NCAA Tournament bracket: (Iowa State/North Carolina recap)
At this point, it’s a surprise when a game in this tournament isn’t decided in the final seconds. With three of the first four games on Sunday being decided by three points or less, the Madness continued well into the night.
No. 3 Iowa State 85, No. 6 North Carolina 83
It didn’t quite top the instant-classic between Wichita State and Kentucky, but this game may have been the second-best of the Big Dance to this point.
The score went back and forth for 40 minutes, though it was DeAndre Kane's game-winning layup with 1.6 seconds on the clock that proved to be the difference. The Cyclones trailed by eight points with six minutes to go, and with Georges Niang on the bench with a broken foot, it seemed the season was nearing an end for Fred Hoiberg's bunch.
Kane put together one of the tournament's best individual performances with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Melvin Ejim continued his excellent postseason with 19 points, four boards, two assists and two steals.
Iowa State will battle UConn in the Sweet 16.
No. 10 Stanford 60, No. 2 Kansas 57
The Kansas Jayhawks showed just how much they missed center Joel Embiid on Sunday. Shots didn't come easily in a 60-57 loss to the Stanford Cardinal, and it was Johnny Dawkins' team that seemed more intimidating on the defensive end.
The victory earned Stanford a Sweet 16 date with the No. 11 seed Dayton Flyers in the South Regional.
Kansas shot 33 percent for the game and bowed out of the 2014 NCAA Tournament in the round of 32 as Embiid sat out with a back injury with the hopes of returning in the Sweet 16. Bill Self's squad also got a disappointing performance from likely lottery-bound freshman Andrew Wiggins, who scored four points and had four turnovers in the loss.
Forward Dwight Powell led a balanced Cardinal offense with 15 points, and guard Chasson Randle played all 40 minutes to score 13.
Kansas was led by Tarik Black, who scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, but his supporting cast struggled mightily. Conner Frankamp scored 12 points off the bench and hit a three-point shot that cut the Stanford lead to 59-57 with 18 seconds left, but he couldn't hit a final three-pointer in the final seconds to force overtime.
No. 8 Kentucky 78, No. 1 Wichita State 76
John Calipari's team looked young throughout a turbulent 2013-14 season, but not on Sunday afternoon. The Kentucky Wildcats traded punches with the previously 35-0 Wichita State Shockers before laying the final blow in a 78-76 upset of a Final Four team from a year ago.
Kentucky advances to face the rival Louisville Cardinals in the next round.
UK point guard Andrew Harrison scored 20 points to lead the Wildcats, Julius Randle added 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and James Young hit the go-ahead three with less than two minutes left that gave Kentucky the lead for good.
It wasn't easy. Wichita State senior Cleanthony Early scored 31 points, including a flurry in the middle of the second half that kept the Shockers in a game that included 14 lead changes. Ron Baker added 20 points for Gregg Marshall's team.
No. 11 Tennessee 83, No. 14 Mercer 63
The Volunteers won their third game in five days to move on to the Sweet 16 with a convincing performance over Mercer. The game was never really in doubt as Tennessee came out and dominated early, taking a 15-point lead into halftime before cruising in the second half. The Vols outrebounded the Bears by 22 (41-19); Jarnell Stokes, who had 18 boards, nearly outrebounded Mercer by himself.
Tennessee marches on to face a red-hot Michigan team in the Sweet 16.
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