logo
Here are the teams moving on into the round of 32 so far at the NCAA men's basketball tournament

Here are the teams moving on into the round of 32 so far at the NCAA men's basketball tournament

CNN20-03-2025

March Madness is well and truly under way.
The round of 64 of the NCAA men's basketball tournament kicked off Thursday afternoon with a slate of eight games.
Here are the results:
Creighton exploded in the first half to take a big lead and never really looked back against Louisville, 89-75.
Jamiya Neal led the way with 29 points for the Bluejays, who – as a team – simply could not miss for stretches of the game. Creighton shot over 55% from the field, including 45% from beyond the arc. The double-double for Neal – 29 points, 11 rebounds – made the Arizona State transfer the standout player of the game.
Chucky Hepburn of Louisville led the Cardinals with 22 points.
It looked for a while that High Point could cause an upset but they couldn't quite hang with No. 4 seed Purdue in the end.
The Boilermakers pulled away late and were paced by Trey Kaufman-Renn's 21 points and Braden Smith's 20 points.
No. 14 Montana battled hard to keep the game close, but No. 3 Wisconsin showed its quality in the closing stages to secure a dominant 85-66 win in the first round of March Madness.
John Blackwell impressed with a game-high 19 points for the Badgers to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Steven Crowl added 18 points for Wisconsin and John Tonje had 15.
Houston stormed to an impressive 78-40 blowout win being rewarded for getting its work done early and never allowed SIUE to get any form of momentum going throughout the game.
Kelvin Sampson's team was impressive on both sides of the ball. Houston dominated the boards and recorded an impressive 11 steals as the Cougars hustled to the very end.
Auburn is rolling on as the tournament's top seed trounced Alabama State by a final score of 83-63.
The Tigers got a scare put into them during the first half when the Hornets pulled within one point of the SEC regular season champion, but Auburn collected itself and didn't allow State to take the lead. The Tigers led by 10 at the half.
After the break, it was all Tigers with Auburn cruising to a relatively easy win.
After a nervy final five minutes, No. 12 McNeese State was able to hold onto a famous victory over No. 5 Clemson.
The Tigers made it an exciting finish in Rhode Island as their offense finally woke up – with Chase Hunter scoring all of his 21 points in the second half – but the deficit was too large as the Cowboys were able to hold on and advance to the second round for the first time.
Brandon Murray led the way off the bench for McNeese State with 21 points, but it was the team's defense that really stole the show, coming up with 13 turnovers and having six blocks.
BYU made it a little nervy in the final minute of the game as VCU cut the deficit to single digits but the Cougars were able to close it out to play Wisconsin on Saturday.
Richie Saunders (16 points) and Igor Demin (15 points) starred for BYU.
VCU made a valiant effort in the second half – outscoring BYU by two – but it wasn't enough to overcome the feisty Cougars. Zeb Jackson, especially, can be proud of his performance, ending the game with five three-pointers and 23 points.
Gonzaga has stormed through to the March Madness round of 32 after an impressive win over Georgia.
The victory only seemed to be heading one way when the Zags raced to a huge early lead – Gonzaga started the game with an electric 27-3 run. While Georgia continued to toil away, Gonzaga's offense proved to be too much for the Dawgs.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bath ‘don't feel any burden' in Premiership final
Bath ‘don't feel any burden' in Premiership final

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Bath ‘don't feel any burden' in Premiership final

Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan feels his squad do not carry the burden of expectation at ending the club's long wait for another league title as they prepare to face Leicester in the Gallagher Premiership final. Having finished 11 points clear of the Tigers at the top of the regular-season table, Bath then saw off rivals Bristol to secure a return to the Allianz Stadium, where they were edged out 25-21 by Northampton last year. Advertisement Van Graan's side ended the club's 17-year trophy drought earlier in the campaign by lifting the Premiership Rugby Cup before then winning the European Challenge Cup last month with victory over Lyon in Cardiff. Bath last won the league in 1996, fishing top of the table ahead of Leicester by just one point for the Somerset's club's sixth title in a decade of dominance. Despite the long wait to again be crowned England's best, Van Graan – who took over at The Recreation Ground ahead of the 2022-23 season having left Munster – insists his side remain focused on writing their own chapter by completing what would be a memorable treble. Advertisement 'When I joined Bath, you look at the history, the tradition, you read up on the club, and you see that this club at a time was was incredibly successful, specifically through the 1980s and the 90s,' the South African coach said. 'One thing that we all did together is we respect our history, but we started the club at zero in our minds on July 11, 2022. 'We respect everybody and everything that has gone before, but for us, it has been a journey of the last three years. 'It is all about this circle and this group of people, whilst loving the people that support this club. 'Ultimately, you do sport because you want to belong to something – and we belong to this club at this stage of our different journeys. Advertisement 'This is an amazing club with an amazing support base, and we are very proud of that. We are very proud that we can belong to, and for, this group. Captain Ben Spencer guided Bath to victory in the European Challenge Cup final in May (Joe Giddens/PA) 'It is another moment in time and we have got an amazing opportunity. There is no expectation and we don't feel any burden. 'The only thing we feel is each other and inside of that circle, and that is what we are doing.' Bath thrashed Leicester 43-15 in May, scoring seven tries, having also won at Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium in September. Van Graan, though, has warned against any sense of complacency at Twickenham, which will be the last game in charge for Tigers head coach Michael Cheika and for Leicester stalwarts Dan Cole and Ben Youngs ahead of their retirement. Advertisement 'It is definitely a stand-alone fixture,' van Graan said. 'Obviously, you do your homework and you look at what's worked for you, what didn't, what worked for them, what didn't. 'You look at every game in a different way but a final is so unique, it is the last game of the season for both clubs. 'Leicester is a club we respect but ultimately it's about our performance and what we need to do, so that's been the sole focus for us this week. 'It has been about 'how can we get better?' Our process is something that's worked well for us, so we are going to stick to what we do.'

Last year's Tigers caught lightning in a bottle; this year's team is staying lightning hot
Last year's Tigers caught lightning in a bottle; this year's team is staying lightning hot

New York Times

time3 hours ago

  • New York Times

Last year's Tigers caught lightning in a bottle; this year's team is staying lightning hot

BALTIMORE — How surprised were the Detroit Tigers to find themselves in the playoffs last year? Vacations were scheduled, parties planned. Outfielder Parker Meadows, among a swath of Tigers who were married this offseason, was hoping to miss his own late-October bachelor party in Florida. Unfortunately for Meadows, it went off without a hitch when the Tigers lost to the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series. Advertisement Veteran manager A.J. Hinch spoke October baseball into being last spring, but that wish came to fruition only because the 2024 Tigers mirrored his confidence down the stretch, playing out of their minds to the tune of a 31-13 finish. No one on this year's team is making plans until November. If you haven't been paying attention, the 2025 Tigers are the best team in the American League and enter Friday with the second-best winning percentage in all of baseball. The usual 'it's early' or 'can they keep this up?' monikers shouldn't apply. Dating to Aug. 11, no team in baseball has more wins than Detroit (76-38). Only two other teams have more than 70 wins over that stretch, big-market behemoths both (Dodgers and Mets). 'It's a hot streak at first,' said starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, who re-signed with Detroit as a free agent this winter. 'If it continues, you realize maybe this isn't a hot streak. This is just a good team.' The defending champions in Los Angeles swept the Tigers in their season opener, but they've lost just four series since. A Tigers team that stormed into the national consciousness last fall with ace Tarik Skubal — perhaps the best pitcher in baseball — and 'pitching chaos' now has a legitimate rotation and a still-improving young core supported by a few savvy winter additions like Flaherty, Gleyber Torres and Tommy Kahnle. 'We created an identity last year, and now it's transferred over into success,' said first baseman Spencer Torkelson. 'It's not like we caught lightning in a bottle, it's how do we stay lightning hot? This (year) is a more sustainable brand of baseball.' Flaherty, who was part of the Tigers' selloff at last July's deadline — a decision general manager Scott Harris made to get younger — was vocal about his desire to return to Detroit. He has no regrets about going to the Dodgers midseason and getting a ring with his hometown team — how could he? — but he started to see the potential in Detroit last year around the All-Star Break. They'd beaten the Dodgers in extras, won a series against them and then Toronto. Advertisement 'It's not even in the how (you win), it's that confidence you can win those games. You get that mindset of, We're good, we're meant to be here, instead of looking at teams like the Dodgers and San Diego and feeling like we're the underdog,' Flaherty said. ''It's, No, we can play with them. That instills confidence in the team as a whole, and I don't think these guys have let go of that feeling at all.' The Tigers don't have the star power of the Dodgers or Padres or Mets; they are without a single position player in FanGraphs' Top 35 in WAR. (As of Thursday, 30-year-old Zach McKinstry is the highest-rated position player at 1.9.) Detroit is 10th in MLB home runs and last in stolen bases, but every day a coaching staff that includes Joey Cora and George Lombard challenges players to think about how to get an extra 90 feet, whether facing a pitcher who throws a lot of dirt balls or a catcher who struggles to corral them. The Tigers are fourth in the majors in base-running runs above average (4.2), and that's a crown they're constantly vying for. Pitching chaos isn't a thing in 2025, but base-running chaos is still very much in vogue in Detroit. Cora, who coaches third base, isn't afraid to push the envelope. When the Tigers signed Torres to a one-year deal this winter — one that is thus far working out magnificently — Cora told him he better be ready to run. The amount of base-running work in spring training shocked those who had been in other camps. 'That's where most of our runs come from,' said outfielder Riley Greene, who laughed at his team's unsexy style of baseball. 'Then we hit a deep fly ball for an RBI. It's just the little things. We try to do the little things right.' Everything matters. It's what Hinch has preached, and his players have listened (so much so that the slogan appears on team T-shirts.) Detroit wins in the margins, and Hinch matches up and maximizes his roster perhaps better than any other manager in baseball. He also helps stabilize a young team. Advertisement The Tigers only have to look across the field at a young, talented but underperforming Baltimore team to know how important experience can be. Hinch demands a singular focus every day, and the clubhouse has been buoyed by both last year's run and the additions of Flaherty, Kahnle and Torres, the latter of whom has received rave reviews in hitters meetings. Experience matters, and the Tigers have more of it, even if the bulk of their roster is so young and close-knit it reminds Flaherty of the group he came up with as a 21-year-old in St. Louis in 2017. 'We blended and bonded and spent every waking moment around each other, and it made the team better,' he recalled. 'And that's the case here, it's just a group of really unselfish guys who like to have fun.' The question will be how to keep the fun going. If the Orioles provide a cautionary example, it's that promising windows can shut quickly. Baltimore under GM Mike Elias has had two tepid trade deadlines where Elias largely kept the top of the O's farm system intact but was unable to push the big-league team over the top. The O's have not won a playoff game under the new regime despite winning 91 and 101 regular-season games the previous two seasons. Harris, who has said no one is untouchable at the trade deadline, has the difficult task of keeping the Tigers' competitive window open as long as possible and giving the proper reverence to a season in which almost everything has gone right. Detroit has the seventh-best farm system in the game, according to preseason rankings from The Athletic's Keith Law. Midseason acquisitions have a way of galvanizing a team, but doing too much — or not enough — could haunt the Tigers for years. October baseball last year was a near impossibility. October baseball this year is an expectation. The players are embracing that pressure. Detroit has legitimate World Series odds. The city is buzzing about June baseball for the first time in more than a decade. The Tigers sold out last week's series at Comerica Park, where they are 23-9, and are hopeful that reinforcements, whether in the form of players returning from injuries or new additions, are on the horizon. 'We definitely have targets on our backs,' Greene said. 'But we're just focused on having fun and knowing that A.J. is going to put us in the best position to win every single night.'

