After a three-day break after a chaotic weekend, the men’s NCAA tournament is back in action with the start of the Sweet 16.
Kansas State defeated Michigan State in overtime in the first of four games played in the West and East. The clash between the Spartans and the Wildcats was followed by Connecticut vs. Arkansas, which defeated No. 1 seed Kansas. Having put an end to 16th seed Fairleigh Dickinson’s Cinderella story, Florida Atlantic will face Tennessee in the third game of the night, ending the night with a heavyweight showdown between UCLA and Gonzaga.
Follow us for live updates for the rest of the day.
Men’s Tournament:Full score and schedule
Women’s Tournament:Full score and schedule
Follow the madness: Latest Men’s NCAA Tournament College Basketball Scores & Schedules
Markquis Nowell leads Kansas State to overtime victory over Michigan State
Classic.
In the men’s NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 matchup, third-seeded Kansas State was heartbroken Thursday as it defeated seventh-seeded Michigan State 98-93 in overtime .
Markkiss Nowell, a 5-foot-8-inch point guard at Kansas State University, had a stellar record of 19 assists (an NCAA Tournament record in one game), 20 points and 5 steals.
His fifth steal came in the final minute of the game, sending the Wildcats into the Elite Eight. During an electric performance, Nowell overcame his ankle injury in the second half and was forced to the bench for about two and a half minutes, limping his leg.
With this victory, Kansas State, the final pick in the Big 12 preseason voting, continues its impressive run.
The Wildcats needed everything they got from Norwell. Michigan State fought back after leading by nine points early in the second half and seven with less than five minutes to play. Michigan State’s Tyson Walker scored with his five seconds left in regulation, forcing overtime.
Nowell – who else? – provided Keyontae Johnson, who finished with a team-high 22 points, a signature play in overtime with a flawless, seemingly no-look lob.
For Michigan State, the loss put an end to the 11th Final Four attempt in the school’s history. However, it was an impressive tournament run for Sparta to start the season outside the top 25.
– Josh Peter
Markquis Nowell has a fan of Patrick Mahomes
As Nowell rolled his ankle off the floor, someone asked if Mahomes could give State K security guards advice.
“He got it! I believe!!” Mahomes said, adding two flexed biceps emojis.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback aggravated a sprained ankle in the second quarter of Super Bowl 57 and knew a thing or two about playing with his butt ankle. In the second half, he led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl title.
– Nancy Armor
Halftime: UConn 46, Arkansas 29
An unplanned hotel change prevented No. 4 UConn from taking the lead over No. 8 seed Arkansas.
The Husky family was then forced to change hotels in Las Vegas. Reported by CT Insider Their room was in terrible condition and dominated for the first 20 minutes. At one point, UConn scored his 14-0 run.
UConn’s Jordan Hawkins led all scorers with 10 points in the first half. Teammate Adama Sanogo is doing his double-double watching with his eight points and six rebounds before the break. Nick Smith Jr. led Arkansas State with his 9 points.
Even award-winning actor Bill Murray enjoyed the dominance of huskies. Murray, who was present to support his son Luke, an assistant coach at UConn, was shown cheering from the crowd as the Huskies ran.
Kansas State star Markkis Nowell needs help off the court after seemingly twisting his ankle
Kansas State guard Mark Kiss Nowell fell awkwardly while attempting a sprinter, five minutes into the second half of a Sweet 16 game between the No. 3 Wildcats and No. 7 Michigan State. I had to be rescued off the court before long.
Nowell played every minute for KSU, who were leading 50-46 with 15:31 remaining, scoring 7 points with 10 assists.
One of the breakout stars of this year’s tournament, Nowell is the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer (17.1 points per game) and second nationally in assists (7.8 points per game).
Nowell took off his shoes and had a trainer tape his ankles before returning to the court. His ankle was clearly bothering him, but he showed offensive creativity.
– Paul Meyerberg
Halftime: Kansas 43, Michigan 38
Markquis Nowell was an offensive magician, delivering pinpoint passes to his teammates to give No. 3 Kansas State a 5-point lead over No. 7 seed Michigan State.
Nowell had 10 assists in the first 20 minutes and added a deep 3-point field goal for the Wildcats.
Meanwhile, the Spartans were hit hard by Joey Hauser in the first half (12 points, 3 rebounds). Hauser connected on two of four attempts from three-point range. Michigan State also won the rebounding battle in the first half, 18-12, and he took down his board seven offensively compared to Kansas State’s one.
Why You’ll See Barry Sanders During Michigan State’s Sweet 16 Game
For many college basketball fans who aren’t fully familiar with Michigan State basketball, Pro Football Hall of Fame and Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders hits the TV screen wearing a green and white MSU cap. , seemed surprised to find himself sitting behind former MSU footballers. Coaches Mark D’Antonio and Kirk Gibson — during his NCAA Tournament Sunday game against Marquette in the Spartans’ second round.
