NCAA Latest: Gonzaga up 44-33 over Ohio State at the half

The Latest on the second round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):

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8:55 p.m.

Ohio State has bounced back from its awful start to knock down some shots, but still trails Gonzaga 44-33 at halftime in Boise.

The Zags have made 18 of 31 shots and are 6 for 12 from the 3-point arc.

Zach Norvell Jr. has 15 points and Rui Hachimura 13 for Gonzaga.

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8:30 p.m.

Sister Jean’s prayers were answered again in another heart-stopper, and the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers are going to the Sweet 16, just as they did the last time they were in the NCAA Tournament 33 years ago.

Clayton Custer bounced in a jumper with 3.3 seconds left, and 11th-seeded Loyola beat SEC-co champion Tennessee 63-62 in a South Region second-round game.

Custer’s winner came two days after Donte Ingram’s buzzer-beating 3 for Loyola, surely to the delight of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the 98-year-old nun, team chaplain and primary booster watching from her wheelchair on a platform near the main TV cameras.

The Ramblers (30-5), who won the Missouri Valley tournament, broke the school record for wins set by the 1963 NCAA championship team. Loyola will play the Cincinnati-Nevada winner in the regional semifinals Thursday in Atlanta.

Tennessee (26-7) took its only lead of the second half on three-point play with 20 seconds remaining.

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8:20 p.m.

Gonzaga is looking to run Ohio State out of the gym for the second time this season.

The Zags have scored the game’s first 13 points in Boise, hitting 5 of 8 shots.

The Buckeyes have missed all five of their attempts – three on shots that spun off the rim.

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8:10 p.m.

Malik Newman drained a deep 3-pointer to give No. 1 seed Kansas a 31-26 halftime lead on Seton Hall in their second-round matchup in the Midwest Region.

Newman is leading the Jayhawks with 10 points and helping to make up for the struggles of Devonte Graham. The Big 12 player of the year has three points on 1-for-5 shooting, and had to leave briefly in the closing minutes of the half after getting rocked by his own teammate.

Graham spent a couple minutes on the floor before heading to the bench. He tried to check back in for the final possession, but a missed free throw by Seton Hall prevented it from happening.

Angel Delgado already has 12 points and 12 boards for the Pirates.

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7:55 p.m.

Ohio State and Gonzaga are about to tip off in a rematch of game at the PK80 Invitational.

The Zags blew out the Buckeyes four months ago, shooting 59 percent in an 86-59 rout.

Ohio State recovered from that game to finish second in the Big Ten and is itching to get a little payback in the West Region.

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7:50 p.m.

Admiral Schofield had 11 points with three 3-pointers in the first 4 1/2 minutes as Tennessee jumped out to a quick lead. He hasn’t scored since and the Volunteers trail Chicago-Loyola 53-46 with 6:54 left.

Schofield was called for a charge, his fourth foul, when driving to the basket with 8:42 left. He then rebounded a missed 3 by Loyola. But after the Vols missed a 3, Donte Ingram hit from long range for the Ramblers.

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7:35 p.m.

Kentucky put an end to any upset talk on its watch Saturday, getting 27 points and a near-perfect shooting game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a 95-75 pullaway from 13th-seeded Buffalo.

Gilgeous-Alexander went 10 for 12 and made both of his 3-point attempts to send fifth-seeded Kentucky (26-10) to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

It wasn’t a runaway until the last 7 minutes.

Buffalo (27-9), which got here with a 21-point blowout over Arizona, twice trimmed a double-digit lead to five midway through the second half. Gilgeous-Alexander answered both times – once with a 3-pointer to extend the lead to eight, then again a few minutes later with a three-point play that started a 12-2 run and put the game away.

Wes Clark had an electric day for the Bulls again, but it wasn’t enough. He finished with 26 points but closed his career at 0-5 against the Wildcats.

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7:15 p.m.

Top-seeded Kansas and No. 8 seed Seton Hall have tipped off in Wichita, where the winner will earn a Sweet 16 trip to Omaha, Nebraska, to face the winner of Sunday night’s Clemson-Auburn game.

