NCAA Tournament game, to go along with 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists without a turnover. The Cougars roll by 30.

Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff Writer5y ago

No. 1 Duke 85, No. 16 North Dakota State 62

This one actually looked pretty dicey for the Blue Devils for a half, and North Dakota State led by as much as seven points early. But Duke dropped 54 points after halftime to cruise to a victory. RJ Barrett had 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Zion Williamson finished with 25 points and 3 rebounds. Vinnie Shahid paced North Dakota State with 20 points. -- Jeff Borzello

And how about this photo?

No. 9 Washington 78, No. 8 Utah State 61

The Huskies rid themselves of whatever ailed them down the stretch of the season, ending Utah State's 10-game winning streak in convincing fashion -- with a 24-8 run to finish the game. Noah Dickerson dominated the interior with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Utah State star Sam Merrill was held to just 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting. Washington also shot 58.8 percent from 3-point range. -- Jeff Borzello

Tournament Challenge update: After 24 games, 341 of 17.2 million brackets remain perfect. Only 10.1 percent of entries predicted that No. 12 Oregon would face No. 13 UC Irvine in the second round. Of those brackets, 66 percent picked Oregon to beat UC Irvine.

No. 12 Oregon 72, No. 5 Wisconsin 54

Oregon is officially rolling. The Ducks have won nine in a row, and they locked down defensively once again. Wisconsin shot just 33.3 percent from the field and 6-for-30 from 3-point range. Oregon shot an outrageous 70.8 percent from the field in the second half, including 5-for-6 from 3-point range. Oregon now faces 13-seed UC Irvine for a spot in Sweet 16. -- Jeff Borzello

No. 6 Buffalo 91, No. 11 Arizona State 74

The student topples the teacher. Nate Oats and Buffalo blew out his former boss, Bobby Hurley, and Arizona State. Nick Perkins and Jeremy Harris led the way with 21 points apiece, and Buffalo shot 63.6 percent after intermission. The lead grew to as many as 25 points midway through the second half. Arizona State couldn't continue its momentum from the First Four victory, but Zylan Cheatham had 22 points. -- Jeff Borzello

In the aftermath of Buffalo handling Arizona State, Nate Oats was appreciative, while Bobby Hurley was complimentary. Oats, who coached under Hurley before succeeding him at Buffalo in 2015, said just before tip, he thanked Hurley "for everything he’s done for my career. ... I just tried not to look down (his) way during the game.” Hurley, who noted he'll be pulling for Buffalo the rest of the way, said Oats' own personality has "rubbed off" on the Bulls in "how hard the team competes."

Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff Writer5y ago

No. 1 Virginia 71, No. 16 Gardner-Webb 56

There was no 16-over-1 repeat nightmare for the Cavaliers, despite being down by as many as 14 points in the first half. De'Andre Hunter, who missed last season's upset, had 23 points and 6 rebounds, and Virginia really up turned it up defensively after halftime. Gardner-Webb scored just 20 points in the second half. Jose Perez led the Bulldogs with 19 points. -- Jeff Borzello

No. 2 Tennessee 77, No. 15 Colgate 70

Colgate kept it close throughout, but two 3s from Admiral Schofield in the final minutes pushed the Volunteers' lead to nine and they went on to win. Jordan Burns had 32 points and eight 3-pointers in a losing effort. Schofield led the way for Tennessee with 19 points, as the Vols overcame just 9 points from All-America forward Grant Williams. -- Jeff Borzello

Colgate star Rapolas Ivanauskas missed the second half against Tennessee because of what team officials are calling eye irritation. Coach Matt Langel described it as pink-eye and said Ivanauskas woke up with the issue Friday and tried to play, going 0-for-4 in the first half. "I don't think anybody thought it was going to be an issue," Langel said. "He had his glasses on all through the morning and went to put his contacts in, and was just really struggling ... to see. They tried a variety of different things, medications and ice and cleaning the lenses." Ivanauskas, who declined to speak with reporters, left Nationwide Arena with dark shades over his eyes.

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer5y ago

No. 13 UC Irvine 70, No. 4 Kansas State 64

The biggest seed upset of the NCAA tournament thus far, Irvine won its 17th consecutive game and beat a Dean Wade-less Kansas State. The Anteaters (Anteaters!) got 19 points apiece from Max Hazzard and Evan Leonard, with Hazzard making a clutch 3 and Leonard sealing the game with free throws. Kansas State shot just 37.3 percent for the game. -- Jeff Borzello

  • Stat fact: Max Hazzard finished with 19 points in his team's first-round win over Kansas State on March 22, 2019. His grandfather Walt Hazzard had 19 points in his team's Final Four win over Kansas State on March 20, 1964.

No. 3 Texas Tech 72, No. 14 Northern Kentucky 57

The Norse kept it close for the first 25 minutes, but Texas Tech pulled away for a comfortable win. Jarrett Culver continued his All-America season, posting 29 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Texas Tech also played its trademark defense in the second half, holding Northern Kentucky to 37.5 percent shooting and just three 3-pointers.-- Jeff Borzello

We have another big NCAA tournament bet, as the bettor who bet $500K on Michigan last night has rolled over his winnings on the Texas Tech moneyline. He has risked $527,777 at -1,400 odds to win $37,698.

Ben Fawkes, ESPN Staff Writer5y ago

No. 8 Oklahoma 95, No. 9 Ole Miss 72

This one was over from the opening tip. Oklahoma scored the first 12 of the game, and the 23-point gap made Ole Miss look better than it was. The Sooners had four players with at least 18 points, and they shot 57.6 percent from the field while turning it over just four times. Ole Miss ends its season by losing five of its final six games, with Terence Davis' 17 points the highlight for Rebels. -- Jeff Borzello

No. 10 Iowa 79, No. 7 Cincinnati 72

Cincinnati looked like it could run Iowa out of the gym early on, getting out to a 13-point lead in the first eight minutes. But the Hawkeyes had an outrageously efficient second half, shooting 65.4 percent from the field and making seven 3-pointers. Luka Garza had 20 points and 7 rebounds to lead Iowa, while Cincinnati was paced by Justin Jenifer's 19 points. -- Jeff Borzello


Fun Friday roundup

Big money?

Worth it? One bettor bet $150 at -15000 odds on Duke to beat 16-seed North Dakota State. If the Blue Devils win, the bettor will win ... $1.

Ben Fawkes, ESPN Staff Writer5y ago

Who woulda thunk?

Geno joins in the dancing

No need for apologies, Coach Izzo

Hail from the Chief

More like Tacko Tall, amirite?

Hit the showers, Coach