But as all Spartan supporters know, there is a very simple explanation for why Sanders was in Columbus, Ohio for the game. His son Nick is a freshman on the MSU basketball team.
—Phil Friend, Lansing State Journal
Las Vegas is now poised to become a hub for college sports, with several NCAA events scheduled over the next few years, starting with Thursday’s West Regional at T-Mobile Arena. From golf to bowling to hockey, the 2026 Frozen Four will also be held here. The NCAA logo is as ubiquitous on the Las Vegas Strip as it is in advertising for celebrity chef restaurants and Cirque du Soleil shows.
It will all continue until 2028, when the NCAA will host its premier event, the Men’s Final Four, here for the first time (and probably not the last).
Jim Livengood, longtime Director of Athletics at Washington State University in Arizona and UNLV, said:
— Dan Wolken
With Mick Cronin in charge, the forecast for UCLA’s storied basketball program continues to shine. The Bruins are in the Sweet 16 of the Men’s NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.
Next up was a rematch with Gonzaga, who beat UCLA 93-90 in overtime in the 2021 Final Four.
“We’re four games away from lifting our 12th banner,” Cronin said, referring to UCLA’s 11-time national championship. That’s how we talk. “
— Josh Peter
The men’s sweet 16 round chips will be played Thursday night in the Big Apple and Sin City.
►No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 7 Michigan
Time/TV: 6:30 PM ET on TBS
►No. 4 Connecticut vs. No. 8 Arkansas
Time/TV: 7:15 PM ET, CBS
►No. 4 Tennessee vs No. 9 Florida Atlantic
Time/TV: 9pm ET, TBS
►No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 3 Gonzaga
Time/TV: 9:45 PM ET, CBS
Best shot to make the final four
Men’s basketball’s 2022 Final Four was ultimately dominated by the Blue Bloods. This year’s version may be more about new blood.
Of the remaining 16 teams, only 4 have won championships (Michigan, UCLA, UConn and Arkansas). Three of them he’s in the same area, so there’s a good chance someone new will cut the nets in Houston.
Seven of the 16 teams in the suite (Alabama, Clayton, Florida Atlantic Miami, San Diego State, Tennessee and Xavier) have never even made the Final Four.we Ranked in order of likelihood of reaching the national semi-finals for the first time.
— Eddie Timanus
what have we learned?
The first two rounds of the men’s NCAA Tournament were full of surprises and upsets, with some of college basketball’s biggest names including Kansas, Purdue, Duke, Virginia and Kentucky. Fairleigh Dickinson defeated Purdue and Princeton defeated Arizona and Missouri, topping his Cinderella story in recent tournament history.
In this unpredictable situation, no one knows what will happen next.
As Sweet 16 kicked off, we explained the details 8 lessons learned from the first weekend of the tournament.
— Paul Meyerberg
“Spartan Strong”
Ranked within the top 25 for most of the season, Michigan State was not considered a major threat to reach the Suite 16, save for one thing. They have Tom Izzo on the sidelines.
Izzo isn’t unbeatable in March or has an impregnable track record. Like all great coaches, he has had an amazing burnout. But every few years Izzo finds ways to push his team into tournaments more than they should.
Michigan State’s second-round win over second-seeded Marquette marks the 16th time Izzo has defeated a second-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament, beating Syracuse’s Jim Boheim to set an all-time record I was. Perhaps more impressively, it was his sixth time in the Sweet 16 with a team seeded 5th or lower.
The Spartans will face third-seeded Kansas State in the first men’s Sweet 16 game Thursday.
— Dan Wolken
Princeton men and women make Ivy history with first-round victories in same year
This was a memorable tournament for the Ivy League even before Princeton’s men reached the second round.
This is the first year Ivy’s team has won first round matches in both tournaments. A day after the Princeton men stunned Arizona, the 10th-seeded Princeton women upset North Carolina with her 3-pointer with seven seconds left on Friday night.
“We were watching (the men) in the locker room just before practice,” Julia Cunningham said Friday night. We looked at each other and thought it was our turn next.
“It’s special,” she added. “A special week to become a Tiger”
The Princeton women’s team lost to Utah in the second round, The Tigers’ men will face Clayton in the Sweet 16 on Friday.
– Nancy Armor
USA TODAY Sports Coach Final Poll
Houston joins the race The NCAA Tournament was ranked #1 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, but lost in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game before the bracket was announced.
Losing to Memphis and playing without leading scorer Marcus Susser, the Cougars held 21 of 32 votes to hold off No. 2 Alabama. Crimson Tide won his first title of eight after winning his SEC title in impressive fashion on Sunday.
Houston and Alabama are the only No. 1 seeds remaining in the tournament after Kansas lost to Arkansas in the second round and the No. 1 seed in the East, Purdue, lost to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round.
— Eddie Timanus