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March Madness live updates, scores, bracket, highlights: McNeese upsets Clemson, Gonzaga blowing out Georgia on NCAA tournament Day 1
- As Gonzaga continues to dominate, Georgia finally had something go their way. Gonzaga’s Graham Ike was called for a flagrant foul on Georgia’s Somto Cyril as the two big men got into a scrape under the basket.
- The foul wasn’t initially called by the referees, but officials opted to upgrade the non-call to a Flagrant 1 after video review.
- Cyril hit both free throws, but it doesn’t make much difference: Georgia is still down by 23 points.
- For the first time since 2014, BYU has won an NCAA tournament game. The Cougars held on late to grab the nine-point win over the Rams while shooting almost 51% from the field as a team.
- BYU will now take on No. 3 Wisconsin in the second round on Saturday. If the Cougars can grab the win, it’ll be their first time into the Sweet 16 since the Jimmer Fredette era.
- A record 7.4 million people found TruTV the past two days to tune in to the First Four. That’s up 20% over last year, and set a new record under the traditional format. About 3.6 million people watched the two games on Tuesday, and then almost 4 million watched on Wednesday.
- Xavier’s win over Texas was the most-watched of the four games, with about 2.4 million people watching.
- As Gonzaga confidently holds on to a lead of 20-plus points over Georgia, the team’s three-point shooting is driving it’s performance. Gonzaga is currently 10-for-14 on three-pointers, a 71.4% accuracy rate. Georgia, meanwhile, is 2-for-17.
- Nolan Hickman holds four of Gonzaga’s three-pointers, going four-of-five beyond the arc, while Khalif Battle holds three triples, with six attempts.
- McNeese can’t put Clemson away. That’s four straight 3-pointers from the Tigers, and it’s suddenly a three-point game with just 10.6 seconds left.
- What a wild turnaround by a team that had just 13 points in the first half.
- It’s been a dominant first half for Gonzaga, who head into the locker room with a 48-27 lead over Georgia. Gonzaga held came out strong from the jump, going up by as many as 25 points.
- Gonzaga guard Nolan Hickman has been on a hot streak, leading the Bulldogs with 15 first-half points. Khalif Battle is right behind him, with 14 points and six rebounds for Gonzaga.
- Georgia, meanwhile, finally found its footing after a tough start, initially going down 27-3.
- Don’t look now, but Clemson is suddenly back within 10 points of McNeese State with just less than 3 minutes to go…
- VCU needs to make a move, and quick, to stay in this game. The Cougars opened the second half on a 13-6 run to take a 19-point lead. Richie Saunders (who apparently has a unique family history) went on a wild 30-second burst, too.
- After a first half scare, Auburn buckled down for the second half, building a comfortable 20-point lead and keeping it there. The No. 1 overall seed overcame a scrappy Alabama State team for the win, led by a 23-point performance from guard Miles Kelly, who knocked down seven three-pointers.
- Auburn will now face No.9 Creighton, who upset No. 8 Louisville earlier today, in the Round of 32.
- The Cowboys just drilled a 3-pointer to keep Clemson at bay midway through the second half. We’re just about done here…
- After a tight start to the game, the Cougars are suddenly in control of this one at halftime. They’ve taken an 11-point lead over VCU into the locker room at Ball Arena while shooting 50% from the field. Egor Demin leads all scorers with 11 points after going 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
- No. 8 Gonzaga came out swinging against No. 9 Georgia for a matchup of Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs. Gonzaga quickly pulled ahead, going 13-0 before Georgia even scored a point.
- Gonzaga went on a 12-0 run before Georgia was forced to call a timeout. Gonzaga is flying with a 27-3 lead; meanwhile, Georgia is 1-11 from the floor and giving Clemson a run for its money in terms of offensive futility.
- After Alabama State’s run spooked Auburn in the first half, the Tigers have clawed back to comfortable 21-point lead over the Hornets. A win is looking out of reach for Alabama State, with Auburn outscoring the Hornets and beating them on the boards as well.
- If Alabama State can launch a comeback, it’s going to be on the heels of Auburn’s turnovers. The Hornets have seven steals on the Tigers, while Auburn only has two. It’s a small measure, but any chance of an upset will come with Alabama State taking advantage of Auburn’s mistakes.
- Things aren’t going any better for Clemson early in the second half. McNeese State’s off to a 9-3 run after halftime and has extended its edge to 40-16. This is a drubbing. Hard to see Clemson mounting a rally here.
- The Cougars and the Rams are locked up in a battle early in Colorado. The two schools are tied up 22-22 midway through the first half. BYU is looking for its first NCAA tournament win in more than a decade, while VCU is back in the tournament for the fourth time in the last seven years.
- After letting Alabama State get too close in the first half, Auburn is getting more comfortable in the second. The Tigers kicked off the half by pulling ahead to a 14-point lead over the Hornets. The run was helped by a four-point play from freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford, who sunk a contested three and hit the and-on right after.
- Auburn later pulled the lead to 54-36.
- McNeese State reserve Brandon Murray has 14 points at halftime. Clemson as a team has 13 as the Cowboys lead 31-13 at halftime. Not great, Tigers.
- Clemson in trouble here. It’s sitting on 11 points with 3:16 left in the first half as No. 12 seed McNeese State is rolling early. The Cowboys lead, 25-11 and have limited the Tigers to 4-of-19 (21.1%) shooting from the field, including a 1-of-11 (9.1%) effort from 3-point distance.
- Picking a No. 1 seed to simply win its Round 1 game is historically one of the safest bets you can make, as only two top seeds have ever lost outright in the first round.
- One Florida bettor at Hard Rock is banking on that history, as he placed a massive $310,000 wager before the game on the Auburn Tigers moneyline at -20000 odds to beat No. 16 Alabama State.
- The bet would only win $1,550 for the bettor.
- Auburn leads 41-31 at halftime after closing the first half on a 9-0 run, but that bettor has to be sweating more than anticipated.