Clemson baseball adds West Coast slugger in latest transfer portal tear
Clemson baseball adds West Coast slugger in latest transfer portal tear

USA Today

time3 hours ago

  • USA Today

Clemson baseball adds West Coast slugger in latest transfer portal tear

Clemson baseball adds West Coast slugger in latest transfer portal tear Clemson baseball continued on its heater in the transfer portal late Thursday. The Tigers and coach Erik Bakich picked up a commitment from Nate Savoie, an outfielder coming off his freshman season at Loyola Marymount in the West Coast Conference. Savoie announced his commitment to Clemson in a post to social media. The right-handed hitter from Newport Beach, Calif., had 20 home runs, 14 doubles and 61 RBIs while batting .300 and posting a 1.059 OPS for the Lions in 53 games (51 starts) this past season. Savoie collected a season-high four hits against Gonzaga on May 3, a game in which he homered and doubled. Before committing to Loyola Marymount, he starred at Orange Lutheran High School in California where he played catcher, outfield and infield. Savoie is the latest power bat to join Clemson in the transfer portal following the commitment of former Western Kentucky slugger Ryan Wideman. An All-American outfielder last season, Wideman hit .398 with 10 home runs and 36 extra base hits while playing in all 60 games. He stole 45 bases as a top-of-the-order threat who played centerfield. Clemson has now added seven players via the transfer portal since falling 16-4 to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament's Clemson Regional. In addition to Savoie and Wideman, the Tigers have picked up outfielder Ty Dalley (Mercer), infielders Bryce Clavon (Georgia) and Tyler Lichtenberger (Appalachian State), and pitchers Hayden Simmerson (Catawba College) and Ariston Veasey (Alabama) in the portal. Clemson has seen five players from its 2025 roster enter in the portal, the latest of which is left-hander B.J. Bailey. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store