One of the most exciting weekends on the sports calendar came to a dramatic close on Sunday with eight second-round NCAA Tournament games as the field dwindled to just 16 teams. The slate featured a bit of everything, including a Cinderella squad's attempt to accomplish something that had never been done before.Ultimately, Fairleigh Dickinson's effort to become the first No. 1 seed to reach the Sweet 16 came up short as No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic bested the Knights 78-70. But the back-and-forth game was one of the day's highlights as the undersized FDU squad battled back from a double-digit deficit to briefly take the lead in the second half.
FDU's loss left No. 15 seed Princeton as the only double-digit seed left standing for next week's Sweet 16, but there were still some surprises on Sunday in terms of teams with less-advantageous seeding emerging as winners. No. 7 seed Michigan State got 23 points from Tyson Walker and upended No. 2 seed Marquette while No. 6 seed Creighton handled Baylor 85-76 without too much trouble
.Before attention turns entirely to the Sweet 16 and what's ahead, here are a few more takeaways from Sunday's action.
Fairleigh Dickinson finished 4-22 last season and didn't announce coach Tobin Anderson as its new coach until May 3, 2022. Less than a year later, they were in it until the end against FAU with a chance to reach the Sweet 16. Though the Knights didn't have quite enough magic to continue their magical Big Dance, their upset of No. 1 seed Purdue will go down in history. FDU was the shortest team in college basketball but gave us one of this month's best stories.
"Just being here and being in this environment, seeing the crowd…everybody chanting 'FDU,' and the TV audience, we were going head to head, the place is going crazy," Anderson said. "The police escorts, everything. This is a great tournament. It's great -- it makes you want to get back here as much as you can."
In Friday's win over NC State, center Ryan Kalkbrenner played the hero role for No. 6 seed Creighton with 31 points on 11 of 14 shooting. In an 85-76 win over No. 3 seed Baylor on Sunday, it was Ryan Nembhard's turn. The sophomore guard put up 30 points on 8 of 13 shooting as the Bluejays kept the Bears at arm's length for the entire second half.
"It's been a different person every night, a different guy every night," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "And our guys' unselfishness to understand if somebody has got it going, let's figure out a way to get him the basketball and get out of his way. We beat a really good basketball team tonight and we beat a really good team on Friday, and we're going to play another one next week."
No. 2 seed Marquette entered Sunday's game against Michigan State ranked No. 5 nationally in 2-point shooting percentage at 58.6%. But against the Spartans, Marquette wilted inside the arc, making just 9 of 25 attempts (36%). An 11 of 27 performance from deep was not enough to help the Golden Eagles overcame the absence of their normal offensive source, and 16 turnovers hurt Marquette as well. It was a great season for the program in coach Shaka Smart's second year as the Golden Eagles won both the Big East regular season and tournament titles, but Sunday marked a confounding end for a team that had been elite offensively most of the season.
"That's probably a record low for us," Smart said of his team's 2-pointer output. "We're normally very good finishing when we get in the paint. Michigan State did a really good job of help defense. They did a great job with their hands. We're going to look back at that tape, and there's a lot of plays we'd like to have had back. I thought we got bottled up a little too much on the side. When we were in the middle of the floor, we had a little bit more success. But coach Izzo and his team deserve all the credit in the world for the aggressiveness with which they played."
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CBS Sports will be with you the entire way updating this story with the latest from every second-round game on Sunday. Keep it locked here for scores, analysis and highlights throughout the evening.
Gonzaga trailed by 10 in the first half and was down 38-33 at halftime. But Drew Timme put the Zags on his back with 28 points and guided his squad back to the Sweet 16. Mike Miles scored 24 for the Horned Frogs on 8 of 13 shooting -- he was great per usual -- but TCU just couldn't get enough stops in the second half as the Bulldogs shot 52.9% from the floor after halftime.
