NCAA Tournament 2017: Top Social Media Highlights for Wednesday's First Four

The second day of First Four action took place Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio, and featured the Midwest and East Region clashes.

In the opener, the North Carolina Central Eagles and UC Davis Aggies met in a battle for the 16th seed. Later, the Providence Friars took on the USC Trojans for the No. 11 spot.

We followed the games on social media, looking for the best highlights and reactions throughout the eventful night.

UC Davis 67, North Carolina Central 63

It didn't take long for Chima Moneke to establish his presence. The No. 2 scorer for UC Davis buried four straight shots to begin the game, including this steal-and-slam.

The Aggies stretched out an 18-9 advantage thanks to five of their first eight baskets coming inside the paint. But NC Central settled into its 1-3-1 zone defense, keeping UC Davis out of the lane and dominating the defensive glass.

Sportswriter Kyle Kensing noted the Eagles did an excellent job against the player who is tasked with breaking apart the zone about 15 feet from the basket.

In the meantime, they ripped off a 12-0 run before Brynton Lemar's three-pointer ended a six-minute drought for UC Davis.

The offense slowed for both teams, but once again the Aggies converted a turnover into an easy basket. This time, Lawrence White provided a little extra flare on the finish.

A last-second trifecta from Dajuan Graf gave NC Central a 34-31 advantage heading into the locker room.

However, the biggest story of the opening 20 minutes was Eagles head coach LeVelle Moton's houndstooth suit jacket. While we would suggest a solid pocket square instead, the eighth-year boss easily rocked the best look of the tournament so far.

In the second half, NC Central switched to a man defense, and UC Davis took advantage with an 11-2 run to begin the period. Moton eventually turned back to the 1-3-1, and the Aggies committed turnovers on three straight possessions. It appeared like they couldn't handle the zone.

But then Siler Schneider hit a jumper, Lemar buried a three and Darius Graham followed with another triple.

With UC Davis holding a nine-point lead and a 21-9 second-half advantage, Joe Giglio of the News & Observer implied desperation mode might be the spark NC Central needed.

Sure enough, the Eagles inched closer and pulled within four points. However, as Andy Evans of Mid-Major Madness said, they couldn't buy a much-needed shot from downtown.

Until, of course, Graf provided it. Just as the clock ticked below two minutes remaining, NC Central's best perimeter weapon buried a trifecta to bring the team within 64-63.

Mark Armstrong of ABC11 applauded Graf's timely bucket.

However, Graf settled for a contested three when the Eagles had a go-ahead opportunity under 25 seconds. After White made two free throws to push UC Davis up by three, NC Central missed two more potential game-tying looks.

Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports provided the dagger.

Lemar, who finished with 15 points and three assists, connected on a three to seal the 67-63 victory for the Aggies.

UC Davis advanced to challenge top-seeded Kansas during the round of 64 Friday night at 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT.

USC 75, Providence 71

In a rematch of an 8-9 matchup from the 2016 tournament, Bennie Boatwright came out on a mission to atone for last year's crushing loss. The sophomore poured in 10 points during the opening five minutes of the game.

Joey Kaufman of the Orange County Register noted that the forward's shots were as pure as can be.

Jalen Lindsey didn't allow Providence to fall far behind, though. He knocked down three of four triples early in the half.

USC's primary issue following Boatwright's fast start was an overreliance on jump shots. The Trojans weren't trying to attatck the rim, Shotgun Spratling of Scout said.

In a near-four-minute stretch from 10:28 to 6:32, they didn't attempt a shot inside the lane. And when USC finally did, Jordan McLaughlin blew a layup at the rim. Providence grabbed the rebound, and Rodney Bullock drained a three on the other end.

Bullock's second triple of the night capped a 15-0 run and contributed to a dominant 29-7 stretch.

Behind an 8-of-15 performance from beyond the arc, Providence secured a 44-29 lead heading into the locker room.

After USC scored seven points off two turnovers, Steve Harnett of ScoutFriars.com noted that Providence mistakes produced the Trojans' quick start in the first half.

They steadily chipped away at a 17-point deficit, pulling within five at the midway point of the latter session. And as the Friars continued to flounder on the offensive end—they went three minutes between field goals—USC surged ahead on an 8-0 run.

Chimezie Metu provided the Trojans' first lead in 21 minutes.

Sportswriter Dennis Barker Jr. offered a simple recap of what transpired to that point. Spoiler: Providence won't like it.

Sam Vecenie of Sporting News shared his appreciation for USC's bounce-back half, no matter what happened next.

Fortunately for the Trojans, they hung on down the stretch for a 75-71 victory and eliminated Providence from March Madness. Boatwright netted a game-best 24 points.

USC earned a place in the round of 64 against sixth-seeded SMU for an afternoon tilt Friday at 3:10 p.m. ET on truTV.