NCAA Tournament 2015: B/R Expert Predictions, Updated Results for Round of 32
We've separated our pretenders from our contenders.
An NCAA tournament that started out with promise for the nation's 68 best teams is now down to its Sweet 16 after a weekend of madness, upsets and tremendous individual performances.
Three of the field's No. 1 seed are still standing, and none more significant than Kentucky, which will take on Bob Huggins and fifth-seeded West Virginia for a chance to reach the Elite Eight.
On the other side of the Midwest Region, No. 3 seed Notre Dame, fresh off an emotional overtime win over Butler, will face the seventh-seeded Wichita State Shockers, who finally got their pound of flesh in an upset over in-state rival Kansas in the round of 32.
Not enough for you?
How about a marquee matchup between two of the nation's premier programs in the West Region, as No. 1 seed Wisconsin takes on Marcus Paige and fourth-seeded North Carolina?
If Cinderellas are your thing, look no further than the East Region. Villanova and Virginia, the region's top two seeds, both went down in upsets, leaving No. 7 seed Michigan State and No. 8 seed North Carolina State with a chance to recapture some March glory.
And what about UCLA?
Almost nobody wanted the 11th-seeded Bruins in the field, but here they are just two wins away from the Final Four. But they'll need to get by No. 2 seed Gonzaga and likely top-seeded Duke to get there.
Here, you will find complete recaps of all games in the round of 32.
The NCAA tournament continues on Thursday with Sweet 16 matchups.
So take a breather, and get set for more Madness.
Michigan State 60, Virginia 54
1 of 16
The seventh-seeded Spartans kicked off Sunday's third-round action with an upset of No. 2 Virginia, matching the Cavaliers' patented defense with their own version.
Michigan State (25-11) held Virginia to just 29.8 percent shooting. The Cavaliers went nearly 10 minutes in the second half without a field goal and failed to capitalize on an 18-7 edge in offensive rebounds.
The Spartans weren't all defense, though, as Travis Trice had an individual 13-point run early in the game to give his team a 15-4 lead that provided a cushion for the rest of the contest. He also had 10 points in the final 7:22, including a three-pointer with 2:52 left that gave MSU a 52-44 lead.
Virginia (30-4) got to the line often to stay close in the second half, but Tony Bennett's group just couldn't generate enough offense elsewhere.
MSU improved to 13-1 in round of 32 games under coach Tom Izzo, while Virginia lost for the third time in five games after a 28-1 start to the season.
Top Performers
Trice finished with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting, hitting 4-of-8 threes and going 5-of-6 from the line.
X-Factor
A 36.1 percent three-point shooting team, Virginia made just two of its 17 outside shots.
Next Round
Michigan State moves on to Friday's East Region semifinals in Syracuse, New York, against either No. 3 Oklahoma or No. 11 Dayton.
Updated by Brian J. Pedersen
Duke 68, San Diego State 49
2 of 16
The top-seeded Blue Devils (31-4) held San Diego State scoreless for the first four-and-a-half minutes, which was plenty of time to establish control of the game and hold a healthy lead throughout.
Duke scored the game's first eight points and led 18-6 after seven minutes, taking a 37-24 halftime lead that only briefly got into single digits after that. Malik Pope hit a pair of three-pointers to get the Aztecs within 44-37, but then Duke's Quinn Cook hit a three to trigger an 11-0 run that cinched the victory.
Freshmen Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow were unstoppable for Duke, combining for 39 points (on 18-of-26 shooting) along with 18 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and six blocks.
The Blue Devils shot 54.5 percent, to just 32.8 percent for San Diego State.
Top Performers
Okafor had 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting, giving him 47 in two NCAA tournament games. That's the most ever by a Duke freshman in his first two NCAA tourney contests. Winslow had a double-double, with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
X-Factor
Duke held San Diego State without a field goal for more than four minutes on three different stretches, including a run of 9:08 in the second half during which the lead stretched from seven to 25.
Next Round
Duke moves into the Sweet 16 to face No. 5 Utah on Friday in the Midwest Region semifinals in Houston.
Updated by Brian J. Pedersen
Wichita State 78, Kansas 65
3 of 16
In a battle of in-state rivals who rarely play each other, the seventh-seeded Shockers used a 13-2 run at the end of the first half to spark a runaway victory and a return to the Sweet 16.
Wichita (30-4) outscored the Jayhawks 27-8 over a 10-minute span that wrapped around halftime, relying on a balanced attack that featured five players combining to hit 10 three-pointers in the game. The surprise offensive star was Evan Wessel, who came in averaging 4.1 points per game but hit 4-of-6 threes for 12 points.
