NCAA Tournament 2016: Predictions and Updated Results for First Four
The No. 16 Holy Cross Crusaders and No. 11 Michigan Wolverines joined the No. 16 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and No. 11 Wichita State Shockers as First Four winners on Wednesday night.
Holy Cross knocked off the No. 16 Southern Jaguars for their fifth consecutive postseason victory and first NCAA men's basketball tournament win since 1953. The Crusaders are off to Spokane, Washington to play the No. 1 Oregon Ducks on Friday night.
Michigan finished off the No. 11 Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the final minute of the last First Four contest to earn a matchup with the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday.
If history repeats itself, the Wolverines will have a chance to advance at Barclays Center. Each of the last five at-large winners on Wednesday night of the First Four have won an extra game in the Big Dance.
Continue reading for recaps and analysis from Wednesday's games as well as Tuesday's contests played at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
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No. 16 Holy Cross 59, No. 16 Southern 55
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The ultimate Cinderella team continued its deep run into March with a win to open Wednesday's First Four action at UD Arena.
Bill Carmody's No. 16 Holy Cross Crusaders, who won the Patriot League tournament as a No. 9 seed, defeated the No. 16 Southern Jaguars for their fifth consecutive postseason victory.
Robert Champion hit the biggest shot of the contest with 55 seconds remaining as he handed the Crusaders a three-point advantage with a shot from downtown. Twenty-nine seconds earlier, Trelun Banks leveled the score with a three of his own for Southern.
Cullen Hamilton and Champion finished off the game with four straight free throws to secure Holy Cross' spot in the first round. Southern will be kicking itself after the defeat as its fouling strategy in the last minute was more than questionable.
Top Performers
Champion was one of four players to reach double figures in a game that did not provide the world's prettiest shooting display. The Holy Cross guard led all scorers with 19 points and was 6-of-8 from the field, including a 3-of-5 mark from three-point range.
X-Factor
Holy Cross forward Karl Charles remained in the game with four fouls and made some key plays down the stretch for the Patriot League champions. Charles' biggest shot came with 3:01 to go as he put the Crusaders up by two at that moment.
Next Round
The Crusaders are off to Spokane, Washington to play the No. 1 Oregon Ducks on Friday in the West Region.
Update by Joe Tansey
No. 11 Michigan 67, No. 11 Tulsa 62
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The No. 11 Michigan Wolverines survived an ugly 40 minutes of basketball and advanced to the first round with a win over the No. 11 Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the final First Four contest.
Neither team shot the ball well in the first half as Tulsa recorded its lowest first-half total of the season, while Michigan had a field-goal percentage of 34.
The game came to life in the second half as each team tried to distance itself before Michigan finally gained a stronghold with 52 seconds left in the game thanks to a Zak Irvin three-pointer. The triple was the sixth for the Wolverines, who were 6-of-25 as a team over 40 minutes. Irvin, Derrick Walton and Duncan Robinson sealed the victory from the line in the final minute.
Shaquille Harrison was the only Tulsa player in double figures with 23 points. The senior-laden Golden Hurricane shot 43.9 percent from the field, but it was only 3-of-16 from beyond the arc.
Top Performers
Irvin earned all the plaudits for his key plays at the end of the game, but it was Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman who led the Michigan offense for most of the contest. The pair of guards led the Wolverines with 16 points each.
X-Factor
Michigan big man Moritz Wagner surprised everybody with his high level of production against Tulsa. The German pulled down eight rebounds and blocked four shots.
Next Round
The Wolverines will play the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Barclays Center on Friday in a rivalry showdown at 9:40 p.m. ET.
Update by Joe Tansey
No. 16 Florida Gulf Coast 96, No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 65
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The No. 16 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles made their return to the Big Dance in emphatic fashion with a blowout win over the No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights on Tuesday night in the First Four.
Florida Gulf Coast started the game with a dunk, but most of the flair we associate with the Eagles has been traded in for gritty paint play.
Joe Dooley's Eagles started the game on an 11-0 run and went into the locker room with a massive 40-19 advantage.
The Knights, who won the Northeast Conference tournament, attempted to cut into the massive deficit at the start of the second half, but the automatic bid winners from the Atlantic Sun had an answer for everything Fairleigh Dickinson threw at them.
Top Performers
Marc-Eddy Norelia was the star of the game for the Eagles. The forward recorded his 15th double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Norelia had a nearly perfect day from the field, as he shot 10-of-11. Earl Potts Jr. was the top scorer for the Knights, adding 16 points in defeat.
X-Factor
Julian DeBose was one of four FGCU players to find his way into double digits. DeBose was FGCU's top contributor from beyond the arc, making a trio of three-pointers for a team that isn't known for its long-range prowess.
Next Round
The Eagles are off to Raleigh, North Carolina, to play the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday in the East region at 7:20 p.m. ET on TBS.
Update by Joe Tansey.
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No. 11 Wichita State 70, No. 11 Vanderbilt 50
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The No. 11 Wichita State Shockers used a 20-4 run in the latter stages of the second half to pull away from the No. 11 Vanderbilt Commodores on Tuesday night.
The contest between the pair of at-large teams featured plenty of fouls, missed shots and scoring runs. Wichita State made the final significant run of the night and put Vanderbilt to bed after a trio of three-pointers, two of which came from Conner Frankamp.
Vanderbilt, which failed to find consistency for most of the season, struggled for the majority of the second half as stars Wade Baldwin and Damian Jones did not contribute in key stretches of the game.
Nine different Wichita State players found their way into the scoring column, and the veterans on the Shockers roster contributed at vital times to move Gregg Marshall's team into the first round.
Top Performers
Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker contributed 14 points each for the Shockers. Baker only made three field goals, but he was 7-of-8 at the free-throw line in the first half. VanVleet made two key three-pointers, just like Frankamp did, to help the Shockers extend their advantage in the second half.
X-Factor
Frankamp was quiet for the majority of the game, but he came alive during the 14-0 run that sealed up the victory. The transfer from Kansas produced six of his eight points in the middle of the stretch that deflated the morale of the Commodores. Freshman Markis McDuffie made the other key triple during the 14-0 run.
Next Round
Wichita State will head to Providence, Rhode Island, on Thursday to take on the No. 6 Arizona Wildcats at 9:20 p.m. ET on TNT.
Update by Joe Tansey.
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