Day Four Recap of The 2016 NCAA MBB Tournament

Sunday, March 20th, 2016

Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

.No 7 Iowa 68

.No 2 Villanova 87

Villanova cruised to a second round victory. Iowa was knocked out in the second round for the second consecutive year. Four Villanova players finished with double figures. Guard Josh Hart led the way with a game-high 19 points. The Wildcats shot 59.3 percent from the field and 10-of-19 from 3-point range. Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff netted 16 points in the loss. The Wildcats advanced past the second round for the first time since 2009.

Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

.No 14 Stephen F. Austin 75

.No 6   Notre Dame 76

Notre Dame guard Rex Pflueger scored a game-winning tip-in shot with 1.5 seconds left in the game to keep The Fighting Irish in the NCAA Tournament. Pflueger’s basket was his only one of the day. Thomas Walkup netted 21 points and grabbed five rebounds. Notre Dame shot 56.9 percent from the field. The Fighting Irish is back in the sweet 16 for the second consecutive year.

Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

.No 10 VCU 81

.No 2 Oklahoma 85

.No 2 seed Oklahoma survived a gritty effort by VCU. VDU failed to move past the second round for the fifth straight season. Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield scored just seven points in the first half but finished the game with 36 points. He netted six 3-pointers on route to his 11th 30-point performance. VCU guard netted 22 points and grabbed four rebounds in the loss. Six of VCU’s last eight losses in the NCAA tournament have been by 5 points or fewer.

Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri

.No 15 Middle Tennessee 50

.No 10 Syracuse 75

Syracuse knocked out the lowest remaining seed in the tournament. The Orange has earned a spot in the sweet 16 for the first time since reaching the Final Four in 2013. Syracuse guard Michael Gbinije led the team with 23 points while shooting 10-of-24 from the field. The Orange shot 55.1 percent from the field. Syracuse committed only nine fouls. Only one Middle Tennessee player scored in double figures. Syracuse outscored Middle Tennessee 30-8 over a 12-minute second-half span.

Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, Washington

.No 13 Hawaii 60

.No 5   Maryland 73

Maryland advanced to the sweet 16 for the first time since 2003 with the win. Hawaii was trying to become the first Big West team to reach the sweet 16 since 1992. Maryland guard Melo Trimble netted 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and finished 13-for-14 from the free-throw line. Maryland improved to 12-0 all-time in the NCAA tournament against teamed seeded 13th or lower. Hawaii forward Michael Thomas netted 19 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

.No 11 UNI 88

.No 3 Texas A&M 92

It took two overtimes to get the job done, but Texas A&M edged upset-minded UNI. A&M guard Danuel House netted 22 points in the win. Jeremy Morgan led UNI with a Career-high 36 points and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. Northern Iowa had 13 turnovers in the game. House’s bank shot with 55 seconds left in the second overtime was the final field goal for either team.

Scott Trade Center, St. Louis, Missouri

.No 2 Xavier 63

.No 7 Wisconsin 66

Wisconsin stunned.No 2 seed Xavier on a buzzer-beating 3-point shot by Bronson Koenig. The guard finished the game with 20 points and six 3-pointers. Wisconsin improved to 7-3 in the second round since 2005. Of Xavier’s last seven NCAA tournament losses, five have come by five points or fewer. Badgers leading scorer Nigel Hayes finished with just six points and 2-of-10 from the field. Xavier forward Jalen Reynolds netted 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, Washington

.No 8 Saint Joseph’s 64

.No 1 Oregon 69

The Ducks held off a fight from the eight-seed Saint Joe’s. Oregon is the Pac-12’s last standing team in the tournament. The Ducks tied a school record with their 30th win of the season. Ducks Forward Dillon Brooks netted a game-high 25 points while going 7-of-13 from the field. Forward Elgin Cook netted 18 points for the Ducks.

Day Three Recap of The 2016 NCAA MBB Tournamnet

Saturday, March 19th, 2016-

Duncan Donuts Center, Providence, Rhode Island

.No 11 Wichita State 57

.No 3   Miami (Fla.) 65

Miami led by as many as 21 points in the first half but, Wichita state erased the deficit and took a lead in the second half. The Hurricanes rallied over the final 10 minutes and advanced to the sweet 16. Hurricanes guard Angel Rodriguez led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-11 shooting. He was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, grabbed two rebounds. The canes forced 18 Wichita State turnovers.  Miami  shot 55.3 percent from the field while holding the Shockers to 33.9 percent.