All five Shockers starters scored in double figures as the team shot 49 percent overall and 50 percent from three-point range.
The second-seeded Jayhawks (27-9) shot 35.1 percent from the floor, making 6-of-21 threes. Perry Ellis (17), Devonte Graham (17) and Frank Mason (16) combined for all but 15 of the team's points. Wayne Selden was held scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting.
It was the first meeting between the teams since 1993, and Wichita's first win over Kansas since 1987.
Top Performers
Wichita's Tekele Cotton led all scorers with 19 points, hitting 7-of-12 from the field, while Fred VanVleet had 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Shockers.
X-Factor
Wichita forced 14 Jayhawks turnovers, recording 10 steals.
Next Round
Wichita will face No. 3 seed Notre Dame on Thursday in a Midwest Region semifinal game in Cleveland.
Updated by Brian J. Pedersen
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Oklahoma 72, Dayton 66
4 of 16
In a game full of runs and scoring droughts, third-seeded Oklahoma rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half to earn their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2009.
The Sooners (24-10) used a 13-0 run to take a 62-56 lead with 1:30 left, and they held Dayton without a field goal for more than 10 minutes. The 11th-seeded Flyers missed seven straight shots and committed five turnovers during that stretch.
Dayton (27-9) had runs of 15-0 at the end of the first half and 12-0 midway through the second half, hitting 11 three-pointers, but it ended up shooting only 43.1 percent and turning it over 13 times.
The Flyers trailed by four when Darrell Davis stole it from Jordan Woodard with 1:08 left, but Davis' layup attempt was blocked by Buddy Hield and then Oklahoma iced the game with free throws.
Top Performers
Woodard had 16 points and was 9-of-10 from the line, while Hield had 15 points with five assists. Davis hit five three-pointers for Dayton on seven attempts.
X-Factor
Oklahoma made 13 of its last 15 free-throw attempts over the final 4:37.
Next Round
Oklahoma will face No. 7 Michigan State in the East Region semifinals on Friday in Syracuse, New York.
Updated by Brian J. Pedersen
Gonzaga 87, Iowa 68
5 of 16
Kyle Wiltjer led four Bulldogs in double digits with 24 points as No. 2 seed Gonzaga thrashed No. 7 Iowa, 87-68, to advance to the Sweet 16 in the South Region.
The Bulldogs' (34-2) hot shooting was just too much for a Hawkeyes team that fell behind by 17 points at halftime and never got within single digits over the final 20 minutes.
Wiltjer's hot touch was the story of the game. He connected on 10 of 12 shots from the field, including 4-of-6 from long range, and grabbed seven boards.
Domantas Sabonis came off the bench to score 18 points and snag nine boards to help lead the 'Zags to their first Sweet 16 since 2009.
Top Performers
Wiltjer continues proving that his trip out West was a smart move. He averaged 16.5 points per game during the regular season but has already dropped 47 combined in his two NCAA tournament games.
X-Factor
Gonzaga shot the lights out of the KeyArena. It connected on 61.5 percent of its attempts from the field and hit 10 of 16 shots from behind the arc. Those are the type of stat lines that pretty much guarantee victory this time of the year.
Next Round
Gonzaga advances to the Sweet 16 where it will play No. 11 UCLA on Friday in Houston.
Updated by Kevin McRae
Wisconsin 72, Oregon 65
6 of 16
The West Region's top-seed Wisconsin Badgers scored 20 of the game's final 33 points to hold back an upset bid from No. 8 Oregon on Sunday night in Omaha, Nebraska, and advance to a marquee Sweet 16 matchup with No. 4 North Carolina.
Sam Dekker led the Badgers with 17 points in the 72-65 victory, but it was Bronson Koenig who iced away a close game in the final minutes with seven free throws.
Frank Kaminsky was his usual self, finishing the game with 16 points and seven rebounds to help his team overcome a tremendous individual performance from Oregon senior guard Joseph Young.
Young, who had 27 points in a second-round win over Oklahoma State, finished the game, and his college career with a 30-point effort.
Top Performers
It's not often that you pick a player from the losing team to slot into this category, but Young far and away was the most deserving player on the court. It must be heartbreaking to end your college career with a close loss against one of the nation's top teams, but he was responsible for nearly half of Oregon's scoring and put it in position to score a big upset.
X-Factor
The free-throw disparity in this game was absolutely huge.
Wisconsin got to the line 29 times and connected on 21 of those shots for a 72.4 percent clip.
Oregon? Just seven free throws all night.
