When the brackets for the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament were announced on Selection Sunday, college basketball fans jumped with anticipation of Villanova and Duke squaring off at Madison Square Garden for a spot in the Final Four. However, neither team is even making the trip to New York as both faltered in the Round of 32.
Villanova, the overall No. 1 seed, was upset by No. 8 Wisconsin 65-62. The defending national champions had an opportunity to tie or take the lead in the final 10 seconds, but Josh Hart turned the ball over. Wisconsin’s Vitto Brown then nailed one of two free throws to put the Badgers up by three. The Wildcats could not get a shot off before the buzzer.
“To me, there’s no dishonor in losing in this tournament,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said, according to ESPN.com. “We’ve lived through it. You are judged by how you play in this tournament and that’s the reality of it. So, you have to accept it.”
As for Duke, the second-seeded Blue Devils fell at the hands of No. 7 South Carolina 88-81. Duke led 30-21 at halftime, and then the Gamecocks controlled the second half by scoring 65 points, the most any Mike Krzyzewski-led Blue Devils squad has given up in a half.
The other two teams to advance to New York were No. 3 Baylor, who defeated USC 82-78, and No. 4 Florida, who topped Virginia 65-39.
While the East Region was the home of the upsets, the South Region belonged to the higher seeds.
No. 1 North Carolina escaped with a 72-65 win over No. 8 Arkansas. The Tar Heels closed the game on a 12-0 run.
No. 2 Kentucky edged No. 10 Wichita State 65-62. Malik Monk and Edrice Adebayo each blocked a Shocker 3-point attempt in the final 13 seconds to secure the victory for the Wildcats.
“They’re young, but they have a will to win and play with courage and are skilled basketball players and great kids who share,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said, according to ESPN.com.
No. 3 UCLA topped Cincinnati 79-67 behind five players in double-figures. Lonzo Ball led the way with 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
No. 4 Butler defeated Middle Tennessee 74-65.
In the Midwest Region, No. 1 Kansas pulled away from Michigan State in the second half to cruise to a 90-70 victory. No. 2 Louisville got upset by No. 7 Michigan. The Wolverines have won seven straight games.
No. 3 Oregon escaped with a 75-72 win over No. 11 Rhode Island. Tyler Dorsey drained the game-winning 3-pointer with 40 seconds left. No. 4 Purdue got past Iowa State 80-76.
In the West Region, No. 1 Gonzaga ended Northwestern’s first trip to the Big Dance 79-73. No. 2 Arizona topped Saint Mary’s 69-60.
No. 4 Iowa State beat Notre Dame, and No. 11 Xavier blew out third-seeded Florida State 91-66.
Looking Ahead:
The South Region looks to be the best site as three of the historic heavyweights are set to do battle. They have won a total of 24 national championships (UCLA 11, Kentucky eight and North Carolina five).
The Tar Heels square off against Butler in the first semifinal Friday in Memphis, Tenn. The Bruins and the Wildcats face each other in the second game.