NCAA bracket 2015 update: Everything you need to know from Thursday
A single-day tournament record was set Thursday with five games decided by one point.
The first day of March Madness lived up to its name in a big way. Thursday set a single-day tournament record with five games decided by just one point, and featured buzzer beaters, a crucial goaltend call and of course the upsets that this tournament has become known for.
But nothing could top Georgia State’s win over Baylor on Thursday afternoon.
It wasn’t just a 14-over-3 upset. It wasn’t just that it was decided by a game-winning three in the closing seconds. It’s how that play unfolded that will ensure it lives forever in tournament lore.
Baylor led by 12 points with 2:39 to go, when R.J. Hunter went on a personal 9-0 run in a span of just over a minute to bring the Panthers within three. His teammate Isaiah Dennis hit a free throw to make it a two-point game with 20 seconds left, setting Hunter up for a dramatic finish.
Hunter caught the ball from straight on, well beyond the three-point arc, and let it fly. The ball going in to give Georgia State the win would have been enough to make it memorable. But Hunter’s father, Ron Hunter, is the coach of Georgia State. If you remember, he tore his Achilles during the team’s conference tournament-winning celebration last week and was forced to coach the game from a stool. His son’s shot sent him to the ground in a moment that was funny, dramatic and certainly special for the Hunter family.
Georgia State will face No. 6 seed Xavier in the Round of 32 on Saturday. No word yet as to whether Ron Hunter will wear a seatbelt when he coaches that one.
3 other things we learned:
The Big 12 has been a disappointment. It was a rough day for the Big 12. Not only did Baylor lose to Georgia State, but the Bears’ conference foe and fellow No. 3 seed Iowa State fell to UAB. As if two huge upsets wasn’t enough for the Big 12, Butler later defeated Texas, dropping the league to 0-3 on the day. Kansas, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all play on Friday and will look to salvage what’s been a rough start to the postseason for the Big 12.
D’Angelo Russell is all sorts of good. OK, we already knew that. But the world got to see it when he played 44 minutes in Ohio State’s overtime win over VCU, despite taking an elbow to the face, which resulted in a rather ugly moment. Regardless, the freshman dropped 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three. If that wasn’t enough, he was also responsible for this move, which we can just pretend didn’t end with a miss.
SMU's Yanick Moreira needs a hug. You have to feel bad for the kid. If you didn't see it, SMU led UCLA by two in the final seconds when Bryce Alford attempted a three. The shot appeared likely to miss, but Moreira leapt and grabbed the ball before it made contact with the rim. It was ruled a goaltend, giving the Bruins the lead and the win. After the game, Moreira seemed devastated, and tweeted an apology to the fans and his teammates for costing the Mustangs the game. In reality, SMU coughed up a seven-point lead over the last 1:26, making Moreira's blunder hardly the only reason his team lost. Still, you have to feel bad for the kid whose career ended in such devastating fashion.
Play of the night:
The description above doesn't do it justice. Take a look at R.J. Hunter's three and the reaction from his father.
5 fun things:
Lafayette’s time in the NCAA Tournament was short-lived, but the Leopards were around long enough to introduce us to their team doctor, who comes to us live from the 1920s.
ESPN’s Jeff Goodman was hanging out with Hampton Thursday, as one does, and ended up in the middle of something, well ... something.
Free throw routines are part of what makes a player unique. Like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who shimmies before each attempt. TNT gave him a shimmy counter.
A new rule we learned today: If you offer your teammate a shoe, you may be issued a delay of game warning.
Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin hasn’t been on the sideline with his team for most of the season, but that hasn’t stopped him from celebrating from home.
Final scores:
No. 3 Notre Dame 69, No. 14 Northeastern 65
No. 14 UAB 60, No. 3 Iowa State 59
No. 14 Georgia State 57, No. 3 Baylor 56
No. 2 Arizona 93, No. 15 Texas Southern 72
No. 6 Butler 56, No. 11 Texas 48
No. 11 UCLA 60, No. 6 SMU 59
No. 6 Xavier 76, No. 11 Ole Miss 57
No. 10 Ohio State 75, No. 7 VCU 72 (OT)
No. 1 Villanova 93, No. 16 Lafayette 52
No. 8 Cincinnati 66, No. 9 Purdue 65 (OT)
No. 4 North Carolina 67, No. 13 Harvard 65
No. 5 Utah 57, No. 12 Stephen F. Austin 50
No. 8 NC State 66, No. 9 LSU 65
No. 5 Arkansas 56, No. 12 Wofford 53
No. 8 NC State 66, No. 9 LSU 65
No. 1 Kentucky 79, No. 16 Hampton 56
No. 4 Georgetown 84, No. 13 Eastern Washington 74
SB Nation presents: The science behind a college basketball upset
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