Beware the 12 seed: Michigan, Memphis among the No. 5 seeds trying to avoid NCAA Tournament curse
UC San Diego coach Eric Olen knew that his team would be good this season.
This good? Maybe not quite.
The Tritons were playing Division II ball just five years ago, when the pandemic shut down its tournament and may have kept his team from winning a national championship. The school began the transition to Division I the following year, and in its first season of NCAA Tournament eligibility, the Tritons punched their ticket by winning the Big West Tournament title.
All of that is reason for rapture in Southern California. And reason for worry in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Tritons were rewarded with the No. 12 seed in the South Region, where they will face Big Ten Tournament champion Michigan in one of those testy 5-12 matchups that always seem to bust some brackets early.
'It's been a pretty special season, you know?" said Olen, who took over UC San Diego in 2013, when it was a mediocre DII program. 'These guys deserve all the recognition that has come their way. I knew we'd have a good team. I knew we'd be good. But his has been, you know, beyond my expectations of what was possible, to be in this situation, to play at this level for so long this season."
The Tritons have won 15 consecutive games, so they will be taking plenty of momentum into their matchup with Michigan on Thursday in Denver. And lest anyone think they will be intimidated, remember this: They took No. 11 seed San Diego State down to the wire in one of their only four losses this season,
'Teams don't just win 30 games by accident,' said UC San Diego guard Hayden Gray, a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award. 'We're going to go out there with confidence. See if they can stop us.'
It'll be a tall task for the Tritons, literally and figuratively. Michigan will have a huge size advantage in 7-foot-1 center Vladislav Goldin and 7-foot big man Danny Wolf, and coach Dusty May's team is just as hot as UC San Diego. It toppled three straight Top 25 teams in Purdue, Maryland and Wisconsin to cut down the nets at the Big Ten Tournament.
Still, there have been 55 times in which the No. 12 seed triumphed since the NCAA Tournament field expanded in 1985, including twice last year, when James Madison beat Wisconsin and Grand Canyon knocked off Saint Mary's.
'The process doesn't change. It's still going to be the same things up on the board there before the game,' the Tritons' Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones said. 'We're just going to go out and do what we do.'
West Region
Much like Michigan, Memphis was probably hoping for a much better seed after winning the American Athletic tourney, but it got stuck with the dreaded No. 5 seed and a first-round matchup with Colorado State, the winner of the Mountain West Tournament.
The Tigers, who are led by All-American candidate PJ Haggerty, proved they can beat anyone when they beat NCAA Tournament teams Michigan State, Clemson, Missouri, Ole Miss and UConn. But coach Anfernee Hardaway's crew also showed they can lose to just about anyone, such as Arkansas State and Temple.
'What an incredible story,' said Colorado State coach Niko Medved, whose team will face the Tigers on Friday in Seattle. 'This team, the legacy of this team, will live on forever. Just resilience and staying together. Believing in something that's bigger than yourself and not getting ahead of yourself."
East Region
Oregon earned its No. 5 seed by having one of the strangest rollercoaster seasons of any high-major: The Ducks won 12 of their first 13 games, beating Texas A&M and Alabama along the way, then endured a five-game skid in Big Ten play, before running off an eight-game winning streak that ended with a loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Ducks now get a game Friday against No. 12 seed Liberty, which won the Conference USA tourney but has not played a single Quad 1 opponent this season.
