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The second round of the NCAA tournament began with nine double-digit seeds still in action, which was tied for the second-highest total of all time. Five of them were in action on Sunday, and three of them advanced to the Sweet 16, capped by No.12 seed Oregon State, with an 80-70 victory over the No.1 seed. # 4 for Oklahoma State in the last game of the night.
No.15 seeds Oral Roberts and No.11 Syracuse were the others who will live to see another day after both knocking out top-ranked opponents on another thrilling day of action, while eight teams secured their places in the Sweet 16.
Monday will push the double-digit seed total in the Sweet 16 even higher as four teams ranked No 10 or worse will be in action. At least one is guaranteed to advance as No.11 seed UCLA takes on No.14 seed Abilene Christian. The No.13 seed Ohio will also have a great opportunity to continue dancing against Creighton after the No.5 Bluejays looked shaky in a first-round victory over UC Santa Barbara.
The No.10 see Maryland arguably have the toughest job of double-digit teams on Monday, as the Terrapins face No.2 seed Alabama. But Sunday was another reminder that no outcome is impossible in this NCAA tournament. Here are some takeaways from the action.
Villanova survives quietly
He may have gotten lost in the hubbub of the chaos of the day, but Villanova moves on to Sweet 16 after being largely written off due to Collin Gillespie’s absence. The Wildcats strangled No. 13 seed North Texas 84-61 behind a balanced attack from their remaining stars. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl led the way with 18 points. Double-digit seeds may have a good tournament, but the Wildcats aren’t here. As the No.12 seed, Winthrop was a fashionable choice to upset Villanova in the first round, but the Eagles hesitated. The Mean Green also emerged as a darling, taking out Purdue No.4 in the first round.
But Villanova was scorching on Sunday and made 15 of 30 3-point attempts to show her resilience and lead.
Rutgers hesitates late
Rutgers had a perfect opportunity to make an even better day for the double-digit team before No.10 seed Scarlet Knights retired with a 63-60 loss to second-seed Houston. The Cougars were trailing by 10 at 8:45 from time but have put on a furious rally and will advance to play No.11 seed Syracuse in the Sweet 16.
Speaking of Syracuse
While Oral Roberts and Oregon State are more notable stories due to their relative lack of basketball history, the double-digit seed in action on Sunday who has the best chance of continuing to dance is likely Syracuse. The Oranges showed over the first weekend that their carded zone defense can be hard to understand on short notice, and with veteran coach Jim Boeheim calling the shots, this team looks dangerous.
If the Oranges could somehow overthrow Houston, they would play the winner of a game between No.8 seed Loyola Chicago and No.12 seed Oregon State in the Elite Eight. Don’t miss Boeheim for a little more magic. With the help of his 3-point shooter son, Buddy, his team got hot at the right time.
Every hour in the East
2021 NCAA Tournament TV Schedule
- (8) Loyola Chicago 71, (1) Illinois 58 – History
- (1) Baylor 76, (9) Wisconsin 63 – Recap
- (11) Syracuse 75, (3) West Virginia 72 – Recap
- (3) Arkansas 68, (6) Texas Tech 66 – Summary
- 2) Houston 63, (10) Rutgers 60 – Recap
- (15) Oral Roberts 81, (7) Florida 78 – Recap
- (5) Villanova 84, (13) North Texas 61 – Recap
- (12) Oregon State 80, (4) Oklahoma State 70 – Recap
- NCAA Tournament Calendar | Live Support
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