TCU did an excellent job on Gonzaga defensively in the first half, holding the Zags to just 36.4% shooting from the floor. Gonzaga also made just 7 of 13 free throws, which is something that will come back to haunt them if they cannot overcome this deficit. Mike Miles scored 10 points in the first half to lead the Horned Frogs, who shot 45.2% from the floor in the half. The winner gets No. 2 seed UCLA.
Isaiah Wong led Miami with 27 points and Jordan Miller added 19 as No. 5 seed Miami walloped No. 4 seed Indiana 85-69 to reach the Sweet 16 for a second straight season. The Hurricanes shot 49% from the floor and won the battle of second-chance points 29-11. The 'Canes also got 14 points off their bench while the Hoosiers got none. First-ever back-to-back Sweet 16s for Miami.
On Friday, No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson did what only one team in NCAA Tournament history had ever done before: take down a No. 1 seed. The Knights couldn't pull off a similar stunner Sunday in Round 2.
Two days after stunning No. 1 seed Purdue as 23-point underdogs, FDU as 16-point underdogs vs. No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic ultimately fell short, losing 78-70 in a season-ender.
No 16 seed had ever advanced into the Sweet 16 and FDU could not become the first, but it still etched itself into the record books as one of the most memorable underdogs in tourney history. FDU is the smallest team in college basketball and it literally slayed a giant in Round 1, stunning Purdue, the largest team in the sport, to become the second-ever 16 seed to defeat a 1 seed.
FAU will move to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history where it will face No. 4 seed Tennessee next week.
Miami shot 55% in the first half behind 10 points apiece from Nigel Pack and Isaiah Wong. The Hurricanes built the lead to 28-15 at one point before Indiana cut the deficit over the last several minutes of the half. Trayce Jackson-Davis leads Indiana with 11 points while Miller Kopp has eight. Jalen Hood-Schifino was just 2 of 8 in the first half for IU.
FDU leads FAU 50-49 midway through the second half. The Knights have an unlikely group of supporters in their corner....
For the second time in the past three seasons, Creighton is headed to the Sweet 16 after taking out No. 3 seed Baylor behind a huge offensive performance from Ryan Nembhard, who finished with a career-high 30 points. Creighton shot 11 of 24 from 3-point range and made a ridiculous 22 of 22 free throws to rebuff a defensively lax but offensively resilient Baylor squad. The Bears tried to roar back from an 18-point deficit but could never get enough stops to make that practical. The Bluejays will play Princeton in the Sweet 16.
Florida Atlantic shot just 35.1% from the floor in the first half but leads by seven anyway as Fairleigh Dickinson has struggled to convert at the rim. The No. seed 16 Knights got some good looks in the paint in the first half but simply missed a bunch of them. The teams shot a combined 6 of 33 from beyond the arc in the first half and combined for 72 shots. The winner will play Tennessee at Madison Square Garden next week.
Indiana has a size advantage inside with Trayce Jackson-Davis, but the Hoosiers are also fine with running, which is what Miami will seek to do. The Hurricanes escaped an upset bid from Drake in the first round but didn't look like themselves for much of the game until their backs were against the wall late. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers handled business against a solid Kent State team on Friday and are poised to ride Jackson-Davis into the Sweet 16. Pick: Indiana -1.5 -- David Cobb
ALBANY, N.Y. — UConn is legit, folks. Connecticut entered this tournament with the same seeding as its KenPom ranking: No. 4. Dan Hurley's program got to its first Sweet 16 since 2014 — the year of the program's most recent championship. They did it by beating Iona and Saint Mary's by a combined 39 points. Adama Sanogo was a beast AGAIN on Sunday, going for 24 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Hawkins' shot came to life early in the second half, which put the Gaels away. Next up: a fantastic matchup with Arkansas. Can't wait.