Duncan Donuts Center, Providence, Rhode Island

.No 12 Yale 64

.No 4  Duke 71

Duke built a 27-point lead in the first half but held off a comeback by Yale to advance to the sweet 16. Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen led all scorers with 29 points. He netted 5-of-7 3-point range shots and 10-of-15 shots from the field. Brandon Ingram netted 25 points and grabbed five rebounds for Duke. The Blue Devils advanced the sweet 16 for the second consecutive year. Brandon Sherrod netted 22 points for Yale. Yale outrebounded Duke 38-28 in the loss.

Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa

.No 4 Kentucky 67

.No 5 Indiana 73

In what could be the best game in the second round of the 2016 NCAA tournament, Indiana escaped the Kentucky Wildcats. It was Indiana’s seventh win in eight games. The wildcats failed to reach the sweet 16 for the first time since 2008. The victory moved the Hoosiers within one win from their first Elite Eight appearance since 2002. The loss was Kentucky coach John Calipari first in the round of 32 at Kentucky. Indiana improved to 17-1 when holding their opponents to fewer than 70 points. Jamal Murray and Tyler Ulis combined for 43 points while going 17-for-38 shooting. Hoosiers guard Yogi Ferrell netted 18 points, grabbed five rebounds. It was his 21st double-digit scoring effort in the last 22 games. The Hoosiers improved to 2-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament vs Kentucky.

Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado

.No 12 Little Rock 61

.No 4   Iowa State 78

Iowa State advanced to the sweet 16 for the second in three years. Little Rock trailed quickly and never recovered. Iowa State forward Georges Niang led the way with 28 points, going 11-of-18 from the field. He also grabbed eight rebounds for the Cyclones. Little Rock was 20-of-54 from the field overall and 8-of-25 from 3-point range. Roger Woods netted 19 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for Little Rock.

PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina

.No 9 Butler 69

.No 1 Virginia 77

Virginia was held to just 23 points in the first half by the Bulldogs. The Cavaliers exploded for 54 points in the second half to advanced to the sweet 16. Virginia will appear in the sweet 16 for the first time since 1995. This was the Bulldogs 3rd loss in the second round in three years. Virginia moved to within one win of their first final four since 1984. Cavaliers forward Anthony Gill netted 19 points, 15 of those came in the second half. Butler forward Andrew Chrabascz netted a season-high 25 points. Virginia’s 54-point second half was its largest since November 2010.

Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa

.No 9 Connecticut 61

.No 1 Kansas 73

Kansas handed the Huskies their first-second round exit since 2005. Kansas’s late first half scoring surge was enough to hold Connecticut off. Kansas forward Perry Ellis shot 9-of-12 from the field to finish with 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Wayne Selden Jr. led the way for the Jayhawks, netting 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Kansas was 17-of-22 from the free throw line.

Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado

.No 11 Gonzaga 82

.No 3  Utah 59

Gonzaga will advance to the sweet 16 for the second consecutive year while beating Utah for its second upset of the tournament. It will the Bulldogs seventh overall sweet 16. Bulldog forward Domantas Sabonis finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the tournament. Gonzaga shot 55.7 percent from the field and was 9-of-19 from 3-point range.  Gonzaga guard Eric McClellan led all scorers with 22 points.

PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina

.No 9 Providence 66

.No 1 North Carolina 85

After a close first second half, UNC used a strong second half to advance to the sweet 16 for the 33rd time. National Player of the Year candidate Brice Johnson netted 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. recording his 21st double-double of the season.  UNC improved to 53-10 as a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. UNC Guard Joel Berry 11 netted 15 points. Providence duo Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil combined for 50 points. Only one other Providence player scored more than 2 points. The Tar Heels finished 19-of-21 from the free throw line.

Everything you need to know about Sunday’s NCAA tournament games: https://t.co/mKuInCt45q #MarchMadness

— USA TODAY Sports (@USATODAYsports) March 20, 2016

Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Sean Kilpatrick

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Sean Kilpatrick to a multiyear contract.

Kilpatrick has averaged 11.9 points in nine games since signing his first of two 10-day contracts on Feb. 28. He has scored in double figures in four straight games and is shooting 47 percent from 3-point range.

