March Madness: 3 stars who will impress at tournament

USA Currently Sports’ Paul Myerberg tells us which names we want to know as the action gets underway in the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament.

SportsPulse, USA Currently

The madness is completely underway.

The initial complete day of the men’s NCAA Tournament started Thursday with some dramatic upsets, with No. 13 seed Furman scoring the day’s initial upset when the Paladins shocked No. four Virginia. Then, No. 15 Princeton busted brackets everywhere by upending No. two Arizona immediately after trailing most of the game – and marking the third straight year a No. 15 seed sophisticated to the second round. 

We are halfway by means of the initial day of the initial round, with games like No. 5 Duke vs. No. 12 Oral Roberts and No. 7 Texas A&ampM vs. No. ten Penn State highlighting the evening slate that will not cease till about midnight Eastern. 

Feel you have what it requires to beat your good friends? Test your college basketball capabilities (or luck) right here with USA TODAY’s Survivor Pool. Keep up with all the scores and schedules, and Bookmark our brackets web page, also!

Regardless of Illinois’ torrid comeback try, No. eight Arkansas held on for a initial-round victory more than the ninth-seeded Fighting Illini. 

Ricky Council IV was a force for the Razorbacks, tallying 18 points and ten rebounds. Teammate Davonte Davis added 16 points.

Meanwhile, Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. led all scorers with 20 while teammates Coleman Hawkins and RJ Melendez added ten points apiece.

The Fighting Illini had been hampered by turnovers, providing away 17 possessions compared to Arkansas’ 11 turnovers in the game. Each teams shot much less than 40% from the field, but the Razorbacks won the rebound battle 42-34 and sophisticated to the round of 32.

Most significant upset of the tournament? The No. 15-seeded Tigers erased a double-digit deficit in the second half to knock off the second-seeded Wildcats. 

Arizona was out-rebounded 39-37 and fell victim to six blocked shots in the loss. Princeton’s Tosan Evbuomwan paced the group with 15 points, seven rebounds and 4 assists.

The Wildcats received a 22-point work from Azuolas Tubelis and got a double-double from Oumar Ballo (13 points, 12 rebounds) but could not close out the initial-round matchup.

Princeton, which shot just 16% from three-point variety (four-for-25), did just sufficient to pull off an unforgettable upset. The Tigers completed the game on a 9- run.

Furman kicked off the madness by knocking off No. four Virginia thanks to a clutch three-point shot from JP Pegues in the final seconds.

It marked the initial tournament win considering the fact that 1974 for the private college with an enrollment of 2,500.

Find out about the college that was thrust into the NCAA Tournament spotlight, like, what is a Paladin? 

— Jordan Mendoza

The Aztecs survived in 1 of the closest games of the day. Matt Bradley led all scorers with 17 points and also added seven rebounds and 4 assists. Jaedon LeDee pulled down ten rebounds and contributed eight points.

Charleston got up an impressive overall performance by Ante Brzovic, who posted 12 points and eight rebounds. Jaylon Scott chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds.

Charleston took a whopping 24 attempts from beyond the arc but created just 5 of them (20.eight%). The Cougars had been a disappointing 31.five% general from the field. San Diego State, meanwhile, shot 42.9% from the field and out-rebounded Charleston 44-34 to advance to the round of 32.

The Azetcs, who will play No. 13 seed Furman in the second round on Saturday, final won an NCAA tournament game in 2015 more than St. John’s.

Talented freshman Brandon Miller was held scoreless, but the prime-seeded Crimson Tide received lots of scoring in a blowout victory more than the No. 16 seed.

Nick Pringle led all scorers and posted a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds, although Mark Sears added 15 points and Jahvon Quinerly chipped in with 13.

The Islanders had been led by Isaac Mushila, who went for a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Trey Tennyson had a group-higher 20 points.

Alabama was deadly from three-point variety, connecting on 15 of 33 attempts (45.five%). The Crimson Tide also shot 47.eight% from the field.

Miller, who contributed 5 rebounds and 3 assists, had not been held to fewer than eight points all season.

The Razorbacks had been dominant in the initial half. Ricky Council IV led all scorers with ten points and added six rebounds. Anthony Black chipped in with seven points and 4 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini had been paced by Terrence Shannon Jr. (eight points) and Luke Goode (six points).

