Kansas booted in second round; Kansas State and Kentucky take care of business

Kansas was a favorite to win the NCAA tournament by many, but the play by Ali Farokhmanesh, capped by a huge 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go, pulled an extremely surprising upset with a 69-67 win. Farokhmanesh led Panthers with 16 points, including four 3-pointers.

The quick Kansas exit is the major story of the day, but it wasn’t the only big upset of the day. St. Mary’s asserted their presence in the paint and hit 20 free throws in a 75-68 win over Villanova, a team many had going to the Final Four. Omar Samhan had a monster game with 32 points to lead the Gaels.

Butler was a little luckier in a close game with No. 13 Murray State. They edged the Racers 54-52 to make the Sweet 16 for the third time in school history and avoided the upset. The game ended on a poor pass from Isaiah Canaan with three seconds left in Murray State’s attempt to tie. The ball rolled and the clock ran out as the players dove for possession.

Ohio, the No. 14 seed, didn’t have the same success as the other double-digit seeds. They were outplayed by Tennessee in an 83-68 loss. The Volunteers shot 56 percent from the field, while the Bobcats shot 37 percent.

Baylor also had a great second round day shooting the ball. They shot 51 percent from the field and hit eight 3-pointers in a 76-68 win. It was tied with two minutes to go, but Baylor hit some outside shots and Old Dominion couldn’t knock down the shots down the stretch. The Sweet 16 appearance will be the first in Baylor school history.

In one of the non-eventful games of the day, Washington crushed New Mexico State 82-64 to become the second double-digit seed to move to the Sweet 16. The Huskies led by as much as 22 points, and the Lobos hit only nine of 20 free throws while shooting 40 percent from the field.

In the last two games of the evening, Kansas State and Kentucky both took care of their business and easily moved on to the Sweet 16. The Kansas State Wildcats defeated the Cougars 84-72, led by Jacob Pullen with 34 points. Kentucky crushed Wake Forest 90-60, led by Darius Miller with 20 points.

The impressive aspect of the game was the 60 percent shooting percentage of Kentucky. If they continue to shoot the ball well, they will be nearly impossible to beat. The Demons struggled to defend after a miss. Cornell or Wisconsin should have a better transition defense than Wake Forest, but the Wildcats can hit the 3-pointer as well. They have 22 3-pointers in the two games of the tournament so far.

Night cap - a look at the last four NCAA games of the evening

Kansas got its act together and pulled away from Lehigh in the second half. The No. 1 Jayhawks won the game 90-74. They will play Northern Iowa in Round 2.

Elsewhere games were much tighter. Tennessee held on 62-59 over San Diego State. A late 3-pointer by Melvin Goins put the Volunteers up by four, but D.J. Gay was fouled at the other end of the floor while shooting a 3 of his own. Gay connected on all three free throws.

Wayne Chism drew a foul, and his two free throws iced the game. Kawhi Leonard got an off-balanced shot off before the horn, but it was not close. The Vols advance to play Ohio in the second round.

An even tighter game between Wake Forest and Texas needed overtime to be decided. The Longhorns trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half before mounting a comeback.

The crucial play at the end of regulation was when the Demon Deacons’ L.D. Williams turned the ball over on an in-bounds play. Texas got the ball, and drew a foul. Texas’ Damien James hit the front end of the double bonus to tie the game at 68-68, sending it into overtime.

During the overtime period, Texas looked to be in control until the final seconds. After Gary Johnson missed two free throws, Wake’s Ishmael Smith took the ball down court, dribbled to the right side of the key and hit a jumper to give Wake Forest an 81-80 victory.

Wake Forest will play No. 1 Kentucky in the second round.

Montana’s Brian Qvale continued to play well in the second half for Montana, who took New Mexico down to the wire.

New Mexico hit just enough free throws down the stretch (13-of-23 on the game) to outlast the pesky No. 14 Grizzlies.

Qvale finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds for Montana. Roman Martinez scored a team-high 19 points for New Mexico.

The final score was 62-57. New Mexico will play Washington.

Lehigh challenging No. 1 Kansas

It’s been a streaky game to say the least. The Kansas Jayhawks got off to a terribly slow start before pushing the temp and going on a 17-2 run. They were looking like the No. 1 seed they are supposed to be. But Lehigh answered with a run of their own to get the score within four points with 4:00 to play.

Zahir Carrington is playing out of his mind for Lehigh scoring 12 points and gathering five rebounds in the first half.

When Kansas has been successful, they are getting similar production from Marcus Morris. He has 12 points and four rebounds at the half. Sherron Collins came on late in the half, amassing 12 points and four rebounds.

The Jayhawks need to take advantage of their height advantage in the second half. Lehigh is playing inspired basketball right now, but it will be difficult to match that intensity in the second half. They will need their 3s to start falling to stay in the game.