Players can sign two consecutive 10-day contracts, and then teams must sign them for the rest of the season if they want to keep them.

Terms of the deal announced Saturday were not disclosed.

You can find the AP story link  Nets 

Honored to be apart of the @BrooklynNets. Blessed to live out this dream & ready to continue this journey. #BROOKLYN pic.twitter.com/ojIP29bVfZ

— Sean Kilpatrick Jr (@SeanKilpatrick_) March 19, 2016

 

NCAA Tournament History Made

 

Duke Basketball’s Mike Krzyzewski became the first head coach ever to win 90 NCAA tournament games after todays win over Yale University.

Posted by SportsCenter on Saturday, March 19, 2016

Day Two of the 2016 NCAA MBB Tournament

Syracuse 70, Dayton 51

After a close first half, the 10th-seeded Syracuse ran away with the game in the second half. Syracuse began the second half on a 26-5 run. Dayton was held to just 32.1 percent shooting. Tyler Landon netted 14 points off the bench for Syracuse. Malachi Richardson led Syracuse with 21 points while shooting 5-of-12 from the field and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line. Syracuse will play Middle Tennessee State in the second round.

Villanova 86, UNC Asheville 56

Villanova made bracket owners day a little easier. Villanova ended the first-half on a 16-4 run and outscored the Bulldogs 46-30 in the second half. Villanova were 13-of-29 from 3-point range. Daniel Ochefu had a double-double for the wildcats. He netted 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Villanova will face Iowa in the second round.

VCU 75, Oregon State 67

Oregon States first NCAA tournament appearance since 1990 was short lived. VCU snapped a three-game losing streak in the tournament. Lewis led VCU with 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He also had a team-high eight assists in the win. Aloe-Cox also netted 20 points for VCU.

Hawaii 77, California 66

The Warriors earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. Hawaii guard Roderick Bobbitt led Hawaii with seven rebounds and netted 17 points. California committed 16 turnovers in the game. Golden Bears guard Jordan Matthews had a game-high 23 points. Forward Ivan Rabb had a double-double.

Middle Tennessee 90, Michigan State 81

In perhaps one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history, Middle Tennessee stunned.No 2 seed Michigan State. Middle Tennessee became just the eight 15 seed to defeat a two seed. It was the first NCAA tournament win since 1989 for the Blue Raiders. Reggie Upshaw led Middle Tennessee with 21 points and shot 8-of-14 from the field. Blue Raider starters all scored in the double figures. Middle Tennessee will play Syracuse in the next round.

Iowa 72, Temple 70

A last-second tip in by the Hawkeyes gave the .No. 7 seed Iowa an overtime win. It was the second game in the tournament to go into overtime. Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff led the team with 23 points. He was just 7-of-21 from the field but netted 7-of-8 free throws. Peter Jok netted  16 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Iowa will play Villanova in the second round.

Oklahoma 82, CSU Bakersfield 82

The Sooners survived a scare. Bakersfield held a lead in the second half but hit only one of their last 10 field goals. Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield netted a game-high 27 points and hit 8-of-14 field goals. The Sooners finished the game with a 13-3 run. Oklahoma will play VCU in the next round.

Maryland 79, South Dakota St. 74

SDSU gave Maryland a scare. Maryland didn’t seal the game until the final seconds. South Dakota State outscored Maryland 28-15 in the final 8:49 but still came up short. Terrapins forward Jake Layman netted 27 points, hitting 7-of-11 field goals. He was also 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Maryland has won its first round game in 12 consecutive NCAA trips. Maryland will play Hawaii in the second round.

Wisconsin 47, Pittsburgh 43

In what possibly be the lowest scoring game of the tournament. .No 7 Wisconsin escaped.No 10 Pittsburgh. Badger forward Ethan Happ led all scorers with 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. He was 6-of-8 from the field. Both teams shot less than 40 percent from the field. Pittsburgh had a chance to take the lead in closing seconds.

Stephen F. Austin 70, West Virginia 56

It’s been the day of upsets, and Stephen F. Austin didn’t disappoint. SFA Guard/Forward Thomas Walkup had a game for the ages. He netted 33 points. He was just 6-of-15 from the field but was 19-20 from the free throw line. SFA was 29-of-39 from the free thrown line. Forward Clide Geffrard netted 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Texas A & M 92, Green Bay 65

The Aggies was dominant in the second half to put away.No 14 Green Bay. Daniel House netted 20 points and was 8-of-12 from the field. A & M spoiled Green Bay’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.  The Aggies shot 56.1 percent from the field. A & M outrebounded Green Bay by a 45-25 margin.