Midwest Region
Will Wade has No. 12 seed McNeese back in the NCAA tourney for a second consecutive year, and its first-round foe should be awfully familiar: Clemson, where Wade worked as a student manager and started his career as a graduate assistant. The No. 5 seed Tigers, who won 18 games in the ACC, will play the Cowboys on Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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San Francisco Chronicle
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Breaking down the teams playing for national championship at the College World Series
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Starting pitchers: RHP Cameron Flukey (7-1, 3.35 ERA), RHP Jacob Morrison (11-0, 2.11), RHP Riley Eikhoff (6-2, 2.90). Relievers: LHP Hayden Johnson (4-0, 3.43), RHP Ryan Lynch (2-1, 0.59, 8 saves), RHP Matthew Potok (4-1, 2.55), LHP Dominick Carbone (6-0, 2.61), RHP Darin Horn (5-1, 2.96), RHP Luke Jones (4-2, 3.51), RHP Scott Doran (1-0, 4.15). MLB alumni: Mickey Brantley, Tommy La Stella, Kirt Manwaring, Taylor Motter, Dave Sappelt, Zach Remillard, Luis Lopez. Short hops: Chanticleers have the nation's longest active winning streak, at 23 games. Since the NCAA Tournament went to its current format in 1999, no team has entered the CWS with so many consecutive wins. ... Schnall was an assistant on Gary Gilmore's national championship-winning team in 2016. He succeeded Gilmore, who retired after last season, and is in his 22nd season on the staff over two stints. ... Chants' 53 wins are most in nation. ... Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament champion. ... Chants batters have been hit by 170 pitches, most in the nation. Quotable: 'This is not a Cinderella story. We're one of the premier, most successful college baseball programs in the entire country.' — Schnall. ___ Arizona (44-19) Coach: Chip Hale (152-93 in 4 years at Arizona and overall). Road to Omaha: Won Eugene Regional: beat Cal Poly 3-2, beat Utah Valley 14-4, beat Cal Poly 14-0. Won Chapel Hill Super Regional: lost to North Carolina 11-2, beat North Carolina 10-8, beat North Carolina 4-3. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-1. Last CWS appearance: 2021. All-time record in CWS: 43-32 in 18 appearances (won national titles in 1976, 1980, 1986, 2012). Meet the Wildcats: C Adonys Guzman (.318, 8 HRs, 42 RBIs), 1B Tommy Splaine (.290, 5, 25), 2B Garen Caulfield (.262, 8, 43), SS Mason White (.332, 19, 72), 3B Maddox Mihalakis (.278, 5, 35), LF Easton Breyfogle (.248, 5, 31) or TJ Adams (.167, 0, 7), CF Aaron Walton (.320, 14, 49), RF Brendan Summerhill (.358, 4, 34), DH Andrew Cain (.245, 6, 22). RHP Owen Kramkowski (9-6, 5.48 ERA), RHP Raul Garayzar (2-0, 2.81), RHP Smith Bailey (3-3, 4.01). Relievers: RHP Tony Pluta (3-0, 1.26, 14 saves), RHP Garrett Hicks (5-0, 5.61), RHP Julian Tonghini (4-2, 4.26), RHP Casey Hintz (7-4, 5.53), RHP Michael Hilker Jr. (2-1, 6.45), RHP Hunter Alberini (1-0, 3.48), RHP Matthew Martinez (3-0, 4.42), RHP Collin McKinney (0-2, 3.98), LHP Eric Orloff (1-0, 5.14). MLB alumni: Kenny Lofton, J.T. Snow, Tony Clark, Ron Hassey, Scott Erickson, Dan Meyer, Trevor Hoffman, Nick Hundley, Jack Howell, Casey Candaele, Terry Francona, Gil Heredia, Hank Leiber, Craig Lefferts, Joe Magrane, Mark Melancon. Short hops: Wildcats are back in Omaha for first time since going 0-2 in the 2021 CWS under current LSU coach Jay Johnson. Dawson Netz, who made relief appearances in both games, is a graduate manager. ... Hale played on Arizona's 1986 championship team. ... White's 48 career homers rank second in program history. The Tucson native has hit 35 of them at road or neutral sites. ... Wildcats' 36 triples lead nation. ... Pluta's 14 saves are a school record. Quotable: 'We're going to go there, put our best foot forward and try to win our fifth national championship.' — Hale. ___ Louisville (40-22) Coach: Dan McDonnell (791-357-1 in 19 years at Louisville and overall). Road to Omaha: Won Nashville Regional: beat East Tennessee State 8-3, beat Vanderbilt 3-2, beat Wright State 6-0. Won Louisville Super Regional: beat Miami 8-1, lost 9-6 to Miami, beat Miami 3-2. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-0. Last CWS appearance: 2019. All-time record in CWS: 4-10 in 5 appearances. Meet the Cardinals: C Matt Klein (.327, 5 HRs, 30 RBIs), 1B Tague Davis (.286, 18, 50), 2B Kamau Neighbors (.250, 0, 16), SS Alex Alicea (.310, 1, 24), 3B Jake Munroe (.345, 12, 58), LF Zion Rose (.315, 12, 63) or Eddie King Jr. (.362, 17, 60), CF Lucas Moore (.353, 5, 48), RF Garret Pike (.294, 4, 39) or King, DH Rose or Pike. Starting pitchers: RHP Patrick Forbes (4-2, 4.36 ERA), RHP Tucker Biven (3-0, 4.19), LHP Ethan Eberle (6-2, 4.34). Relievers: RHP Brennyn Cutts (3-1, 4.89), LHP Justin West (2-2, 6.12), LHP Wyatt Danilowicz (0-1, 2.25), RHP Jack Brown (5-5, 6.69), LHP Ty Starke (1-0, 8.50), RHP Jake Schweitzer (4-2, 2.15). MLB alumni: Adam Duvall, Will Smith, Adam Engel, Nick Solak, Chad Green, Sean Green, Reid Detmers, Tyler Fitzgerald, Kyle Funkhouser, Matt Koch. Short hops: Cardinals are 5-1 in the NCAA Tournament after entering regionals coming off losses in six of seven games. ... King is on a tear, having gone 12 for 22 (.545) with two homers, three doubles and eight RBIs in six tournament games. ...Moore leads the nation with 51 stolen bases and has been caught stealing just once. ... A thumb injury has forced Alicea, a switch hitter, to bat left-handed exclusively since the start of May. ... Biven moved from the closer's role to weekend starter in May. He has received a no-decision in all four starts but allowed just five earned runs over 17 1/3 innings. Quotable: 'We're going to Omaha to win it all. We're not just going there just to play.' — King. ___ Oregon State (47-14-1) Coach: Mitch Canham (223-101-1 in 6 years at Oregon State and overall). Road to Omaha: Won Corvallis Regional: lost to Saint Mary's 6-4, beat TCU 7-2, beat Saint Mary's 20-3, beat Southern California 14-1, beat Southern California 9-0. Won Corvallis Super Regional: beat Florida State 5-4 in 10 innings, lost to Florida State 3-1, beat Florida State 14-10. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-0. Last CWS appearance: 2018. All-time record in CWS: 21-12 in 7 appearances (won national titles in 2006, 2007, 2018). Meet the Beavers: C Wilson Weber (.333, 12 HRs, 57 RBIs), 1B Jacob Krieg (.251, 13, 35), 2B AJ Singer (.309, 3, 39), SS Aiva Arquette (.354, 18, 65), 3B Trent Caraway (.270, 12, 47), LF Gavin Turley (.346, 19, 66), CF Canon Reeder (.303, 8, 35), RF Easton Talt (.265, 7, 35) or Carson McEntire (.263, 4, 10), DH Tyce Peterson (.282, 5, 19). Starting pitchers: RHP Dax Whitney (6-3, 3.66 ERA), LHP Ethan Kleinschmit (8-4, 3.54), RHP James DeCremer (3-0, 5.34). Relievers: LHP Nelson Keljo (3-2, 3.74), RHP AJ Hutcheson (3-0, 4.00), RHP Kellan Oakes (4-0, 3.60), RHP Laif Palmer (2-0, 2.12), RHP Wyatt Queen (3-1, 3.35), RHP Eric Segura (8-2, 4.76), RHP Zach Kmatz (2-0, 4.21). MLB alumni: Jacoby Ellsbury, Michael Conforto, Darwin Barney, Bob Forsch, Steven Kwan, Adley Rutschman, Ken Forsch, Trevor Larnach, Matthew Boyd, Drew Rasmussen. Short hops: The Beavers surpassed 100 home runs for the second consecutive season. The 103 are the second-most in program history, trailing the 2024 club's 118. ... Five home runs in Game 3 of the super regional were a postseason program record. ... Beavers are 5-1 in elimination games this postseason. ... Talt has walked 62 times, fifth-most in the country. Quotable: 'When we're all hitting, it's dangerous. No one can really compete with us.' — Caraway. ___ Murray State (44-15) Coach: Dan Skirka (209-150 in 7 seasons at Murray State and overall). Road to Omaha: Won Oxford Regional: beat Mississippi 9-6, beat Georgia Tech 13-11, lost to Mississippi 19-8, beat Mississippi 12-11. Won Durham Super Regional: lost to Duke 7-4, beat Duke 19-9, beat Duke 5-4. 