Illinois shot just 27.six% from the field and went just three of 11 from three-point variety. They had been out-rebounded 27-19.

Arizona came alive in the final minutes of the half to take a 1-pointn lead more than Princeton. The Wildcats had been paced by Azuolas Tubelis, who scored 14 points and added 3 rebounds and an help in the initial 20 minutes.

Tosan Evbuomwan led the Tigers with eight points and 4 assists. Zach Martini placed himself on double-double watch with seven points and 5 rebounds.

Princeton created just two three-pointers out of 12 attempts. It also did not try a initial-half free of charge throw. The Tigers, even so, out-rebounded the Wildcats 22-17 to hold the game close.

The Aztecs rode a 15-five run to end the half. San Diego State guard Matt Bradley paced all scorers with nine points to go along with 4 rebounds and two assists.

Charleston attempted 11 3-pointers and created just 3 of them. San Diego State shot 49% from the field. The Aztecs committed 11 turnovers to obtain themselves in an early hole but responded in the final ten minutes of the half.

The Crimson Tide rolled to a significant halftime lead more than the Bison. Mark Sears led all scorers with 13 points to pace Alabama. Teammate Noah Clowney added ten points and 4 rebounds.

Alabama star freshman Brandon Miller was held scoreless in the initial half. Miller played 13 minutes in the half, going of three from the field and of two from three-point variety. He added 5 rebounds and an help. Miller’s typical-season low was eight points against Houston. 

Isaac Mushila led Texas A&ampM-Corpus Christi with nine points and 5 rebounds. The Islanders are attempting to come to be just the second No. 16 seed to upset a prime seed in tournament history. University of Maryland Baltimore County posted a 74-54 win more than No. 1 Virginia in the initial round of the 2018 tournament.

Jalen Wilson, a initial-group All-America choice, scored 20 points and added seven rebounds as the Jayhawks began their national title defense. Kansas had tiny difficulty dispatching Howard, which was generating just their third NCAA tournament look. 

Gradey Dick added 19 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals for the Jayhawks, who hit 52 % of their shots and led by as numerous as 24. 

The Jayhawks played the game without having head coach Bill Self, who is nevertheless recovering from a wellness concern that triggered him to miss the Major 12 Conference tournament. The Jayhawks, who had all 5 starters score in double figures, will play the winner of Illinois and Arkansas on Saturday.

Howard freshman forward Shy Odom had 15 points and eight rebounds in the game, which was attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, a Howard University alum. 

Kobe Brown hit 3 3-pointers in the second half, on the way to a private 12- scoring spurt, to break open a close game and lead the Tigers to a 76-65 victory more than Utah State in the initial round of the South Area. 

Brown completed with 19 points for Missouri, who which will take on the winner of Arizona and Princeton on Saturday. D’Moi Hodge led the way with 22 points, hitting 5 3-pointers of his personal.

Utah State had a 49-47 lead in the second half but could not sustain it due to poor shooting and turnovers. The Aggies had been led by Taylor Funk’s 16 points and seven rebounds. 

The South’s No. eight seed Maryland utilized a late spurt to pull away with a 67-65 victory more than No. 9 West Virginia, in a game that featured nine ties and 11 lead adjustments. The Terrapins now move on to play the winner of Alabama and Texas A&ampM-Corpus Christi on Saturday. Maryland lost to Alabama in the second round in their final NCAA tournament look in 2021.

The Mountaineers had a possibility to win the game but Kedrian Johnson’s final-second three-point try was quick.

Julian Reese led 4 Terrapins, who had been down by 13 points in the initial half in double figures with 17 points, nine rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Hakim Hart added 15 and Donta Scott had 11 points and eight rebounds. 

West Virginia was led by Johnson, who scored 27 points.

Virginia guard Kihei Clark threw away a pass that was intercepted by Furman’s Garrett Hien, major to JP Pegues drilling a three-pointer with two.four seconds left to give No. 13 seed Furman the initial upset of the tournament more than the fourth-seeded Cavaliers. 

The Paladins, who rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit, will play the winner of Charleston and San Diego State on Saturday.

