Matchups to watch during the N.C.A.A. Tournament on Monday
The Eagles, Hawks, Hoosiers and Cou Cousins: The Final Eight Spots in the NCAA Tournament on Monday
The final eight spots in the round of 16 of the N.C.A.A. women’s basketball tournament will be decided Monday. Follow along with the bracket and live scores, and check out our picks for the games we don’t want to miss (teams organized by seed; all times Eastern):
For the second consecutive year, Florida Gulf Coast got into the N.C.A.A. tournament as a 12 seed and beat a 5 seed. It was a win over Washington State. Sha Carter led Florida Gulf Coast with 24 points, and Tishara Morehouse added 16 points. On Saturday, the Eagles held Leger-Walker to 5 points. They might not have a good time shutting down the star forward of the team. In the first round against Cleveland State, she scored 35 points to become the 5th Division I women’s player to have at least 1,000 points in a single season.
In its first N.C.A.A. tournament game as a top-seeded team, Indiana easily defeated Tennessee Tech. Miami needed a 17-point comeback in the second half to beat Oklahoma State. The Hoosiers are playing to get to their third consecutive round-of-16 game, while Miami has made the second weekend only once. The universities met in the second round of this year’s men’s tournament as well.
Baylor struggled early on Saturday, falling behind by 18 points in the first quarter to 10th-seeded Alabama. But the Bears pulled out the third-largest comeback in the tournament’s history to win, 78-74. UConn faced no such struggles, racing to a 53-20 halftime lead on the way to a 95-52 win over Vermont. In the round of 8 in the 2016 tournament, the game ended on a missed shot from DiJonai Carrington that was tightly contested by two UConn defenders, a play that was loudly decried after the game for the absence of a foul call. Can we get the same drama in the sequel?
There was a lot of drama going on during the first set of games of the Sweet 16.
Markquis Nowell set a record in the game. The guard, playing in his hometown, stuffed the stat sheet and finished with 20 points, an incredible 19 assists – a new NCAA tournament single game record – and five steals to carry the Wildcats to victory.
Before the game, FAU head coach Dusty May said his team would “embrace” their Cinderella tag, but the 46-year-old also maintained his team had the quality to progress regardless of their seeding.
Lakers vs. Wizards: Nowell, Strawther, and the “I Dream” Moments of March Madness
At the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Volunteers were trailing 27-22 at the half, but they roared back in the second half, outclassing the underdogs to win.
“Y’all can’t count us out no more man. In the postgame interview, Nick Boyd said that he and his teammates will fight no matter who they play.
“I got a group of brothers that play together and I feel like there’s nobody in the country that loves each other like we do and works like [we do] so we’re going to keep making statements.”
Kansas State defeated Michigan State 98-93 in overtime in the firstSweet 16 game of the men’s NCAA tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Nowell, who played the second half with an injured right ankle, is the first player to finish with 20+ points, 19+ assists and 5+ steals in a men’s Division I or NBA game since 1996, according to CBS Sports.
He gave me these gifts and talents and I am so happy I can showcase them and I have a lot of faith in him.
Nowell’s standout performance drew the attention of some of the sport’s biggest names with Lakers legend Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson and Kevin Durant singing his praises.
With a little over 10 seconds to go on the clock, down stepped Mr. Strawther. The 20-year-old guard won the game with a clutch three from the edge of the halfcourt logo, reminiscent of then-Bulldog Jalen Suggs’ game winner in 2021.
In the press conference after the game, Strawther said that it was moments like that that could not be made up. “Those are literally the moments you dream of, to even make a shot like that in March Madness.”
