Two Overtime Games Highlight A Classic Second Round

03/24/2024

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was the place to be for Saturday’s action as both games at PPG Paints Arena went into extra periods. First it was the two biggest surprises of the tournament so far who pushed each other to the limit in a 79-73 NC State win against Oakland, and in the nightcap Creighton withstood a furious challenge from Oregon that saw the game need a second overtime period before the Blue Jays pulled away. Elsewhere around the country top seeds largely took care of business to book their tickets to the Sweet 16.

Scott Graham and Jordan Cornette had the most exciting calls of the day as both games from Pittsburgh went to overtime. First, Oakland and NC State went down to the wire in a battle of two teams who few expected to be here before the Wolfpack managed to stay alive with a 79-73 win in OT.

In the second game, it was a back-and-forth affair between the three-seed Creighton Bluejays and the eleventh-seeded Oregon Ducks. But in the second overtime period, Creighton’s offense came alive.

Tennessee took on Texas and the Volunteers held on for a 62-58 win to advance to the Sweet 16. Dalton Knecht led all scorers with 18 points including some clutch free throws in the final seconds to salt away the win.

The second round started early out west with 7th-seeded Dayton facing off against 2nd-seeded Arizona in Salt Lake City. Caleb Love scored 19 for the Wildcats to punch the first ticket of the day in the Sweet 16 with a 78-68 victory over the Flyers.

Dave Pasch & P.J. Carlesimo had the call again as Kansas and Gonzaga took the floor for the second game from Utah. The Zags shot over 53% from behind the arc, helping them pull away with an 89-68 win over the Jayhawks.

On the east coast, the West Region’s top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels weathered an early storm by Michigan State but used a 23-3 run at the end of the first half to take a lead they never relinquished. The home state team advanced with an 85-69 point lead behind 20 points from RJ Davis.

The #2-seeded Iowa State Cyclones also advanced on the back of a 67-56 win over the seventh-seeded Washington State Cougars. Tamin Lipsey led the Cyclones with 15 points but it was a second half run that allowed them to pull away in the second half. Kevin Kugler and Stephen Bardo had the call from Omaha.

In the East Region, third-seeded Illinois started out hot with 50 points in the first half and never looked back. They sent the 11th-seeded Duquesne Dukes home courtesy of an 89-63 win. Again from Omaha, Kevin Kugler and Stephen Bardo had the call.

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