Next Round
Wisconsin advances to the Sweet 16 where it will meet North Carolina in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Updated by Kevin McRae
West Virginia 69, Maryland 59
7 of 16
No. 5 seed West Virginia will become the next team to take a shot at ending Kentucky's perfect season after Sunday night's win 69-59 over fourth-seeded Maryland in Columbus, Ohio.
The Mountaineers (25-9) got 16 points and 10 rebounds from sophomore forward Devin Williams and did their thing on defense, forcing 23 turnovers with a press that left the Terrapins with few answers.
Maryland was without stud freshman guard Melo Trimble over the last eight-plus minutes of the game after he jumped in the air to stop a long pass, fell to the court and was kicked in the head by his teammate Damonte Dodd.
Trimble also missed time earlier in the half after getting leveled by Nathan Adrian on what appeared to be a moving screen. He finished with 15 points and seven boards.
Top Performers
Williams had a nice game with 16 points, and he was only one of four Mountaineers' players in double digits. But it's hard to ignore the total team effort on defense that West Virginia put forth Sunday night.
Forcing 23 turnovers this time of the year? That's money.
X-Factor
Turnovers.
Maryland simply couldn't protect the basketball, and things only got worse with Trimble—the one true ball-handler on the team—on the bench with a possible concussion.
Next Round
West Virginia advances to the Sweet 16 where it will face Kentucky on Thursday in Cleveland.
Updated by Kevin McRae
Louisville 66, Northern Iowa 53
8 of 16
No. 4 seed Louisville guaranteed that at least one ACC team will advance to the Elite Eight with a 66-53 win over fifth-seeded Northern Iowa on Sunday night at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.
The Cardinals (26-8) will face an North Carolina State team in the Sweet 16 that's brimming with confidence after becoming the first team to upset a No. 1 seed.
Rick Pitino's team advanced beyond the first weekend of the Big Dance for a fourth consecutive season, and that was largely due to the efforts of sophomore guard Terry Rozier.
Rozier's 25 points were huge, and his ability to distribute the ball and find space created all sorts of problems for the Panthers, who just couldn't find the offensive efficiency that defined their 31-win season.
Top Performers
Rozier was the man tonight for the Cardinals. After a relatively quiet 12 points in a second-round escape against UC Irvine, the sophomore guard's 25 points look really good on the stat sheet. They look even better when combined with his seven assists and five boards.
X-Factor
Defense.
Northern Iowa was among the most efficient offensive teams in the country this past season. But it couldn't find much in the way of offense Sunday night, coming in 12 points below its season average in Seth Tuttle's final college game.
The senior forward scored 14 points but was held to just seven attempts from the field.
Next Round
Louisville advances to an all-ACC Sweet 16 matchup with No. 8 seed NC State on Friday in Syracuse.
Updated by Kevin McRae
UCLA 92, UAB 75
9 of 16
The No. 11 seed UCLA Bruins (22-13) were a surprise inclusion into the field of 68 when brackets were announced on Selection Sunday, and now they're on their way to the Sweet 16.
The Bruins dominated the paint and got 28 points and 12 boards from junior forward Tony Parker to upend No. 14 seed UAB 92-75 on Saturday afternoon in South Region third-round action.
The game remained close throughout the first half until UCLA's Bryce Alford connected on a triple in the closing seconds to open a nine-point edge at the break. Alford wasn't needed to the same degree he was Thursday against SMU, but he finished with 22 points and five assists.
It was an uphill climb for the Blazers, who frequently fell behind by double digits in the second half and got blitzed on the boards 41-26.
Robert Brown, the hero of Thursday's upset of third-seeded Iowa State, finished the game with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting.
Top Performers
Parker was the story for the Bruins. He had 19 points at the break and finished with 28 after a second half that saw him take just five field-goal attempts. All five Bruins starters finished the game in double figures.
X-Factor
This game was an absolute blowout in the paint. The Blazers got 36 of their 75 points from behind the arc but couldn't do anything to limit UCLA on the boards or on the inside. The Bruins shot over 60 percent from the field and got 50 of their points in the paint.
Next Round
UCLA advances to the Sweet 16. It will play the winner of Sunday night's game between No. 2 seed Gonzaga and No. 7 seed Iowa in Houston.
Updated by Kevin McRae
Kentucky 64, Cincinnati 51
10 of 16
No. 1 seed Kentucky overcame a slow start and pulled away in the second half for a 64-51 win over gutsy but outgunned No. 8 seed Cincinnati.
