:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45953344/usa-today-8462847.0.jpg)
After the final horn in Friday's Providence-Dayton game, 36 teams had already seen their dances come to an end. That's 36 fanbases either still cursing defeat or already looking ahead to November. Teams like Baylor and LSU, and coaches like Larry Brown, Fred Hoiberg and Shaka Smart have all fallen already. For the B1G, five teams remain after loses by Purdue and Indiana. Let's review what happened on a Friday full of chalk and uncompleted comebacks.
Game of the Day:
#13 Valpo vs. #4 Maryland
Former walk-on Varun Ram stripped the ball on the Valparaiso Crusaders last second attempt to tie the game, and time expired while the Valpo players looked for a foul call. The Maryland Terrapins led most of the way, but were never quite able to put the Horizon League champions away. Up only one with just 1:45 to go, Dez Wells made the play that would end up being the difference in the final score. Jake Layman missed a three, but Wells nabbed the offensive rebound and went up strong for the lay-up and drew a foul. The made free throw pushed the lead to four and the Terps were able to finish strong defensively to preserve the 65-62 victory.
Wells, Melo Trimble and Jared Nickens all scored 14 for Maryland. Trimble also added 10 boards to make it a double-double in his first tournament game. On defense, Damonte Dodd played the role of rim protected well with 4 blocks. For Valpo, Alec Peters scored 18, but shot under 50% from the field. The Crusaders shot well behind the arc with 44.4%, but only hit 27.6% on two-pointers and 55.6% from the line. Maryland gets to face the 5-seeded Mountaineers of West Virginia on Sunday.
The Rest:
#16 Coastal Carolina vs. #1 Wisconsin
The Chanticleers but up a good fight for a 16-seed, but Frank Kaminsky and the Badgers just had too much firepower as they won 86-72. Wisconsin's starting lineup scored 79 points total, including 27 from Frank and 20 from Sam Dekker. Coastal Carolina's Warren Gillis scored 22, while Elijah Wilson added 20 off the bench. Wiscy will advance to face Oregon at 7:45 on Sunday.
#10 Georgia vs. #7 Michigan State
Tom Izzo called his team "interesting" after they let a 13-point lead dwindle late before hitting their last six free throws to seal the deal, 70-63. The Bulldogs had an early lead, but Michigan State controlled the second half until letting UGA get within four in the last half minute. Georgia's Charles Mann led all scorers with 19, but the three-headed Spartan monster of Branden Dawson, Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine scored 14,15 and 16 respectively to give their team the edge. Bryn Forbes added another 14. MSU draws ACC regular season champion Virginia in the second round in what should be a great contest.
#10 Indiana vs. #7 Wichita State
Fred Van Vleet led his Shockers with 27 points in what was a physical, but high scoring game. The final score was 81-76, but it was an even closer affair most of the way. Yogi Ferrell scored 24 points for the Indiana Hoosiers and Troy Williams added 11 points and 12 rebounds. IU was called for 26 fouls in a game full of whistles, and WSU took advantage by going 29-34 from the line. Now Indiana and their fans will wait and see whether the offseason is an innocuous one or if big changes come at the top. The Shockers advance to face in-state foe Kansas in a highly-anticipated match-up.
#10 Davidson vs. #7 Iowa
You have to give the Iowa Hawkeyes a lot of credit in this one. In what was supposed to be a close game, Iowa made the Davidson Wildcats look like an overmatched 16-seed against a 1-seed. Aaron White was a man on a mission as he scored 26 points on 11-14 shooting. Mike Gesell had 15 points and 6 assists while Peter Jok scored 12, while the Hawkeyes dominated the A-10 regular season champs 83-52. Iowa will advance to play 2-seeded Gonzaga on Sunday.
Non-B1G Game of the Day:
#13 UC Irvine vs. #4 Louisville
This game contained some of the best the tournament had to offer this year. The UC Irvine Anteaters are one of the best named teams in the tournament and feature a 7'6" center named Mamadou Ndiaye. Add in Louisville's star player Montrezl Harrell and you've got a great game before the tip is even over. The Cardinals were able to escape with a 57-55 victory after clutch free throws by freshman Quentin Snider with 8.9 seconds to go. The Anteaters were never able to get a last second shot off and the biggest man in the NCAA Tournament was sent home despite an 12 point effort that included nearly flat-footed dunks. U of L will advance to face Northern Iowa in Sunday's late game.