What happened in the NCAA Men's Tournament second round

This day in history: Remember Dunk City?

Florida Gulf Coast, as a No. 15 seed, knocked off Georgetown and San Diego State to reach the Sweet 16.

PITTSBURGH — Despite trailing by four points in the final 30 seconds of regulation, No. 3 Creighton rallied and saved enough energy to eventually pull away from No. 11 Oregon, sealing an 86-73 win at PPG Paints Arena that started Saturday night but didn’t end until early Sunday morning after two overtimes.

It looked like it would end in regulation before Bluejays senior forward Baylor Scheierman came to the rescue. Scheierman hit two free throws with 27 seconds left in regulation to bring the Bluejays within two, then he hit a jump shot with eight seconds left to tie the game at 62 after Oregon star N’Faly Dante missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Creighton survived a Jermaine Couisnard shot at the regulation buzzer. Couisnard hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 16 seconds left in the first overtime, then Creighton’s Trey Alexander missed at the first overtime buzzer.

“Epic game,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “Not sure I’ve been part of one quite like it.”

Despite a tough shooting night overall, Creighton (25-9) moves on to play No. 2 Tennessee next week in the Sweet 16 after holding Oregon to just two points in the second overtime. Both teams were gassed, but Creighton seniors Steven Ashworth and Ryan Kalkbrenner hit 3-pointers to create some cushion and deflate an Oregon team that had five players play at least 37 minutes.

Ashworth led Creighton with 21 points. Alexander had 20, Kalkbrenner had 19 and Scheierman had 18. Alexander and Scheierman played all 50 minutes.

Couisnard had 32, while Dante had 28 points and 21 rebounds.

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First, let’s start with the name, because it matches the game of one of the best players in college basketball. Great Osobor, carried by a deep well of self-belief, also happens to have taken an extraordinary path to prominence on the hardwood.

When John and Mabel Osobor found out they were having a baby boy, they were living in Tudela in northern Spain, an ancient city known for its Gothic architecture. Having immigrated from their native Nigeria, John and Mabel, elated by their family’s coming addition, repeatedly voiced, “God is Great.”

The concept of greatness stuck with them and led them to bestowing such a label upon their son. All these years later, the 6-foot-8, 250-pound forward has proved himself worthy of it. Great even considers himself “a bit of a showman.”

Osobor was recently named the Mountain West Conference player of the year, having been a linchpin in a remarkably fast rebuild at Utah State. The Aggies, under first-year coach Danny Sprinkle, returned zero contributors from a year ago and brought in 13 new players. As vital as any was Osobor, who left Montana State and followed his head coach last April. Osobor this season is averaging 18.0 points and 9.2 rebounds and shooting 58.3 percent from floor.

The Aggies took the conference by surprise and storm. They won 27 games. They won the school’s first outright regular-season title since joining in 2013. There are several reasons Utah State is back dancing in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time since 2019 under a third head coach. As the No. 8-seeded Aggies take on No. 9 TCU in the Midwest Regional in Indianapolis this week, it would be impossible for the program to be where it is without its always confident and sometimes cocky post player.

“We could be playing the Lakers,” Sprinkle said, “and he’d think he’s the best player on the floor.”

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The do-over is now done, a 78-50 pasting of 16th-seeded Grambling State on Friday that perhaps took a little longer to get rolling than some would have liked, but nonetheless rids Purdue of one demon. There are still more to come; Purdue is not just guilty of losing to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson last year, but a host of March offenses. But this was, if not the most important game on the hierarchy — that’s down the road on the calendar, in the regional final — the most damning crime to pardon. The FDU loss was served up as everything that is wrong with Purdue. Much like Virginia, after its first-round loss to UMBC, the Boilers’ very way of doing business was questioned.

It would be a lie to say they didn’t entertain those questions at least briefly; it is the sort of loss that makes you search your soul for answers. But Matt Painter held strong in his belief that losing to Fairleigh Dickinson was not a sign of systemic failure. More than once he told his team that in a 10-game series against the Black Knights, the Boilers would win nine.