Baylor was not playing great defense entering the NCAA Tournament, and Creighton exposed the Bears in the first half with 50% shooting, including a 7 of 16 performance from 3-point range. Ryan Nembhard has 11 to lead the Bluejays, who lead by 10 despite committing nine turnovers. L.J. Cryer led Baylor with 12 points in the first half, but Keynote George and Adam Flagler made a combined 4 of 17 shots from the floor in the first half.
Tyson Walker scored 23 points, including 17 in the second half, as Michigan State withstood a Marquette team that was playing some of the best basketball out of anyone in the country entering the Big Dance. The Spartans are at it again under Tom Izzo, who has a No. 7 seed headed to the Sweet 16. He led a No. 7 to the Final Four in 2015 and has this team clicking at the right time. MSU's defense was great today, holding Marquette to 38.5% shooting and forcing 16 turnovers.
Michigan State vs. Marquette on CBS is turning into a classic finish. These teams are trading big play after big play as we hit the under-four timeout with Michigan State leading 56-54. Is Tom Izzo about to make another unexpected March run? His guys struck first in this game and have weathered everything that Shaka Smart and the Golden Eagles have thrown at them thus far.
Saint Mary's flustered UConn out of the gate by jumping out to a 17-9 lead. But the Huskies finished the half strong behind 10 points from Adama Sanogo and nine from Tristan Newton, who made all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. Sanogo was a beast in UConn's first round win over Iona and is back at it. He's got six rebounds and is on his way to another double-double. Alex Ducas has eight points for the Gaels, but this team may not have an answer for Sanogo.
It was all Michigan State early -- it led by as many as 13 points in that first half -- but No. 2 seed Marquette kept things within arm's reach after a big 13-6 run to close the half. Michigan State missed nine of its 10 3-point attempts but dominated on the glass and inside the paint, while Marquette's guards -- star Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones -- combined for just nine points.
UConn's only losses in the past two months have come against teams also playing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies have won 10 of their last 12, and they just crushed Iona 87-63 in the first round after trailing at halftime. Saint Mary's is an excellent defensive team, but the Huskies can beat opponents in a variety of ways and should find a method for creating separation as the game progresses. Pick: UConn -3.5 -- David Cobb
The Wildcats of Kansas State knocked off the Wildcats of Kentucky in the second game of the day Sunday in Round 2. K-State played from behind most of the game but seized control down the stretch as UK went cold and as K-State guard Markquis Nowell heated up. Nowell had 23 of his 27 in the second half and took over the game as a creator and scorer, finishing 7-of-14 shooting and making three triples. It marked his highest scoring total in a game in more than two months and propelled Kansas State into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
Picking against Marquette the last two months has mostly been an unproductive betting strategy, but darn it, I'm going back to that well in just taking the points with Michigan State. Close matchup featuring a good offense from Marquette and much-improved D from Sparty that makes this a near-draw. Pick: Michigan State +2.5 -- Kyle Boone
Kansas State took a blow from Kentucky to begin the half and has responded. The Wildcats are back ahead 51-50 at the under-eight timeout as Markquis Nowell has found his gear here in the second half. Looks like we've got a classic finish coming in Greensboro in this battle of the Wildcats. Toppin and Reeves are now a combined 1 of 19 from the floor for UK, which makes it astounding that Kentucky is even in the game.
Kentucky begins the second half on a 13-4 run to take a 39-33 lead at the u16 timeout. Tshiebwe is up to 15 points and 12 rebounds and Cason Wallace is having himself a day as well. Toppin and Reeves are a combined 1 of 15 but it doesn't matter right now because K-State still hasn't made a 3-pointer. Tough start to the half for K-State.