2025 record against CWS teams: 0-0. Last CWS appearance: None. All-time record in CWS: 0-0. Meet the Racers: C Will Vierling (.316, 10 HRs, 52 RBIs), 1B Luke Mistone (.340, 4, 53), 2B Dom Decker (.361, 0, 48), SS Conner Cunningham (.257, 7, 38), 3B Carson Garner (.281, 17, 59), LF Dan Tauken (.257, 11, 76), CF Jonathan Hogart (.339, 22, 65), RF Dustin Mercer (.356, 0, 39), DH Nico Bermeo (.305, 1, 7). Starting pitchers: RHP Nic Schutte (8-4, 4.85 ERA), RHP Isaac Silva (9-2, 5.09), RHP Kane Elmy (6-2, 4.45). Relievers: RHP Reese Oakley (3-0, 5.64), LHP Dylan Zentko (4-1, 4.38), RHP Graham Kelham (4-1, 4.40, 9 saves), RHP Jacob Hustedde (2-0, 5.09), LHP Ethan Lyke (2-1, 4.64), RHP Jack Wajda (2-3, 5.56). MLB alumni: Jack Perconte, Kirk Rueter, Pat Jarvis. Short hops: Only the fourth No. 4 regional seed to reach the CWS, joining Fresno State (2008 national champion), Stony Brook (2012) and Oral Roberts (2023). ... This is Racers' fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2003. ... 44 wins are program record. ... 10.8 runs per game in NCAA Tournament ranks second. ... Hogart has hit a nation-leading eight of his 22 homers to lead off a game. ... Kelham has recorded four saves and one win over his last five appearances, and his nine saves are a program record. Quotable: 'Hopefully, it motivates everybody. This team could do it with 28 newcomers and three new coaches. Came together and hit their stride at the right time.' — Skirka. ___ UCLA (47-16) Coach: John Savage (723-479-2 in 21 seasons at UCLA; 811-563-3 in 24 seasons overall). Road to Omaha: Won Los Angeles Regional: beat Fresno State 19-4, beat Arizona State 11-5, beat UC Irvine 8-5. Won Los Angeles Super Regional: beat UTSA 5-2, beat UTSA 7-0. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-1. Last CWS appearance: 2013. All-time record in CWS: 9-9 in 5 appearances (won 2013 national title). Meet the Bruins: C Cashel Dugger (.276, 3 HRs, 25 RBIs), 1B Mulivai Levu (.319, 12, 85), 2B Phoenix Call (.258, 3, 31), SS Roch Cholowsky (.367, 23, 73), 3B Roman Martin (.320, 9, 58), LF Dean West (.315, 4, 40), CF Payton Brennan (.304, 6, 39), RF AJ Salgado (.313, 12, 52), DH Blake Balsz (.246, 1, 24). Starting pitchers: RHP Michael Barnett (12-1, 4.09), RHP Landon Stump (6-1, 4.54), RHP Wylan Moss (2-1, 2.47). Relievers: RHP Jack O'Connor (3-0, 1.80), RHP August Souza (0-0, 5.40), RHP Easton Hawk (1-1, 4.84), LHP Chris Grothues (4-1, 4.94), RHP Cal Randall (2-1, 3.09), LHP Ian May (7-3, 5.00). MLB alumni: Chris Chambliss, Todd Zeile, Jeff Conine, Bobby Grich, Chase Utley, Eric Karros, Brandon Crawford, Troy Glaus, Jackie Robinson, Don Slaught, Eric Byrnes, Shane Mack, Mike Magnante, Matt Young, Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer. Short hops: Bruins were Big Ten regular-season co-champions in their first season in the league. ... Their .372 batting average in the NCAA Tournament ranks first. ... UCLA more than doubled its win total from 2024, when it went 19-33. ... Cholowsky is Big Ten player of the year and defensive player of the year. ... Cholowsky's 23 home runs are the most by a Bruins player since Forrest Johnson in 2000. ... Bruins lead the nation with 63 double plays. Quotable: 'We're the only team that has gotten to play there. We have played in front of a big crowd there, too, which is useful. Just using that is going to help us.' — Cholowsky, on playing in the Big Ten Tournament at Charles Schwab Field last month. LSU (48-15) Coach: Jay Johnson (185-77 in 4 seasons at LSU; 502-249 in 13 seasons overall). Road to Omaha: Won Baton Rouge Regional: beat Little Rock 7-0, beat Dallas Baptist 12-0, lost to Little Rock 10-4, beat Little Rock 10-6. Won Baton Rouge Super Regional: beat West Virginia 16-9, beat West Virginia 12-5. