There was one Staple-busting Day as the first round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Tournament came up and End.
On Day 1, Top Somen Gonzaga, Kansas, and Baylor were among the teams to beat their ticket to the second round.
On the other hand, Kentucky, UConn and Iowa were all on the losing end of shocking upsets, with 4-Some UCLA narrowly avoiding the same fate.
Here are the top moments from the 64th round that took place on Thursday.
No. 15 Saint Peter’s 85, No. 2 Kentucky 79 (OT)
The team was neck and neck the whole game long. The Peacocks and Wildcats were tied at halftime at 37 and 20 minutes later it was level at 71 in overtime.
In the end, 15-seater Saint Peter’s won a stunner in Indianapolis.
Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe led the way with 30 points, followed by Saint Peter’s Daryl Banks with 27 points.
Oscar Tshiebwe shines in Kentucky I lost Titus & Tate
Mark Titus and Tate Frazier discuss the impressive excitement of the Kentucky Wildcats of 15-seed Saint Peter’s. Oscar Tshiebwe put 30 points and 16 rebounds in the defeat, which proves why he still deserves to win the Naismith Player of the Year.
No. 12 New Mexico State 70, No. 5 Connecticut 63
The Huskies led early in the first half and their defense was blocked with two blocks and two steals, but they quickly found themselves 10 points into the half. UConn was able to pull through the middle within a second, but New Mexico State eventually came out on top in a thriller.
Aggies guard Teddy Allen led every scorer with 37 points.
No. 1 Gonzaga 93, No. 16 Georgia State 72
Dominated by size
The Zags are the top overall seed in the tournament, but they struggled to maintain their dominance through much of this game and actually played 54-54 with 12:38 left.
But Gonzaga finished the match with a 39-18 run to continue with the competition. One of the key players in the run was Chet Holmgren, who showed ridiculous agility for a 7-footer with this steal, sprint and dunk. Holmgren had 19 points, 17 rebounds, seven blocks and five assists in a superb all-round performance.
Gonzaga’s other star was big man Drew Timme, who had 32 points and 13 rebounds.
No. 12 Richmond 67, No. 5 Iowa 63
Cool, quiet, collected
This trio of adjectives describes Richmond’s Jacob Gilyard as a tea. The Spiders’ Point Guard has played every 40 minutes of all of his last eight games and was the enduring catalyst behind his team’s 67-63 upset victory over Iowa.
Gilyard struck out four free kicks to claim the thrilling victory over a team that had plenty planned to advance to the final four. The All-Time Division I steal leader finished the deal with 24 points, six boards and six assists.
After upsetting Iowa, can Richmond make a run? I’m Titus & Tate
Mark Titus and Tate Frazier discuss the Iowa Hawkeyes, who are excited by the Richmond Spiders. They talk about the possibility of Richmond making a run after impressing in the win.
No. 11 Michigan 75, No. 6 Colorado State 63
Houston, we have a problem
Michigan fell behind 28-16 in the first half and was plagued with an early turnover error. But Juwan Howard’s halftime speech impressed his squad, and the Wolverines are on a rosy comeback trail in the second.
Freshman Caleb Houstan was a big part of their comeback effort, and his pair of crucial 3s helped his squad take control of the lead. The Wolverines did not look back from there, beating the Rams 46-27 in the second to conclude the thrilling victory.
Michigan and Tennessee win first round matchups
Mark Titus and Tate Frazier respond to the Michigan Wolverines and Tennessee volunteers who won their first round of matchups in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 4 Providence 66, No. 13 South Dakota State 57
Directly into the rack
Ed Cooley’s friars also know a thing or two about defense. They were the third-best defense in the Big East from a point of view and flashed their defensive mettle early in their back-and-forth deal with South Dakota State. Nate Watson protected the colors on this game before securing the board and finding a striped Aljami Durham for the transition basket.
Who needs eyes?
Not Durham, apparently. He took a straight line path into the basket on another quick break opportunity in the first half, and instead of taking a simpler approach to his dominant right side, Euro-stepped left, folding a finger roll behind his head. It fell right away.
Providence led 31-23 at the half, winning 66-57 after holding back the Jackrabbits’ comeback attempt.
No. 9 Memphis 64, No. 8 Boise State 53
Back in business
It’s been a while since Emoni Bates pulled them for a game. The Star Freshman missed 12 games with a back injury in the weeks before the tournament, but immediately withdrew from where he left off, dropping a beautiful 3-ball late in the first half.
Trey was Bates’ only basket in limited minutes, but he will be a key rack in the Penny Hardaway lineup if fully healthy going forward. Memphis takes over Gonzaga on Saturday.
No. 1 Baylor 85, No. 16 Norfolk State 49
High up, hard down
The Bears lived up to their top-seed bill, putting together a commanding performance from start to finish. This well-drawn street open was one of the best sequences of the day.
No. 3 Tennessee 88, No. 14 Longwood 56
Rack Attack
John Fulkerson fell with full force in the first half for Tennessee to raise a rim-punished slam to give his volunteers a big momentum boost. Fulkerson’s congestion gave Tennessee a 16-12 lead, and by the break, it had extended its lead to 54-29.
No. 8 North Carolina 95, No. 9 Marquette 63
UNC dominated in a 32-point victory over Marquette. The Tar Heels ’13 3-pointers are the most ever in an NCAA men’s tournament game. They go to the next round where they take on top-seed Baylor.
No. 5 Saint Mary’s 82, No. 12 Indiana 53
The Hoosiers were so badly blown away by the Gaels that this was Indiana’s best game in the game:
No. 9 Creighton 72, No. 8 San Diego State 69 (OT)
It was a back-and-forth battle between the Aztecs and Bluejays, who eventually came to the top in overtime.
No. 4 Arkansas 75, No. 13 Vermont 71
Guard Stanley Umude leads every goal with 21 points and two blocks as Arkansas maintains a slight lead over Vermont for most of the game. The Catamounts were never out, but they did not have enough in the tank to secure the victory, and Arkansas went on to the second round.
No. 4 UCLA 57, No. 13 Akron 53
There was another tight call between the Zips and the Bruins in Portland, as both teams left everything on the floor.
It was a 26-25 game at the break with one point, and it remained a coin toss until the final seconds. In the end, UCLA had a bit more in the tank than Akron, mainly thanks to a huge shot from Tyger Campbell.
No. 7 Murray State 92, No. 10 San Francisco 87 (OT)
Zane Meeks of San Francisco felt it was early to lead every goal with 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor. It was another close game in Indianapolis as the Dons led the Racers by one point at the break, 37-36.
After putting everything on the court, the teams stopped at 73 as things went into overtime. Murray State would eventually seal the deal, overcoming a 36-point escape from Jamaree Boyea.
No. 1 Kansas 83, No. 16 Texas Southern 56
Kansas led the TSU by a whopping 28 points at the break, 47-19, and held off the Tigers in the second half as the Jayhawks climbed to an easy victory.
Meanwhile, Texas Southern has not lost everything …
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