The Wildcats (36-0) move within four games of a perfect season and advance to the Sweet 16 in the Midwest Region.
Things didn't get off to the start coach John Calipari wanted for his team. The Wildcats struggled to figure out the Bearcats' zone defense and match their intensity over the first few minutes, missing 13 of their first 16 shots in a back-and-forth game.
Kentucky closed out the first half on a 10-2 run to open up some space and took over things late in the second half for a victory that was a bit closer than the final score indicated.
Aaron Harrison and Trey Lyles were the only players to reach double digits in scoring for the Wildcats. Harrison had a team-high 13 points, and Lyles added 11 along with 11 boards.
Top Performers
Aaron Harrison led the Wildcats with 13 points, but it's not unusual for this team to get solid, if not jaw-dropping, performances from every player on the court. Lyles had a double-double, and Karl-Anthony Towns added eight points, seven boards and three blocks.
X-Factor
It was a block party for the undefeated Wildcats. Kentucky's big men swatted away nine Cincinnati shots and altered countless more with their height and length on the inside. It's not breaking news to say that Kentucky's defense severely limited another opponent's offense, but the Bearcats were held to 31.7 percent shooting from the field.
Next Round
Kentucky's pursuit of perfection moves to Cleveland for a matchup in the Sweet 16 against the winner of No. 4 seed Maryland and No. 5 seed West Virginia.
Updated by Kevin McRae
Arizona 73, Ohio State 58
11 of 16
On a night when many of its star players came up small, Gabe York's 19 points off the bench were huge, lifting No. 2 seed Arizona to a 73-58 win over No. 10 Ohio State in Portland, Oregon.
The Wildcats (33-3) broke open a close game in the second half despite scoring woes from stars Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. But their struggles were nothing compared to that of Ohio State's stud freshman D'Angelo Russell.
Russell, who had 28 points in a second-round upset of VCU, finished with just nine points on an ugly 3-of-19 from the field.
York's 19 points, coupled with 19 from T.J. McConnell, were enough to propel Arizona to a 47-33 advantage in the second half and a trip to the Sweet 16.
Top Performers
When Johnson scores four points while only connecting on one of his 12 shots from the field, and Hollis-Jefferson puts up 11 on 3-of-12 shooting, someone unexpected needs to perform. York was that guy on this night.
The junior guard didn't score a single point in 28 minutes of action in a second-round win over Texas Southern, but his 19 were clutch in Saturday's victory.
X-Factor
This was a losable game for the Wildcats, but they benefited from an Ohio State team that saw its star player pick a bad night to lay an egg. Russell did add seven boards and six assists to his stat line, but only connecting on three shots? Going 1-of-7 from beyond the arc?
Brutal.
Next Round
Arizona advances to a Sweet 16 matchup in Los Angeles with No. 6 Xavier.
Updated by Kevin McRae
Xavier 75, Georgia State 67
12 of 16
No. 6 seed Xavier turned back a second straight upset bid by No. 14 Georgia State on Saturday night in third-round action in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Musketeers (23-13) connected on a ridiculous 67.6 percent of their attempts from the field and got tremendous individual contributions off the bench to upend the Panthers 75-67 and advance to a Sweet 16 match with No. 2 Arizona.
Jalen Reynolds led Xavier with 21 points in a reserve role on 8-of-9 shooting. Myles Davis was also key down the stretch, scoring 15 points, all from beyond the arc, to help close out the automatic qualifier from the Sun Belt Conference.
R.J. Hunter didn't get the chance to play hero on this night for Georgia State, but he did finish with 20 points.
Top Performers
You can go with either Reynolds or Davis in this spot.
Davis connected on the dagger three late in the second half that all but put Georgia State away, but Reynolds only missed one shot from the field and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.
X-Factor
This is about as simple as it gets.
Generally speaking, when you shoot over 67 percent from the field, you're going to win the game. Xavier did that Saturday and won.
Next Round
Xavier advances to a Sweet 16 match in Los Angeles with Arizona.
Updated by Kevin McRae
North Carolina State 71, Villanova 68
13 of 16
The eighth-seeded Wolfpack pulled off the biggest upset of the third round to date, knocking off No. 1 Villanova behind dominant rebounding and a clutch performance from Trevor Lacey.
NC State (22-13) led almost the entire game, taking advantage of a horrible shooting performance from Villanova (33-3) to lead by four at halftime and extend that edge to as many as 12 points with 13 minutes left.
The Wildcats made a hard push down the stretch, getting three three-pointers from Darrun Hilliard II in the final 1:28 to have a chance to win. Hilliard's last make came with less than two seconds left and pulled Villanova within one, but after Ralston Turner hit a pair of free throws the Wildcats couldn't execute a full-court pass to attempt a game-winner.
