DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Kansas’ national title defense ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament when Arkansas’ Ricky Council IV made five free throws in the closing seconds and the eighth-seeded Razorbacks beat the No. 1 seed Jayhawks 72-71. Davonte Davis scored 25 points and Council added 21 as Arkansas rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit. Kansas, playing without ailing coach Bill Self, became the second top seed not to escape the tournament’s first weekend after Purdue lost on Friday night to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson. Arkansas and coach Eric Musselman return to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Olivier Nkamhoua tied his career high with 27 points, and No. 4 seed Tennessee beat Duke 65-52 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. Tennessee ended Duke’s 10-game winning streak and sent first-year coach Jon Scheyer home after just two NCAA Tournament games. Nkamhoua put an exclamation mark on Tennessee’s victory with an emphatic slam with 1:15 remaining. It prompted Vols fans to start chanting and sent many Duke fans toward the exits. Tennessee advanced to face Florida Atlantic or Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday in New York City. Tyrese Proctor led Duke with 16 points.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Brandon Miller heated up and so did Alabama, which avoided the fate of two other top NCAA Tournament seeds and brushed aside Maryland 73-51 behind a dominant second half. The Crimson Tide advanced to their second Sweet 16 in the past three tournaments and ninth overall. Alabama will face fifth-seeded San Diego State on Friday in the South Region semifinals in Louisville, Kentucky. Jahvon Quinerly scored 22 points and Miller had 19 after being held scoreless in Alabama's tournament opener while nursing a groin injury. Julian Reese had 14 points for Maryland before fouling out.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Kentucky coach John Calipari is pushing his team to play free and loose during March Madness. The sixth-seeded Wildcats face third-seeded Kansas State on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament's East Region. Calipari said he's been focused on having his players “have a great experience” and simply have fun. Earlier this season, Kentucky had to a slow start that led to frustration and angst from a rabid fan base. Calipari made senior Jacob Toppin one of two captains for the tournament. Toppin says the team is doing a better job of keeping the right mindset for March.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jordan Horston scored 21 points and Rickea Jackson added 18 as the fourth-seeded Tennessee Lady Vols remained perfect when opening the NCAA Tournament on their home court, routing No. 13 seed Saint Louis 95-50 Saturday. The Lady Vols improved to 25-0 in first-round games on their home court. They will play either No. 5 seed Iowa State or 12th-seeded Toledo on Monday night in the second round. Jordan Walker added 11 points and Tess Darby had 10 for the Lady Vols. The first NCAA Tournament appearance ended quickly for Saint Louis. The Billikens snapped the six-game winning streak that helped them win the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament after starting the season 6-16.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Marcus Sasser looked just fine, scoring 22 points, and top-seeded Houston stifled local favorite Auburn in the second half for an 81-64 victory in the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars overcame a 10-point halftime deficit, playing with the desperation of a national championship contender that wasn’t ready to suffer the same fate as No. 1s Purdue and Kansas. Houston was led by Tramon Mark with 26 points, while Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome scored 14 apiece for Auburn. Houston advances to face either No. 4 Indiana or No. 5 Miami at the Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Missouri.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis became the fifth Division I wrestler to win four national titles and Penn State won its 10th team title in 12 years on Saturday at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships, with former President Donald Trump in attendance for the evening session. Diakomihalis defeated Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso 4-2 in the 149-pound final. He joined Kyle Dake, Pat Smith, Logan Stieber and Cael Sanderson — Penn State’s coach — as the only four-time champions ever in Division I. Penn State ran away with the team title, mathematically clinching before the evening session began. The Nittany Lions scored 137.5 points. Iowa finished second with 82.5 points and Cornell placed third with 76.5.
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