What happened in the NCAA Men's Tournament second round

MEMPHIS — Baylor center Yves Missi, who was limited by a back injury in the first-round win over Colgate, is warming up with no signs of pain or issues ahead of the Bears second-round matchup against Clemson.

Roach returns to the game and immediately fires off a three, he missed it but seems fine.

BROOKLYN — This afternoon's 4-for-4 performance from 3 so far by Duke freshman Jared McCain lifts him to a scalding 40.9 percent from 3 on the season. Scouts still want to see him get into his shot on the move more readily, as opposed to the catch-and-shoots that have been the majority of his shot diet, but between his shooting today, his season stats, and seeing him take scores of 3s pre-game twice this weekend, there is little doubt that his stroke is absolute butter from a set position.

They're examining Jeremy Roach's left hand on the bench, and he looks to be in some pain.

BROOKLYN — James Madison jumped all over Wisconsin at the start of Friday's game, and the Dukes never trailed. Today's game is already more of an uphill climb, with Duke jumping out to an early lead and JMU struggling a bit with the Blue Devils' size while allowing good perimeter looks. (Duke has blocked two shots already and is shooting 4-of-8 from beyond the arc in just the first eight minutes.

Jon Scheyer said yesterday he expects this to feel like a road game, especially once the fans for the later (UConn-Northwestern) game trickle in.

People love teams like JMU. And "neutral" NCAA Tournament crowds love to root against Duke.

BROOKLYN — Duke star Kyle Filipowski only took one shot on Friday because Vermont kept double-teaming him in the post. It looks like James Madison will be trying the same thing; on his first post catch, they brought a second defender as soon as he dribbled. Filipowski immediately picked out Jared McCain for an open 3-pointer, much as he picked apart Vermont's doubles on Friday.

Team in 16 words: JMU has a veteran-laden squad with offensive weapons all over.

Record: 32-3 (15-3 Sun Belt)

Coach: Mark Byington (1-0 in NCAA Tournament)

Player to watch: Terrence Edwards Jr. (Sun Belt Player of the Year)

Strengths: Three players averaged double digits, led by Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Terrence Edwards Jr., who scored a conference-high 17.4 points per game. They also have the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year in T.J. Bickerstaff (Bernie’s grandson and J.B.’s nephew), who averaged 13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds a game. And there is a lot of green on their Bart Torvik profile. The Dukes are shooting 36.5 percent from behind the arc. They are deep and they pose a threat from anywhere on the floor.

Weaknesses: This season JMU played like Superman…and Appalachian State was the big block of kryptonite. The Mountaineers beat the Dukes twice. Luckily for JMU, App State was defeated before a potential third meeting in the conference tournament — and that opened up a relatively easy path to the automatic bid for the Dukes. It’s still a red flag on JMU’s resume because the NCAA Tournament is filled with teams better than App State, even if the Dukes have a win at Michigan State on their resume.

Purdue's 106-point outburst against Utah State is the second-highest scoring game of this year's NCAA Tournament. Alabama scored 109 in a 109-96 win over Charleston on Friday.

Both pale in comparison to the NCAA Tournament record of 149, scored by Loyola Marymount in a 149-115 win over Michigan in 1990.

Team in 16 words: Jon Scheyer has enough talent and experience in year two to make a Final Four run.

Record: 25-8 (15-5 ACC)

Coach: Jon Scheyer (2-1 in NCAA Tournament)

Player to watch: Kyle Filipowski (first-team All-ACC)

Strengths: Duke has weapons. Kyle Filipowski is one of the best frontcourt players in the country and is versatile in how he can score. Freshman Jared McCain can take over a game, Jeremy Roach is an experienced guard capable of going for 20 and even Tyrese Proctor — who has been disappointing — is more than capable. Then add Mark Mitchell as a glue guy who defends, rebounds and can score when necessary. There aren’t too many teams capable of matching this starting group, especially talent-wise.