The game is being played a 2-hour drive from the Jayhawks campus in Lawrence, and about 90 percent of the 15,000-plus fans at Intrust Bank Arena are wearing blue and red – and green, of course.

There was a festive pre-game atmosphere at the St. Patrick’s Day parties surrounding the arena.

The Pirates snapped a four-game NCAA Tournament skid with their opening win over North Carolina State, and are trying to reach the regional semifinals for the first time since 2000.

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7:10 p.m.

Sister Jean’s prayers are working again so far.

Loyola-Chicago erased a quick nine-point deficit and led Tennessee 29-25 at halftime, surely to the delight of 98-year-old nun, team chaplain and primary booster Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt.

The third-seeded Volunteers, co-champions in the SEC, led 15-6 after Admiral Schofield stole a pass and took it in for a dunk with 15 1/2 minutes left in the first half.

Tennessee missed its next nine shots, and the Ramblers took their first lead when guard Clayton Custer hit a 3-pointer to make it 23-22 with 6 minutes to go.

The Ramblers are going for their first Sweet 16 berth since 1985, the last time they made the NCAA Tournament. They won in the first round on Donte Ingram’s buzzer-beating 3 against Miami.

Vols coach Rick Barnes is 5-0 in the tournament at the American Airlines Center, home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. The first four victories were during his 17 seasons at Texas.

Schofield had all 11 of his first-half points in the first 4-plus minutes. Aundre Jackson, who grew up in the Dallas area, led Loyola with 10 points before halftime.

– Schuyler Dixon reporting from Dallas

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6:40 p.m.

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt’s praying is working so far.

Admiral Schofield and Tennessee got off to a fast start against Loyola-Chicago and its biggest fan, Loyola’s 98-year-old chaplain.

Schofield scored 11 points -including three 3-pointers- in the first 4 ½ minutes, pushing the Volunteers out to a 15-8 lead.

The Ramblers, trying to get to the Sweet 16 like they did when they last made the NCAA Tournament 33 years ago, had three turnovers. Those miscues led to six points, but they’ve regrouped to pull back within three.

– Stephen Hawkins reporting from Dallas

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6:30 p.m.

Fifth-seeded Kentucky leads Buffalo 51-42 at halftime and the Wildcats have even hit a 3-pointer.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Wildcats with 17 points on 6-for-6 shooting.

Buffalo’s guard trio of Wes Clark, Jeremy Harris and CJ Massinburg has combined for 35 of the Bulls points.

Kentucky is 3 of 7 from behind the arc. Quade Green hit the Wildcats’ first 3 of the tournament at 8:27 of the first half.

Kentucky all but ignored the arc Thursday night and failed to make a 3 for the first time in nearly 30 years in its 78-73 first-round victory over Davidson. The 0-for-6 effort snapped the program’s nation-best streak of 1,047 games with a 3 that began Nov. 26, 1988.

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6:10 p.m.

Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni has a strong opinion about whether the Thundering Herd is worthy of playing West Virginia annually.

The annual in-state rivalry ended a few years ago, making it all that more juicy that the Thundering Herd will face the Mountaineers on Sunday night in San Diego in the East Region second round.

Asked if the Thundering Herd would go for a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 to resume the series, D’Antoni said: “No, we’re a Division I school. You’ve got to treat us like one. I would love to play. … I’m not going to just play at Morgantown, so after that, ask West Virginia. I think it should be played. You play one time at their place, one time at our place, one time at a neutral place, whatever.”

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins downplayed the controversy, saying the schools are on opposite sides of the state.

“We don’t really cross,” Huggins said. “You don’t want to make it out to be Duke-North Carolina. It’s not that at all.”

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4:55 p.m.

Duke has a Sweet 16 berth in the bag.

Marvin Bagley III had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 2 seed Duke past seventh-seeded Rhode Island 87-62 on Saturday.

The Blue Devils (28-7) are in the Sweet 16 for third time in four years.

Duke plays Friday against the Michigan State-Syracuse winner.

Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points and Wendell Carter Jr. had 13.

Rhode Island (26-8) defeated Oklahoma in overtime to advance to the second round for the second straight season. E.C. Matthews led the Rams with 23 points.

