Villanova led Iowa 54-29 at halftime, and the 54 first-half points are the most by any team in the NCAA Tournament this year, the most ever by Villanova in the first half of an NCAA Tournament game and the most by the Wildcats this year. Syracuse, however, is an underdog against 11 seed Gonzaga, just as 3 seed Miami is against 2 seed Villanova and Duke is against Oregon. Rodriguez averages 12.6 points and 4.4 assists per game.
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Perhaps the biggest surprise is Syracuse, a No. 10 seed which two weeks before the tournament looked like it was bound for the NIT.
Stewart also grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked five shots.
Sydney Wiese added eight points, six rebounds and six assists, Ruth Hamblin had 16 rebounds and Deven Hunter scored 11 points for the Beavers (29-4).
RALEIGH, N.C. Atlantic Coast Conference teams arent taking anyone lightly in the NCAA Tournament due to their status as Power 5 schools. The crafty guard plays with a grit that can shoot life into a team, and that was on full display in the second round.
Arcidiacono had two 3-pointers in that stretch including a killer at the buzzer give Villanova its largest lead of the game. In the Jay Wright era, it rivaled the 2009 beatings they put on UCLA and Duke on the way to the Final Four. The Wildcats have reached the Elite Eight 12 times in program history.
Four Wildcats reached double digits points in the 87-68 rout of the Hawkeyes. We saw a 12-point comeback in just 44 seconds. Looking ahead to the second weekend of March Madness, here’s a look at the 10 most valuable players in the Sweet 16. Danuel House scored all 22 of his points in the second half and overtime for the Aggies. Shereesha Richards scored 23 points to close her record-breaking career at Albany, where the three-time America East player of the year became the program’s first Division I All-American and career leading scorer.
Villanova shot 60.6 percent in the half. The national Player of the Year candidate playing 35 minutes per game.
But No. 1 AP ranked Kansas is in. Oklahoma has a 31-10 lead in the all-time series dating back to the 1949-50 season. Both teams were on the tournament bubble, but they’re proving that they belong here.
Russell scored all 12 of her points in the first half and DeShields, who struggled in the NCAA opener, helped keep the Sun Devils at bay with some big shots in the fourth quarter. In the South, the Wichita State Shockers entered as an 11 seed battle-tested from a play-in game against Vanderbilt. Trimble was just 5-of-14 from the field, but sank 13-of-14 free throws.
The ACC had seven teams make the tournament, tied for the most this season with the Pac-12, the Big 12 and the Big Ten. You’ve really got to feel for Ben Jacobson and the entire Northern Iowa team after such a ridiculous ride in the Big Dance. The all-time series between Maryland and Kansas has a 1-point margin overall (363-362). Maryland missed its first 15 3-pointers against Hawaii in the Round of 32. The Jayhawks are averaging 81.6 points per game and allowing just 67.7.
Iowa’s Ahmad Wagner (0) protects the ball from Villanova’s Jalen Brunson (1) during the second half of a second-round men’s college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 20, 2016, in NY.
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Brandy Montgomery had 14 points for Auburn (20-13), which was the last unranked opponent to beat the Lady Bears on their home court. The Hoosiers wouldn’t be Big Ten regular-season champs or in the Sweet 16 without him, that’s for sure. A devastating and shocking loss for Northern Iowa, their fans, and any poor schmuck who had the Panthers in the Sweet 16 in their bracket pool. Duke went from winning the 2015 NCAA title to a No. 4 seed, and that placement seemed kind. But in an upset-filled opening weekend, the ACC almost matched those leagues combined total (seven) of Sweet 16 teams. Villanova is on a mission after failing to reach the Sweet 16 in its previous two attempts. UNC wins it and advances to the Elite 8.