Oregon 91, Holy Cross 52

Oregon crushed their way to victory. Duck forward Chris Boucher led Oregon with 20 points and was 8-of-12 from the field. Four Oregon players scored double figures. The Shot an amazing 55.7 from the field. They also outrebounded Holy Cross 42-26. Holy Cross guard Robert Champion had 22 points and was 8-of-14 from the field in the loss.

Xavier 71, Weber State 53

The win allows the Musketeers to move within one game of their sixth sweet sixteen appearances since 2008. Xavier is 9-3 in opening round NCAA tournament games since 2002. X forward James Farr scored 18 points off the bench and grabbed 15 rebounds. Xavier shot 50 percent (7-of14) from beyond the arc.

UNI 75, Texas 72

UNI stunned Texas on a half court shot that Northern Iowa’s Paul Jespersen banked in as time expired. Both teams combined 43 3-point shots, hitting 17.  Five UNI players finished in double figures, guard Wes Washpan led the way with 17. Jeremy Morgan added 16. UNI has won back-to-back games on last-second shots.

Notre Dame 70, Michigan 63

Notre Dame bounced back in the second half to hold of the wolverines. Michigan failed to advance beyond the first round for just the fifth time in 26 appearances. V.J. Beachem led the Fighting Irish with 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting. The Irish snapped a 13-game losing streak while trailing at halftime in the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame forward recorded his 20th double-double of the season.

Saint Joe’s 78, Cincinnati 76

In what was one of the greatest games of the 1st round, The Hawks fended off.No 8 seed Cincinnati. The Bearcats appeared to hit a buzzer-beating dunk to send the game into overtime, but upon review, the dunk did not count. Hawks Forward DeAndre Bembry netted 25 points, six rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Cincinnati forward Jacob Evans netted a career-high 26 points. He was 10-of-20 from the field while going 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Day Two 2016 Tournament schedule

2016 NCAA Tournament Day One Recap

Duke 93 UNC-Wilmington 85

Duke overcame a halftime deficit. UNC-Wilmington had three chances to pull within one point in the final minute of the game. Duke’s Mason Plume scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and five assists.

Butler 71 Texas Tech 61

The Bulldogs advance to the second round for the 2nd consecutive season. Kellen Dunham led all Butler scorers with 23 points for the Bulldogs. He was also 5-9 from beyond the arc.

Connecticut 74 Colorado 67

Colorado led 36-27 at the half, but the Huskies rebounded in the second half. This is the Huskies first NCAA Tournament victory since 2014. Forward Daniel Hamilton netted 17 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

Iowa State 94 Iona 81

Georges Niang led Iowa state with 28 points and shot 11-of-23 from the field. He also grabbed six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Iowa State will play Little Rock in the next round.

Yale 79 Baylor 75

The No. 12 seed Yale upset the No. 5 Baylor Bears. Yale made the most of its first NCAA tournament game since 1962. Free throws hurt Baylor. The bears were just 9-of-15 from the line. Makai Mason led the Bulldogs with a season-high 31 points, shot 9-of-18 from the field. Yale will face Duke in the second round.

Virginia 81 Hampton 45

The No. 1 seed Cavaliers easily dispatched Hampton. Virginia has won their NCAA Tournament opener in each of the last three seasons. Virginia made 12 of its 25 3-point attempts and outscored Hampton 36-6 from beyond the 3-point line. They Will face Butler in the next round.

Kansas 105 Austin Peay 79

The No. 1 overall seed Kansas Jayhawks dominated No. 16 Austin Peay from the tip to the buzzer. The Jayhawks built a 20-point lead and never looked back. National player of the year candidate Perry Ellis posted 21 points in limited playing time. The Jayhawks will face Connecticut in the next round.

Little Rock 85 Purdue 83

Purdue led by 14 points with under five minutes left in regulation. Little Rock was on a mission. It took 2 overtimes, but the No. 12 seed pulled off the upset. Trojan guard Josh Hagins sank 10-of-20 shots for a game-high 31 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Little Rock will play Iowa state in the second round.