Kentucky led 17-9 at one point, but UK went cold late in the half and finished the half with 11 turnovers as K-State flipped the script. Markquis Nowell already has five assists for Kansas State, which has to feel great about leading after going 0 for 12 from beyond the arc. Oscar Tshiebwe already has a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds for Kentucky, but Jacob Toppin and Antonio Reeves made a combined 1 of 14 shots from the floor in the first half
Kentucky fans may recall Kansas State ending the Wildcats' season in 2018 when UK was a 5 seed and K-State was a 9 seed in a wide-open region. So, I get there may be some nerves here for BBN. But the Wildcats -- aside from two losses at the end of the season to Vanderbilt -- are playing as well as they have all season after dumping Providence in a sweat-free Round 1 win. Laying the deuce here with UK. Pick: Kentucky -2 -- Kyle Boone
No. 11 seed Pitt cut it to single digits late after No. 3 seed Xavier opened up a 20-point lead in the second half. But the Musketeers held on to advance to the Sweet 16. Six players reached double figures for Xavier, which will play No. 2 seed Texas next week. The Musketeers started hot offensively, making 7 of 14 shots from beyond the arc in the first half. Adam Kunkel made all five of his 3-pointers in the opening half to set the pace. Impressive work from coach Sean Miller in his first season back with the program.
Xavier leading scorer Souley Boum has zero (!!) points through 20 minutes of play, and yet X leads the Panthers by 14 at the break thanks to an unbelievable first half from backcourt mate Adam Kunkel. Kunkel leads all scorers with 15 points after taking five 3s and making all five. Jack Nunge was also big with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Pitt was able to find some success on offense but had no answers for Xavier's offense. Thought Pitt would need to slow this down and make it an ugly one to win, and so far, Xavier has dictated the pace -- to Pitt's detriment.
The action is underway on this final day of the first weekend. But first, let's catch up on everything that went down Saturday. March Madness went ahead and went, well, mad on Saturday in the first day of Round 2 action to kickstart the weekend. One day after No. 1 seed Purdue got booted to the curb by No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, a second No. 1 seed got sent packing – and it was a big one as reigning champion Kansas fell to No. 8 seed Arkansas in a stunner. The Jayhawks led or were tied for all but 114 seconds of the 2,400 played across two halves of action, but it wasn't doing so as the clock struck zeroes in a 72-71 loss thanks to a string of Razorbacks free throws in crunch time.
Before the attention turns fully to Sunday's action, when the final Sweet 16 spots will be secured, here are a few takeaways from Saturday's NCAA Tournament slate. The Cinderella story of the day belonged to No. 15 seed Princeton, which advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in the modern era of the NCAA Tournament by shellacking No. 7 seed Missouri 78-63. Princeton is just the fourth Ivy League program to reach the regional semifinals and the first since 2010.
Thing went a little better Saturday for Missouri's SEC rivals. More at THIS LINK.
We've almost got half of the Sweet 16 bracket set in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, and now eight more games will produce winners to round out the group of teams that are advancing to the second weekend of the big dance. Sunday's college basketball schedule has some can't miss games, with matchups that include both some of the most iconic programs in the sport's history as well as the team that just pulled off the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history. Check out Chip Patterson's piece at this link for the day's storylines.
Several blue blood programs will be in action today. So will No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson. Here's the story behind how the Knights went from a 4-22 season last year to arguably the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history while playing the nation's smallest lineup. It's because of the Knights' starting backcourt of 5-8 Demetre Roberts and 5-9 Grant Singleton – not in spite of it – that the country's tiniest team is in the midst of a massive turnaround.
If you missed Friday's action and are curious about how these matchups came to fruition, here's everything you need to know. Friday had a little of everything from crooked rims to blown leads, big comebacks to big performances, tears and triumphs. That's a full day in the life of March Madness. And as if that wasn't enough to whet your college hoops appetite, how about No. 1 seed Purdue's stunning loss to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson?
March Madness hit deafening levels of mayhem the last few days as the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket broke open with two No. 1 seeds getting sent home, a No. 15 seed punching its ticket to the Sweet 16 and No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson making history as the second such team to ever defeat a No. 1 seed. All that stands between us and a Sweet 16 now is one full Sunday slate. Buckle up.
