Another big shock from the NCAA tournament: Florida Gulf Coast "busted a load of brackets" Friday, beating second-seeded Georgetown, as The Associated Press reports.
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles managed a 78-68 victory over the Hoyas, only the seventh time in NCAA history that a No. 15 seed beat a No. 2, the AP says.
The New York Times adds:
"Florida Gulf Coast, a university based in Fort Myers that opened in 1997 and completed its transition to Division I only two years ago, ensured that its first trip to the N.C.A.A. tournament was a memorable one. The Eagles did not simply defeat the Hoyas. They humiliated them, leading by as many as 19 points in the second half and rendering decades of college-basketball tradition an afterthought."
Other highlights from Friday's matchups:
-- "La Salle (23-9) won back-to-back games in the same NCAA tournament for the first time since 1955," USA Today reports. The Explorers, seeded 13th, beat No. 4 Kansas State 63-61.
-- From Iowa State Daily: Iowa State University "sprinted past" Notre Dame to win 76-58. The paper says the "turning point" came with 14:14 left in the first half:
"Melvin Ejim hit a 3-pointer to spark a 26-10 run to finish the half, putting the Cyclones up 35-23 at halftime.
"From there Iowa State never looked back, as Notre Dame could only cut the lead to as low as 10 following halftime."
-- The upset that wasn't: The Kansas Jayhawks managed to thwart a "monumental scare from No. 16 Western Kentucky," CBS Sports reports. The AP adds:
"The Jayhawks (30-5), flummoxed by the Hilltoppers' full-court pressure, trailed 31-30 at halftime. Kansas eventually built an 11-point lead in the second half, but couldn't put Western Kentucky away until [Ben] McLemore's two foul shots with 11 seconds left."
-- The Washington Post reports: "No. 11 Minnesota somehow managed to stumble across a team with bigger problems than its own." UCLA lost 63-83.
Besides drama with the coaches of both teams, The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that the father of UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad was lying about his son's age. Turns out Shabazz is 20, not 19, which the Times says could affect his NBA draft prospects.
For another NCAA wrap, listen as NPR's Mike Pesca rhymes his way through the games for Weekend Edition Saturday:
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