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 2-1. Last CWS appearance: 2023. All-time record in CWS: 46-29 in 19 appearances (won national titles in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009, 2023). Meet the Tigers: C Luis Hernandez (.272, 9 HRs, 30 RBIs), 1B Jared Jones (.328, 20, 70), 2B Daniel Dickinson (.312, 12, 48), SS Steven Milam (.290, 11, 55), 3B Michael Braswell III (.201, 2, 17) or Tanner Reaves (.266, 3, 12), LF Derek Curiel (.347, 7, 52), CF Chris Stanfield (.309, 1, 28), RF Josh Pearson (.297, 7, 32) or Jake Brown (.315, 8, 44), DH Ethan Frey (.340, 13, 49). Starting pitchers: LHP Kade Anderson (10-1, 3.58 ERA), RHP Anthony Eyanson (11-2, 2.74), RHP Jaden Noot (2-1, 4.26). Relievers: LHP DJ Primeaux (0-0, 3.86), RHP William Schmidt (7-0, 4.73), RHP Maverick Ritzy (0-0, 4.74), LHP Cooper Williams (0-1, 1.83), RHP Chase Shores (5-3, 5.24), RHP Casan Evans (4-1, 1.90), RHP Zac Cowan (3-3, 3.09), LHP Conner Ware (4-1, 5.48). MLB alumni: Joe Adcock, DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Hill, Albert Belle, Todd Walker, Ben McDonald, Alex Bregman, Brad Hawpe, Ryan Theriot, Russ Springer, Kevin Gausman, Jason Vargas, Warren Morris, Austin Nola, Paul Byrd, Aaron Nola, Mark Guthrie. Short hops: Tigers went 2-1 this season against Arkansas, their opening opponent. ... Tigers have second-highest all-time NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.708, 182-75). ... Anderson's 163 strikeouts are most among CWS pitchers and rank second nationally. Eyanson's 135 Ks rank third. ... Pitching staff is in top 10 nationally in ERA (3.80), hits allowed per nine innings (7.34) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.9). Quotable: 'Everyone just plays for each other. We know we're a team and if we don't get the job done, the guys behind us or the guy in front of us is going to protect us and get it done for us. Everyone genuinely cares about each other." — Eyanson. ___ Arkansas (48-13) Coach: Dave Van Horn (931-470 in 23 seasons at Arkansas; 1,516-710 in 38 seasons overall). Road to Omaha: Won Fayetteville Regional: beat North Dakota State 62, beat Creighton 12-1, beat Creighton 8-3. Won Fayetteville Super Regional: beat Tennessee 4-3, beat Tennessee 11-4. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-2. Last CWS appearance: 2022. All-time record in CWS: 18-22 in 11 appearances. Meet the Razorbacks: C Ryder Helfrick (.320, 14 HRs, 36 RBIs), 1B Reese Robinett (.276, 2, 12), 2B Cam Kozeal (.346, 15, 62), SS Wehiwa Aloy (.348, 20, 64), 3B Brent Iredale (.289, 14, 56), LF Charles Davalan (.355, 14, 59), CF Justin Thomas Jr. (.278, 9, 35), RF Logan Maxwell (.360, 13, 35), DH Kuhio Aloy (.330, 13, 70). Starting pitchers: LHP Zach Root (8-5, 3.59 ERA), RHP Aiden Jimenez (4-1, 3.66), RHP Gage Wood (3-1, 5.02). Relievers: RHP Ben Bybee (3-0, 4.38), RHP Steele Eaves (1-0, 1.86), LHP Colin Fisher (3-0, 4.62), RHP Gabe Gaeckle (4-2, 4.76), LHP Parker Coil (3-0, 1.27), LHP Landon Beidelschies (4-0, 4.92), RHP Will McEntire (1-0, 2.59), RHP Dylan Carter (6-0, 2.18). MLB alumni: Kevin McReynolds, Eric Hinske, Jeff King, Andrew Benintendi, Les Lancaster, Tom Pagnozzi, Ryne Stanek, Blake Parker, Drew Smyly, Cliff Lee, Dallas Keuchel, Colin Poche, Jalen Beeks, Robert Person, Tim Lollar. Short hops: No. 3 Razorbacks are the highest remaining national seed. ... Wehiwa Aloy is the SEC player of the year. His first name means 'prized one' in Hawaiian. He leads the team with 20 homers and is among seven Arkansas players with double-digit homers. ... Hogs' 123 homers are program record and fifth in the country. ... Arkansas has had at least one player selected in each of the past 50 MLB drafts dating back to 1975.
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Undrafted Otto Kemp gets 3 hits and sparks rally in 1st home game for Phillies
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