That, however, should not be misinterpreted. Purdue maybe didn’t make wholesale changes; but that doesn’t mean they ignored the loss altogether. You take your time, you lick your wounds and then you go get it right,’’ says Elliott Bloom, Purdue’s director of basketball operations. “We did things this year that we’ve never done before. Was that a reaction to what happened? Probably. There was an unspoken chip but also just a sense of, we’re going to get this right.’’

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The stars shine brightest in March, and both Marquette and Colorado got stellar performances from their All-Conference guards in Round 1 wins. Marquette’s Tyler Kolek returned from a six-game absence to tally 18 points, six rebounds and 11 assists in a comeback win over 15th-seeded Western Kentucky, while the Buffaloes’ K.J. Simpson scored 23, including a go-ahead jumper with 1.7 seconds left to beat Florida.

That sets the stage for a clash between two of the country’s most efficient offenses with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. No. 2-seed Marquette is favored by a few points.

The Buffs assisted on 27 of 34 made baskets in their win over the Gators, shooting 63 percent from the field and scoring 102 points, the second most of any team in Round 1. Marquette struggled in the first half against the Hilltoppers, but rebounded in the second half, scoring 51 points on 56 percent shooting while getting 10 assists from Kolek after the break. Paint points will be plentiful, with Marquette ranking 15th in the country in 2-point field goal percentage behind the prowess of Oso Ighodaro, Kam Jones, and Kolek, while Colorado ranks 45th in the country from inside the arc behind Eddie Lampkin, Tristan da Silva, and Simpson. Neither offense plays all that fast, but both take care of the rock and take high-percentage shots.

Where the two teams differ, and where Marquette finds a slight advantage, is in the turnover department. Colorado’s offense is efficient when it gets a shot off, but they rank 253rd in turnover percentage, turning it over on 18.3 percent of possessions. That was seventh-worst among tournament teams, and the other six lost in the opening round. Marquette’s defense struggles on the glass, but makes up for it in turning teams over. Keep an eye on Stevie Mitchell, who had three steals in Round 1 and ranks fourth in the country among players left in the tournament in steal percentage (4.1 percent).

On the other end, the Golden Eagles take great care of the ball (especially now that Kolek is back and healthy) while Colorado struggles turning teams over, ranking 300th in opponent turnover percentage. Case in point: In Colorado’s Pac-12 tournament loss to Oregon, the Ducks had just three turnovers.

Still, this isn’t your typical 2-10 matchup. The Buffs are 21st overall in KenPom, ahead of the likes of Kansas, Kentucky and Texas. Their well-balanced attack and star power gives them a chance here, with Marquette only a slight favorite despite the gap in seeding. The Golden Eagles will counter with their own talented trio, and the team that takes care of the ball best should advance to the second weekend.

Spread: Marquette -4.5

Total: 147.5

(Odds via BetMGM.)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hubert Davis was furious. And he had every right to be.

His top-seeded North Carolina team — at least for the first 12 minutes or so Saturday, during its NCAA Tournament second-round matchup vs. No. 9 seed Michigan State — couldn’t have looked much worse. Flat. Lethargic. “They punched first,” Davis said. “Their physicality, their will, their want-to … just overwhelmed us.” UNC trailed by as many as 12 early on, its season very much on the brink. The last time the Tar Heels had actually come back from a double-digit NCAA Tournament deficit and won? Over a decade ago.

Things, understandably, looked bleak.

Then a whistle blew. The buzzer sounded. A media timeout, gloriously gifted by the basketball gods. As Davis’ players jogged back toward their Spectrum Center bench — trailing 28-20 with 7:43 left before halftime — Davis silently stewed, pacing in his Carolina blue blazer. Five players sat, the rest huddled around them, awaiting Davis’ direction. What they got instead was an outburst, a head coach unleashing 12 minutes of pent-up frustration:

“Look,” Davis said, or rather demanded, “we can’t talk about any basketball stuff until we join the fight.”

