2014 NCAA bracket: North Carolina State advances to play Saint Louis
The Wolfpack defeated Xavier with relative ease on Tuesday night to advance to the second round, while Albany snuck one out against Mount St. Mary’s. Download a printable PDF version of the bracket here.
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The 2014 NCAA Tournament kicked off on Tuesday night from Dayton as two No. 11 seeds and two No. 16 seeds battled for a chance to move on in the Big Dance.
The first game of the night saw Albany pull one out in the final minute against Mount St. Mary’s. The Great Danes opened the game on a 21-2 run, but were then on the wrong side of a 21-2 run themselves. Albany took a four-point lead into halftime and held on late despite Mount St. Mary’s hitting 12 of their 37 three-point attempts.
This three-point miss in the final minute would prove to be the nail in the coffin for the Mountaineers. Many still aren’t sure how this ball rimmed out.
Brutal. Albany would go on to win, 71-64, and will now face top-seeded Florida in the second round on Thursday.
All eyes were on the second game of the evening as North Carolina State took care of business against Xavier. The Wolfpack may have been the final team selected for the bracket, but they sure played well in a 74-59 win over the Musketeers.
T.J. Warren overcame early foul trouble to score 25 points. Ralston Turner also hit three three-pointers on his way to 17 points. The team dished out 16 assists and only turned the ball over nine times.
The win advances North Carolina State to face a vulnerable five seed in Saint Louis. The Billikens have lost four of their last five games and have really struggled scoring the ball in recent weeks. If Warren and Turner can get going early, the Wolfpack will have a real shot at pulling the upset on Thursday night.
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