Hurley is a hot commodity in coaching circles and may not return to Rhode Island.

This one was never in doubt. Trent hit three 3s in the first half and the Blue Devils raced to a 45-28 lead.

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3:30 p.m.

North Carolina hasn’t lost an NCAA Tournament game played in its home state since 1979, a winning streak that Texas A&M was unaware of as the Aggies prepared to play the Tar Heels on Sunday in a second round game in Charlotte.

Aggies coach Billy Kennedy said the statistic would be motivation for another upset at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. UMBC made history Friday night by knocking off No. 1 seed Virginia in the final game of the day in Charlotte.

Kennedy will use the fact the Tar Heels have never been defeated instate as fodder for his team, which has been preparing for a year to end the season in San Antonio in the Final Four.

“We’re here to win, we’re not here just to show up,” Kennedy said. “The Final Four is in San Antonio. We don’t want to go there to eat chips and salsa. We want to play. In order to play, you’ve got to beat Carolina.”

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3:15 p.m.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams was out to dinner in Charlotte with his staff Friday night watching the first half of the game between 16th-seeded UMBC and top-ranked Virginia. Although the game was tied at 21 at halftime, Williams told his staff he was heading back to his hotel room to begin preparations for the Tar Heels’ second-round game Sunday game against Texas A&M.

“There is no way that’s going to happen,” Williams told his staff of UMBC’s upset bid.

But after settling back into the hotel room he flipped over the channel to catch the second half of the game – and had the same sort of reaction most of the country did.

“Oh my gosh,” Williams said.

He wound up watching the last 4 minutes.

“Unbelievable. I was shocked,” Williams said. “I kept thinking it’s April Fool’s Day. I didn’t know what was going on.”

Williams has been able to avoid that first round upset during his career. His teams are a combined 28-0 in the first round, never having failed to reach the round of 32.

“I try not to get caught up in any records or anything like that, but that is one I have been very proud of,” Williams said.

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2:20 p.m.

The plot is now thickening for Purdue and star center Isaac Haas.

Coach Matt Painter now says he thinks Haas will dress and go to warmups for Sunday’s game against Butler, but he said he still doesn’t expect the big man to play after breaking his elbow in Friday’s victory over Cal State Fullerton. Shortly before Painter’s news conference Saturday, a CBS reporter tweeted that Haas had practiced.

Purdue announced Friday that he was out for the rest of the NCAA Tournament, but there now appears to be some question about that.

“He ran up and down today, did a few things and worked out,” Painter said. “I don’t see him playing.”

Haas was not available to reporters Saturday.

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2:15 p.m.

No second-round flameout for top-seeded Villanova this time.

Mikal Bridges scored 22 of his 23 points in the second half and the Wildcats rolled by ninth-seeded Alabama 81-58 and into the Sweet 16 on Saturday. Bridges poured in 16 points during an 18-1 burst to start the second half as Villanova quickly pulled away.

Donte DiVencenzo added 18 off the bench for Villanova (31-5), helping the Wildcats stay in front in the first half with star guard Jalen Brunson in foul trouble.

The Wildcats had lost during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament four times as a No. 1 or 2 seed, including last season. They overwhelmed the Crimson Tide (20-16) with a barrage of 3-pointers. Villanova finished 17 of 41 from deep.

The Wildcats will play either Marshall or West Virginia in the East Regional semifinals in Boston on Friday.

Alabama freshman star Collin Sexton finished with 17 points but also committed five of the Crimson Tide’s 15 turnovers

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1:40 p.m.

No. 1 Villanova has a Sweet 16 berth in sight.

Mikal Bridges hit three straight 3-pointers and the Wildcats opened the second half on an 18-1 run to grab a 50-28 lead. Bridges scored only 1 point in the first half before he exploded in the second.

He finished off a thunderous alley-oop then went on his 3-point spree.

The Wildcats are trying to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since they won the national championship in 2016. Villanova was upset by Wisconsin in the second round a year ago.

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1:10 p.m.

No. 1 Villanova is getting a scare from Alabama.