Weaknesses: The Blue Devils just don’t have a big-time defensive presence in the middle, as was the case a year ago with Dereck Lively II, and it makes them suspect when it comes to rim protection. Teams will go at Filipowski — who can be exposed on that end of the court. Proctor has also been ordinary for much of the season when the hope was he would turn into an All-American candidate.

Outlook: There aren’t many teams in the country that can match Duke’s overall talent and experience. Scheyer has a couple of likely first-round picks in Filipowski and Proctor, and McCain has shown he can carry the team if necessary from a scoring standpoint. Roach is a veteran capable of making big shots, and Mitchell has had his moments.

—Jeff Goodman

Our staff picks for No. 4 Duke versus No. 12 James Madison:

• Tobias Bass: James Madison
• John Hollinger: Duke
• Brendan Marks: James Madison
• Austin Mock: Duke
• Joe Rexrode: James Madison

INDIANAPOLIS - As the Purdue bus followed its three motorcycle police escorts down South Street en route to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, it happened upon the intersection with Maryland Street. One policeman dashed ahead and gave two buses waiting to make the turn the stiff arm, putting his hand up to signal that the buses wait to allow the Boilermakers to continue ahead.

The first bus belonged to the Utah State band, the second to the basketball team. Never has there been a more apt metaphor. Purdue stopped the Aggies dead in their tracks, delivering a second-round humiliation that felt personal. Not, mind you, against Utah State. Despite Matt Painter’s end of pregame speech to “shove it down their throat," the intended receivers were not the overmatched team from Logan, Utah; it was against everyone and anyone who has considered the Boilermakers not worthy, not real, not good enough.

This was an exorcism and a statement, Purdue gifting its happy fans with a 106-67 parting gift as it heads to Detroit for a Sweet 16 date with Gonzaga.

The Boilermakers knew they had to win their first-round game; they also knew that once they did, the goalposts would move again. Now it’s about proving that Purdue isn’t somehow fatally flawed, that its style of play can survive this three-weekend tournament. The answer came at about the eight-minute mark of the first half, Purdue turning an uncomfortable 25-24 game into a rout that ended with the scrubs in the game, swishing threes like the starters, Lance Jones’ pointing to the scoreboard as he exited the game, and Zach Edey chilling on the bench with a towel around his neck. The box score read like a near work of art, the Boilermakers dishing 29 assists on 37 made field goals, mixing up 11 3-pointers with 44 points in the paint, following Painter’s constant harping to crash the boards to the tune of a 49-26 advantage. Four players finished in double figures, including, of course, Edey.

Much to the consternation of the Utah State fan who, from a safe zone of 30 feet and a table away, screamed over and over again that Edey is soft, the Big Maple finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and three assists. He sent Utah State’s two big men to the bench with two fouls early and treated the rest of the Aggies like Godzilla used to treat the airplanes in those old black-and-white movies.

This, of course, will not be enough either. The Boilers have reached the Sweet 16 six times under Painter and have but one Elite Eight to show for it (albeit an epic regional final loss to Virginia in 2019). There’s only one final destination for Purdue and that’s Phoenix, the site of the Final Four.

But perhaps this will question at least some who think if they’ve got the engine to get there.

INDIANAPOLIS — When Marquette’s players convened for their first prep meeting last Monday after the NCAA Tournament draw had been announced, it wasn’t a surprise to them that coach Shaka Smart immediately turned on some game film. Instead of scouting first-round opponent Western Kentucky, however, Smart had a different team in mind. Because to move forward, he figured Marquette first needed to look back.

What the Golden Eagles watched were the final three minutes and 36 seconds of their second-round NCAA Tournament game a year ago, when they were a No. 2 seed against No. 7 seed Michigan State and trailed by a point. Rather than meeting the moment, Marquette wilted. Players relived it all, some pointing out on film just how antsy everyone on the team looked in what would become a nine-point loss. The message was clear.

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