NC State held Villanova to just 31.1 percent shooting, and the Wolfpack had a 45-32 advantage in rebounding. Villanova missed numerous layups and baskets in the paint.
Top Performers
Hilliard had 27 points for Villanova, hitting 6-of-10 three-pointers and 8-of-18 field goals overall in a losing effort.
X-Factor
Lacey only made 6 of 14 shots, but he seemed to hit one whenever NC State needed a big basket. After Villanova pulled within 62-59 with 2:26 left, Lacey nailed a jumper on the other end.
Next Round
NC State will face either No. 4 Louisville or No. 5 Northern Iowa in the East Region semifinals Friday in Syracuse, New York.
Updated by Brian J. Pedersen
Utah 75, Georgetown 64
14 of 16
The fifth-seeded Utes shook off a slow start to dominate the final 30-plus minutes to make their first Sweet 16 since 2005.
Utah (26-8) trailed by 10 points midway through the first half but rallied to force a 32-all tie at halftime. In the second half, the Utes used a 9-0 run fueled by two three-pointers from Brandon Taylor and another from Jordan Loveridge to take the lead for good at 43-36 with 17:18 remaining.
The Utes shot 57.9 percent overall and made 8-of-14 threes, with Taylor and Loveridge combining to hit six on 11 attempts. Utah also locked down the top scorers from No. 4 Georgetown (22-11), with D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera missing all seven of his three-point tries.
Top Performers
Utah had five players score in double figures, though none had more than 14. Georgetown's L.J. Peak was the game's top scorer, making seven of eight shots (including 3-of-4 from three-point range) for 18 points.
X-Factor
The Utes had a huge advantage at the free-throw line, going there 32 times compared to just nine for Georgetown. Utah made 23 foul shots, to just seven for the Hoyas.
Next Round
Utah plays Friday in the South Region semifinals in Houston against either No. 1 Duke or No. 8 San Diego State.
Updated by Brian J. Pedersen
North Carolina 87, Arkansas 78
15 of 16
The fourth-seeded Tar Heels (26-11) got an immense second-half performance from Marcus Paige, who had 20 of his 22 points in the latter frame to get past the Razorbacks (27-9) 87-78.
Paige made just one of eight shots in the first half but then was 4-of-6 from the field in the final 13:28, hitting three three-pointers, including back-to-back triples that gave North Carolina a 71-61 lead with 7:25 left.
The Tar Heels did a great job holding down Arkansas scorer Bobby Portis, who had 18 points but was just 5-of-15 from the field.
UNC is making its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2012.
Top Performers
Arkansas' Michael Qualls had 27 points on 8-of-19 shooting, making 10 of 11 free throws and adding 10 rebounds with three assists.
X-Factor
The Tar Heels forced 21 turnovers, leading to numerous transition baskets. UNC picked up 13 steals, five coming from Paige.
Next Round
North Carolina moves on to Thursday's West Region semifinals in Los Angeles, where it will face either No. 1 Wisconsin or No. 8 Oregon.
Updated by Brian J. Pedersen
Notre Dame 67, Butler 64 (OT)
16 of 16
Pat Connaughton blocked a potential game-winning shot from Butler's Kellen Dunham with less than two seconds left to force overtime. In the extra session, the third-seeded Fighting Irish got a pair of big three-pointers to pace them into their first Sweet 16 since 2003.
Steve Vasturia drained a three with 1:25 left as the shot clock was expiring to give Notre Dame a 65-61 lead before Jerian Grant iced it with a driving layup with 21 seconds remaining.
Notre Dame (31-5) shook off a listless shooting performance over the first 30 minutes to get hot down the stretch, using an 8-0 run to take a 49-47 lead with 6:08 left. The teams traded leads after that, with no points scored in the last 2:56 of regulation.
Connaughton's block came after Zach Auguste was called for a rare double dribble with two seconds left as the Irish were trying to hurry down the court for a potential winning score.
Top Performers
Vasturia had 20 points for Notre Dame on 6-of-11 shooting along with six rebounds. Butler (23-11) got 23 points from Roosevelt Jones and 20 from Andrew Chrabascz, who was 8-of-8 from the line.
X-Factor
Connaughton had five blocks in the game to go with nine rebounds and seven points.
Next Round
Notre Dame will play either No. 2 Kansas or No. 7 Wichita State in the Midwest Region semifinals Thursday in Cleveland.
Updated by Brian J. Pedersen
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