The Wildcats lead the ninth-seeded Crimson Tide 32-27 at halftime. The sport is still buzzing from top-seeded Virginia’s 20-point loss to 16th-seeded UMBC on Friday night.

Alabama would love to make it two No. 1s knocked out.

The Wildcats are upset prone because they live and die by the 3-pointer. When it works, and it usually works, they are clearly one of the best teams in the tournament.

Against Alabama, they missed eight of their first 11 3-point attempts. Donte DiVincenzo steadied the Wildcats when he hit three straight 3s and added one more right before the half to give them a 5-point edge.

DiVincenzo scored 18 points in the half.

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12:50 p.m.

The Pac-12 is out. The Big Ten is undefeated. And the SEC has the most teams left in the NCAA Tournament with six still playing after the first round.

The conference scoreboard for the 32 teams left in the NCAA Tournament is an interesting mix with 13 conferences remaining, with most of the one-bid leagues and the Pac-12 bounced in the first round.

The ACC has five teams left in the field after losing four teams in the first round, while the Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 each have four teams chasing a spot in the Sweet 16.

Here’s a look at the tournament records for the basketball’s top conferences at the start of the second round:

SEC: 6-2

ACC: 6-4

Big Ten: 4-0

Big East: 4-2

Big 12: 4-3

Pac-12: 0-3.

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12 p.m.

The second round of the NCAA Tournament tips off on Saturday – with many fans still stunned over top-seeded Virginia’s 20-point loss to 16th-seeded UMBC on Friday night.

Fellow No. 1 seed Villanova opens the action against Alabama, as the Wildcats look to avoid a second-round exit for the second year in a row.

Second-seeded Duke will face a dangerous and veteran Rhode Island team, while Kentucky takes on 13th-seeded Buffalo – which blew out Arizona on Thursday.

No. 1 seeded Kansas will play Seton Hall, while Tennessee has Loyola-Chicago in its path to the Sweet 16.

Ohio State and Gonzaga will square off in Boise. Florida and Texas Tech will meet in an AP Top 25 matchup, and Michigan closes out the day against Houston.

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More AP college basketball: https://collegebasketball.ap.org ; https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 and https://www.podcastone.com/ap-sports-special-events

Players on the Kentucky bench react during the second half of a second-round game against Buffalo in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament Saturday, March 17, 2018, in Boise, Idaho. Kentucky won 95-75. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Tennessee forward Yves Pons (35) dives while trying to intercept a pass to Loyola-Chicago guard Lucas Williamson (1) during the first half of a second-round game at the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament in Dallas, Saturday, March 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Seton Hall forward Ismael Sanogo (14) blocks a shot by Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham (4) during the first half of an NCAA men’s college basketball tournament second-round game, Saturday, March 17, 2018, in Wichita, Kan. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Duke’s Grayson Allen, right, celebrates making a three-point shot with Marvin Bagley III, left, and Wendell Carter Jr, center, during the first half of an NCAA men’s college basketball tournament second-round game against Rhode Island, in Pittsburgh, Saturday, March 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, right, shoots as Rhode Island’s Cyril Langevine, left, defends during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 17, 2018, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Villanova ‘s Omari Spellman (14) begins to celebrate as time runs out in the second half of an NCAA men’s college basketball tournament second-round game against Alabama in Pittsburgh, Saturday, March 17, 2018. Villanova won 81-58. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Alabama ‘s Braxton Key, right, sits with a teammate as time runs out in the second half of an NCAA men’s college basketball tournament second-round game against Villanova in Pittsburgh, Saturday, March 17, 2018. Villanova won 81-58. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy directs his team against Providence during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, March 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

North Carolina’s Theo Pinson (1) leans onto North Carolina head coach Roy Williams during the second half of a first-round game against Lipscomb in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, March 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

Purdue center Isaac Haas grimaces after falling on his right elbow during the second half of a first round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament against Cal State Fullerton, Friday, March 16, 2018, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Villanova ‘s Donte DiVincenzo (10) sinks a 3-point shot over Alabama ‘s Dazon Ingram (12) during the first half of an NCAA men’s college basketball tournament second-round game, in Pittsburgh, Saturday, March 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)