Davis doesn’t use profanity, but he didn’t need to. “We were hearing it,” sophomore guard Seth Trimble said. Davis didn’t insult his players, but he clearly challenged them — specifically his bigs, Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram, whom he said couldn’t stop Michigan State’s forwards. “Obviously that hurts, my head coach saying I can’t guard anybody,” Ingram said, “but that’s why I came here: to hear that stuff. And then we had to fire it up.” But Davis didn’t discuss any Xs and Os. Didn’t call any sets.

Because he didn’t need to.

As Ingram said, invoking the program’s most famous player: “We took it personal.”

What ensued is the stuff of March Madness lore, the single-game swings you look back on as turning points in a title run — and if this Tar Heel team, which ultimately won 85-69 to advance to the Sweet 16, does keep dancing? Then that timeout, Davis questioning his team’s soul, will be a key reason why. Over the next seven minutes and 43 seconds, North Carolina powered up, like Popeye after multiple cans of spinach, and scored 20 points … while only allowing three.

Halftime: North Carolina 40, Michigan State 31.

From down eight, to up nine. Just like that.

“That kind of brought it out of us,” Trimble said, grinning. “We just had to become the team we knew we were.”

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Tyon Grant-Foster, Grand Canyon: Grant-Foster led all scorers with 22 points to go along with eight rebounds in the Antelopes’ 75-66 upset over No. 5 Saint Mary’s on Friday, and his stats this season prove that performance was no fluke. He has scored at least 20 points in six of Grand Canyon’s last eight games.

KJ Simpson, Colorado: The first-team All-Pac-12 point guard was Colorado’s leading scorer with 23 points Saturday, but it was his final bucket in the last second of the game that cemented him as the hero of the 102-100 win over No. 7 seed Florida. Simpson buried a jumper from the baseline that clanged around the rim to send the Buffaloes further into the bracket. Can Colorado keep the momentum rolling to take out a second-seeded Marquette that struggled against 15th-seeded Western Kentucky?

John Poulakidas, Yale: The junior guard said the Bulldogs’ scrappy victory over SEC champion Auburn “wasn’t a one-man show,” but he was definitely a main character in the thrilling victory. Poulakidas finished with a career-high 28 points and hit a clutch 3-pointer to give Yale a 73-72 lead with just over two minutes remaining.

James Madison’s defense: OK, this isn’t technically a player to watch, but JMU’s defense is worth your attention. The 12th-seeded Dukes forced 19 turnovers that led directly to 27 points in their 72-61 win over No. 5 Wisconsin. JMU jumped all over the Badgers from the opening tip and never trailed in the game, forcing turnovers, pushing the ball in transition and setting the pace and physicality against a Big Ten foe. Now the Dukes will face a bigger test in a different kind of Duke — the No. 4 Blue Devils.

The crowd roared whenever Jack Gohlke touched the ball, growing louder with every made 3. There were many moments — six to be exact — when those long-range makes cast a spell over PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. But by overtime, the magic ran out for Gohlke and No. 14 Oakland as they fell 79-73 to No. 11 NC State on Saturday.

For the Wolfpack, which completed their seventh win in 12 days, the victory means their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2015. They’ll face the winner of No. 10 Colorado and No. 2 Marquette in the next round.

Despite the loss, the evening exhibited the thrill of March, as Gohlke had quickly become a tournament darling, guiding the Golden Grizzlies in an upset over No. 3 Kentucky in the first round Thursday. A 6-foot-3 graduate student who transferred to Oakland from Division II Hillsdale (Mich.) College, Gohlke put up 22 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field and 6-of-17 shooting from behind the arc in a tightly contested matchup against NC State.