Just after Hien created two free of charge throws with 12 seconds left to reduce the Virginia lead to two, Furman trapped Clark, who attempted to throw it to a teammate exactly where it was picked off by Hien close to midcourt. Reece Beekman’s 3-point try at the buzzer missed, setting off a wild celebration by Furman. 

Jalen Slawson led the Paladins, who created their initial trip to the NCAA Tournament in 43 years, with 19 points, ten rebounds and 4 assists and was 1 of 4 Furman players in double figures.

Virginia exits the tournament early after once again, reminiscent of their 2018 upset at the hands of UMBC. The Cavaliers had been paced by Kadin Shedrick who had 15 points and 13 rebounds.

The Cavaliers have led by as significantly as ten more than Furman, but the Paladins are maintaining it close and trail 32-27 at halftime, regardless of shooting only 34 %, including 4-14 from three-point variety. They are also becoming outrebounded by eight.

Reece Beekman is pacing the Cavaliers with ten points and 4 rebounds and Jalen Swanson leads Furman with eight. Top scorer Mike Bothwell, who averages 18 points a game, has 5 points, but also has 3 private fouls. 

The Terrapins discovered themselves down 13 points early against the Mountaineers but closed robust to take a 32-30 halftime lead. Jahmir Young and Hakim Hart led a balanced Maryland attack with seven points each and every, although Kedrian Johnson of West Virginia leads all scorers with ten. Maryland is shooting 58 % from the field.

The initial games of March Madness are underway as a pair of South Area games kick off the action.

West Virginia and Maryland are going back in forth in their eight-9 matchup in Birmingham, Alabama as the initial half winds down, although the initial game in Orlando pits No. four seed Virginia and No. 13 seed Furman.

Kansas coach Bill Self will not be on the sideline when the prime-ranked Jayhawks take on No. 16 seed Howard on Thursday.

Norm Roberts will continue to serve as acting head coach in spot of Self, who is thought of day to day.

Self returned to practice this week immediately after becoming discharged from the University of Kansas Overall health Method, exactly where he had two stents inserted to treat blocked arteries in his heart.

Kansas requires on Howard at 2 p.m. ET.

It is tough to spend consideration to every single group in college basketball all through the lengthy season that began way back in November, when everyone was nevertheless focused on football. And, even when the gridiron action is accomplished, the hardwood teams from significant-name conferences snag most of the marquee Television slots. So a lot of you may not know about these so-referred to as mid majors that are about to swoop in and grab their share of the spotlight, if only for a couple of days, or even the occasional energy conference group that limps in as a double-digit seed but hits its stride at the suitable time. We’re right here to assist. Right here are 5 candidates to contemplate strongly to pull off a initial-round upset.

— Eddie Timanus

Irrespective of whether it really is at property, at a bar or at perform, millions of Americans will be tuning in to watch teams make or break their bracket. 

CBS and Turner Sports have the broadcasting rights to the men’s NCAA Tournament and broadcast games on 4 channels. 3 of them – CBS, TNT and TBS – you might know from broadcasting dozens of other sporting events each and every year, but the remaining channel, truTV, is 1 that often eludes basketball fans each and every year. 

Here’s exactly where to obtain TruTV, based on your cable provider or streaming service, and what games will be on the network:

TruTV can be discovered on a number of cable providers, and has the similar channel quantity nationwide on some of the providers. Right here are the channels:

AT&ampT U-Verse: 164/1164

FIOS: 183/683

Cox: Varies by location 

DISH: 242

DirecTV: 246

Spectrum: Varies by place

Xfinity: Varies by place

For streaming, truTV is also obtainable on: YouTube Television, iOS App Retailer, Google Play, Amazon App Retailer, Chromecast, Apple Television, Amazon Fire Television, Roku and Android Television.

Which March Madness games will be on truTV?