Miami (FL) 79 Buffalo 72

Miami Guard Angel Rodriguez netted 24 points while shooting 6-of-15 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Forward Nick Perkins netted 20 points in the loss for Buffalo. Miami will play Arizona in the second round.

North Carolina 83 FGCU 67

UNC had bracket owners worried going into halftime. The Tar Heels came out of halftime with a vengeance. The win maintains the perfect streak of No. 1 seeds defeating No. 16 seeds. UNC Forward Brice Johnson set a Tar Heels tournament record with eight blocks while also scoring 18 points. Roy Williams also won his 66th NCAA Tournament game. He passed Dean smith to move into second place on the all-time list.

Indiana 99 Chattanooga 74

Indiana guard Yoki Ferrell led all scorers with 20 points. He netted a team-high four 3-pointers and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Five Indiana players scored in double digits.

Utah 80 Fresno State 69

Guard Lorenzo Bonam led Utah players with 17 points and was 7-of-10 from the field while going 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Fresno St. guard Marvelle Harris led all scorers with 24 points in the loss. He went 8-of-16 from the field and was 3-of-7 from the 3-point line.

Wichita State 65 Arizona 55

It’s was a great day for No. 11 seeded teams. It was the third win for a.No 11 team. The Arizona Wildcats had had 19 turnovers and hit only 20 shots. Shockers guard Ron Baker added 13 points and led the team with six assists. Wichita State will be Miami (FL) in the 2nd round.

Kentucky 85 Stony Brook 57

Kentucky improved to 46-10 all-time in first-round games. The wildcats also set an NCAA tournament record with 15 blocks in the game. Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis had seven assists, breaking John Wall’s single-season program record of 257. Jamal Murray led Kentucky with 19 points. Kentucky will play Indiana in the next round.

Providence 70 USC 69

Providence won its first NCAA tournament game since 1997. The Friars scored a game-winning layup with 1.5 seconds left. Providence had six potential go-ahead field goal attempts in the 59 seconds. Friars forward Ben Bentil netted 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Providence will play North Carolina in the second round.

Gonzaga 68 Seton Hall 52

The Victory gave Gonzaga an opening-round NCAA victory for the eighth year in a row. Gonzaga had six players with 7 or points. Bulldog forward Domantas Sabonis led all scorers with 21 points and picked up his 21st double-double of the season. Gonzaga will play Utah in the second round.

Greatest Time to Be A Sports Fan

Well, we are halfway through March. We all know what that means. March Madness is about to be upon us, and spring training is in full swing. You can see my bracket Here. I had a tough time this year picking teams. You never know what will happen in March Madness. Isn’t it great, though? I usually don’t do any good on these brackets, but it’s still fun to watch the tournament unfold.

With all that said, spring training is in full swing. The Cincinnati Reds are rebuilding which will make for an interesting year. The Indians should contend for the AL central crown. Hopefully, they don’t get off to a slow start, if that happens then I don’t see them contending. I will also be covering the Columbus Clippers (AAA Indians) this season for 27outs.

(You can follow @lastwordonsport for all your MLB needs)

Time to talk some baseball.

In recent weeks, I’ve been planning the 2016 baseball season. I have trips planned to Indianapolis, Louisville, and Toledo this season. I also have trips planned to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Boston, and Baltimore on the MLB circuit.

I will also be covering the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. So I will be in Bristol the weekend of the race. I will be exploring the city and be jotting down everything Bristol has to offer to NASCAR fans for stadium journey.

So sit back and enjoy this wild, and crazy 2016 sports season with me. It’s going to be a great year.

New Resource

If you are like me ( College Student ) that tries to find new way’s to make writing paper’s easier, and not harder then I found one good resource that a college student should not go without.

Citation Machine  Will help you cite sources in the APA, MLA, Chicago, and more styles.

 

This resource has helped me out tremendously during my first three semester’s, and most likely will be my go-to citation resource when I’m writing papers. I normally don’t post stuff like this, but once a week. I will post about things that help me as a student, that might be of help to you or your student.

I will call it #StudentHelpFriday. The reason being is because so many people make College harder than what it really is by not doing their homework the right way.

Below is an example of the MLA format that citation machine created for me.

Citation Machine is a really good resource for writer’s as well. Next Friday we will talk about how I keep track of my resources.