About midway through the second half, the whole crowd — minus two NC State sections — started cheering every Oakland bounce and shot. With Oakland down seven, Gohlke hit a transition 3-pointer. He made a four-point play, drawing a foul after hitting a 3, that came amid what looked like it might be the run that pushed Oakland to the Sweet 16, but Oakland never got a shot off on the final possession of regulation and got buried by one flurry in overtime.

Gohlke wasn’t even the highest scorer of the night. It was Oakland’s Trey Townsend who led both teams with 30 points. Townsend, a senior forward, also added 13 rebounds for a double-double.

DJ Burns Jr. led NC State with 24 points and contributed 11 rebounds. He was the first to fist-bump Gohlke when the game ended.

NC State’s Michael O’Connell (12 points), Mohamed Diarra, DJ Horne and Casey Morsell (11 points each) also scored in double-digit figures, with Diarra posting 13 rebounds.

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Here's a look at how the Sweet 16 is taking shape:

East (Boston)

• No. 1 UConn or No. 9 Northwestern versus No. 5 San Diego State or No. 13 Yale
• No. 2 Iowa State versus No. 3 Illinois

South

• No. 1 Houston or No. 9 Texas A&M versus No. 4 Duke or No. 12 James Madison
• No. 11 NC State versus No. 2 Marquette or No. 10 Colorado

Midwest

• No. 5 Gonzaga versus No. 1 Purdue or No. 8 Utah State
• No. 2 Tennessee versus No. 3 Creighton or No. 11 Oregon

West

• No. 1 North Carolina versus No. 4 Alabama or No. 12 Grand Canyon
• No. 2 Arizona versus No. 3 Baylor or No. 6 Clemson

There are eight more games on Sunday, the final ones of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

All times ET.

• No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 10 Colorado, 12:30 p.m., CBS (Indianapolis)
• No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 8 Utah State, 2:40 p.m., CBS (Indianapolis)
• No. 4 Duke vs. No. 12 James Madison, 5:15 p.m., CBS (Brooklyn)
• No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 6 Clemson, 6:10 p.m., TNT (Memphis)
• No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon, 7:10 p.m., TBS (Spokane)
• No. 1 UConn vs. No. 9 Northwestern, 7:45 p.m., TruTV (Brooklyn)
• No. 1 Houston vs. No. 9 Texas A&M, 8:40 p.m., TNT (Memphis)
• No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 13 Yale, 9:40 p.m., TBS (Spokane)

N'Faly Dante played the final 38 minutes without coming out of the game. Jermaine Couisnard played the final 30 without coming out. And those two scored every one of Oregon's points in the second half and both overtimes.

That is INSANE. Helluva effort.

PITTSBURGH – Creighton finally caught fire and Oregon finally went cold in the second overtime, and the Bluejays avoided a devastating upset by hitting 7 of 11 shots, including five 3s, to close the game. With an 86-71 victory, Creighton is on to the Sweet 16 for a third time in four years under Greg McDermott.

The Ducks got 60 combined points from Jermaine Couisnard and N’Faly Dante. The Bluejays got 21 from Steven Ashworth, 20 from Trey Alexander, 19 points and 14 boards from Ryan Kalkbrenner and 18 points, nine boards and five assists from Baylor Scheierman, who forced the first OT with a jumper in the final seconds.

PITTSBURGH – Double overtime indeed. Trey Alexander's attempted winner at the buzzer missed, so it's 71-all and we're on to another extra period. Jermaine Couisnard has 32, N'Faly Dante 26 and 19 for Oregon. Steven Ashworth, Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Kalkbrenner all have 15-plus for Creighton. Wild, wild game ... that might not ever end.

PITTSBURGH – This NCAA Tournament site has some magic in it. Jermaine Couisnard buried a tying 3-pointer with 17 seconds left in overtime, giving him 32 points tonight and 72 points in two tournament games. Oregon is pushing Creighton to the brink again. Double-overtime, anyone?