Eight games will be broadcast on truTV in the initial rounds of March Madness. Here are the games that will be on truTV, as properly as tip-off instances (in ET):

• No. four Virginia vs. No. 13 Furman (Thursday, 12:40 p.m.)
• No. five San Diego State vs. No. 12 College of Charleston (Thursday, three:ten p.m.)
• No. 7 Northwestern vs. No. ten Boise State (Thursday, 7:35 p.m.)
• No. two UCLA vs. No. 15 UNC Asheville (Thursday, ten:05 p.m.)
• No. three Xavier vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State (Friday, 12:40 p.m.)
• No. six Iowa State vs. No. 11 Pittsburgh (Friday, three:ten p.m.)
• No. three Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Grand Canyon (Friday, 7:35 p.m.)
• No. six TCU vs. No. 11 Nevada/No. 11 Arizona State (Friday, ten:05 p.m.)

— Jordan Mendoza

The reality of the NCAA Tournament is that unpredictability and randomness generally trump a best script. And this year in certain, we need to all commit the subsequent 3 weeks embracing the notion that our picks are useless and our brackets will probably want to be thrown in the trash.

On paper, this has the possible to be 1 of the craziest tournaments we’ve ever noticed. 

Why? Perhaps since this has not been a dominant year for the significant, classic brands. Alternatively, we’ve noticed Houston cruise by means of the American Athletic Conference although barely obtaining a worthy test from any person apart from Memphis. We’ve noticed football schools Alabama and Texas A&ampM dominate the SEC although Kentucky comes into the tournament seeking like an underachiever.

We’ve noticed Miami, a group constructed on veterans and transfers, rise to the prime of the ACC although Duke went way below the radar most of the year and North Carolina missed the tournament totally. And the Major Ten just about felt like a random outcomes generator at instances with nine teams finishing inside two games of each and every other in the standings behind Purdue, which ran off with the conference title.

— Dan Wolken

Houston enters the NCAA Tournament with the No. 1 ranking in the USA Currently Sports coaches poll, regardless of its loss in the American Athletic Conference championship game just prior to the unveiling of the brackets on Sunday.

The Cougars, who had been playing without having major scorer Marcus Sasser in the loss to Memphis, retained 21 of 32 No. 1 votes to stave off second-ranked Alabama. The Crimson Tide received eight firsts immediately after winning the SEC title in impressive style on Sunday.

— Eddie Timanus

The South Area is loaded. It starts at the prime with the general highest seed, but if Alabama is to make its initial Final 4 in system history, it will have to navigate a bracket filled with lots of achieved applications, like 4 applications with national championship banners hanging in their property arenas.

Two of the 3 most current NCAA champs are right here, Baylor and Virginia. Arizona, a powerhouse of the ‘90’s, is back in the title hunt. Then there’s Maryland, which reduce down the nets early this century and is hoping to make noise as 1 of the Major Ten’s quite a few representatives in the field.

— Eddie Timanus

Great news for the Jayhawks – they wouldn’t have to play Texas once again till the Final 4. Even far better news – Kansas head coach Bill Self is anticipated to rejoin the group. He was discharged Sunday from the hospital, exactly where he checked in final week with chest tightness and balance complications. According to medical doctors, Self had two stents placed in order to treat blocked arteries in his heart.

The No. two seed, UCLA, enters the tournament with injury troubles. If UCLA hadn’t lost defensive whiz Jaylen Clark to injury in the typical-season finale, there’s a superior possibility the Bruins would have had a No. 1 seed and a path to the Final 4. 

— Josh Peter

Purdue is seeking to advance to the Final 4 for the initial time below coach Matt Painter and the initial time as a system considering the fact that 1980. The Boilermakers are constructed about 7-foot-four junior center Zach Edey, the favourite for national player of the year.

The East Area does not lack for star energy: Purdue is joined by No. two Marquette, No. three Kansas State and No. four Tennessee, followed by No. five Duke and No. six Kentucky.

— Paul Myerberg

How can you not like a regional bracket that – if the seedings hold type – will have Texas meeting Texas A&ampM in the second round and wind its way to Houston, and Texas playing for a spot in a Final 4 becoming held in Houston?

The very best initial-round matchup in the Midwest?

The Texas A&ampM-Penn State game pairs teams that had terrific runs last weekend and have tremendous guard play but each played Sunday and have to come back and play Thursday. (It also matches the sartorial splendiferousness of Aggies coach Buzz Williams and his suit vests against the quarter-zip-casual Micah Shrewsberry.)

— Steve Berkowitz