The second round of the NCAA Tournament kicked off on Thursday afternoon. There haven’t been any big upsets as the dinner hours roll around, but there are still plenty of vulnerable top-seeded teams out there. Here is a look back at what has happened thus far.
NCAA bracket update: Marquette, Memphis advance to 3rd round
The 2013 NCAA Tournament hasn’t delivered any big upsets ... yet.
Marquette 59, Davidson 58
Davidson had this game won with a minute left on the clock. Somehow, someway, the Golden Eagles dug deep and hit a couple of 3-pointers to cut the deficit to one point. The Wildcats then turned it over, giving MU one final shot.
Vander Blue drove to the rim and laid the ball in, giving his team a one-point lead. Davidson was unable to do anything with a second left on the clock, breaking their hearts. This was the best game of the tournament so far. MU moves on to face Butler in the third round.
Memphis 54, Saint Mary’s 52
The Tigers nearly let this one get away from them in the final minute. They held a comfortable lead throughout most of the game, but up two points with three seconds on the clock, they turned it over on the inbounds play. SMC's Matthew Dellavedova had a decent look at what would've been a game-winning three, but it went long as the buzzer sounded. With the win, Memphis moves on to face Michigan State.
St. Louis 64, New Mexico St. 44
The Billikins were impressive once again on Thursday afternoon, digging in on defense to claim the blowout victory. They held the Aggies to just 16 points in the first half and were able to conserve some energy for their third round matchup on Saturday. St. Louis will play the winner of Oklahoma St./Oregon.
Wichita State 73, Pittsburgh 55
In the lone “upset” of the day thus far, No. 9-seeded Wichita State blew out No. 8 Pittsburgh. The Panthers could not get anything to fall on offense, and their defense really let up in the second half because of it. The Shockers move on to likely face Gonzaga this weekend.
Butler 68, Bucknell 56
In what was one of the better games of the early session, Brad Stevens’ Bulldogs won a hard-fought battle with the Bison. Bucknell got hot midway through the second half and took a lead at one point, but Butler responded by hitting clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch.
Michigan St. 65, Valparaiso 54
The final outcome of this game doesn’t accurately represent how much of a blowout this was. The Spartans moved out to a double-digit lead midway through the first half and added on throughout, imposing their athletic advantage on both ends of the floor. MSU will face Memphis in the third round.
Here is an updated look at the bracket:
You can also find the full bracket here.
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