No 16 seed has ever defeated a 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history, and that didn’t change on Wednesday.
NCAA Tournament bracket 2017: Gonzaga, Butler advance to the round of 32
Still, no No. 1 seed has ever lost to a No. 16 seed.
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
The top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs took down the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 66-46, to advance to the round of 32.
The Bulldogs were able to limit South Dakota State’s Mike Daum, the nation’s second-leading scorer, to just 17 points on seven-of-16 shooting from the field. Daum averaged 25.3 points on 41.6 percent three-point shooting entering Wednesday.
Gonzaga used a 21-9 run between the first and second half to pull away from South Dakota State. The Bulldogs extended their lead to 20 with just under four minutes left in the second half, and the Jackrabbits pulled their starters with 1:10 remaining in the game.
The Bulldogs enjoyed four players scoring in double digits, led by Jordan Matthews’ 16 points on five-of-11 shooting.
Butler also held up on the other end.
No. 4 Butler Bulldogs advanced to the second round after a 76-64 win over No. 13 Winthrop Eagles.
The Bulldogs’ attack was led by Avery Woodson’s efficiency, pelting the Eagles for 18 points solely from beyond the arc on six-of-10 shooting. Winthrop’s Xavier Cooks tried to keep his team alive, scoring 23 points on 10-of-22 shooting. Roderick Perkins and Keon Johnson also combined for 30 points, but Butler firmly held control for the majority of the game.
The Bulldogs also enjoyed 28 bench points from a second unit led by Kelan Martin, who put up 10 points on three-of-eight shooting.
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