The Big 12 Conference had three teams play on the second day of the men’s NCAA Tournament on Friday, with the league going 3-0 for the day.
Friday’s First-Round Results
No. 9 Baylor 75, No. 8 Mississippi State 72
No. 3 Iowa State 82, No. 14 Lipscomb 55
No. 4 Arizona 93, No. 13 Akron 65
Saturday’s Second-Round Games
No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 Drake, 5:10 p.m. CT, TNT
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 3 Wisconsin, 6:45 p.m. CT, CBS
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 8 Gonzaga, 7:40 p.m. CT, TNT
Here are five takeaways from the latest day of men’s basketball action.
ARIZONA TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS
I felt going into the Arizona-Akron game that it might be the most competitive of the seven Big 12 first-round games. Turns out it really wasn’t.
From the start, Arizona was ready. Their biggest move in the first half was adjusting its defense to ensure coverage at the 3-point line, where Akron excels. In return, the Wildcats were willing to give up mid-range jumpers. But Akron wasn’t willing to take them, and when the Zips did, they weren’t knocking them down because Arizona’s defense was there, too.
On the glass, Arizona left no room for doubt. The Wildcats outrebounded the shorter Zips by an insane margin, 53-22. Yes, these mismatches can happen in the NCAA Tournament. But upset-minded teams find ways to make up for it. Akron could not.
This is when Arizona is at its best, when it shoots a high percentage from the field (56.5%) and the 3-point line (48%), rebounds hard forces difficult shots. It’s a recipe that can get the Wildcats far in this tournament.
BAYLOR’S ‘POINT OF EMPHASIS’
Baylor needed three guards to produce in their first-round game against Mississippi State and they did. Robert Wright III had 19 points. Langston Love — who returned from another absence due to injury — had 15 points. VJ Edgecombe had 14 points.
The Bears also needed a big game from forward Norchad Omier. Got that too — 12 points and 10 rebounds.
But it was this take down the stretch that became what everyone wanted to talk about.
Great take, right? Definitely a foul? Yup. And and-1? Well ….
That’s not what the officials called. They called the foul on the floor and the ball went to Baylor out of bounds. It was a one-point Baylor lead. Two more fouls later, Baylor was back in the bonus, Robert Wright III made two free throws and the Bears hung on to win.
So, why wasn’t it a shooting foul? Well, let’s let ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla explain it.
So … let me get this straight. Something that officials have been calling one way 98% of the time suddenly aren’t supposed to call it that way? Look, the Big 12 already must adjust a little because the whistles get tighter in March than conference play. But now we’re changing points of emphasis in March?
Look, if it’s a foul in December it should be a foul in March. That’s just common sense. Everyone has the same rulebook. How we’re not able to get to a national standard is beyond me.
But, hey on Sunday we get VJ Edgecombe against Duke’s Cooper Flagg. So we have that going for us.
Plus, if this doesn’t make it into “One Shining Moment,” we’re not doing this right.
MILAN’S HOME
Iowa State is playing its sub-regional in Milwaukee. Milan Momcilovic is from Pewaukee, Wis.
See where I’m going with this?
Momcilovic led the Cyclones with 20 points, including four 3-pointers, in what was a homecoming for him and a relatively easy first-round win over Lipscomb.
With Tamin Lipsey back in the starting lineup, head coach T.J. Otzelberger was able to put Curtis Jones back on the bench and let him do what he does best. Jones finished with 17 points, while Lipsey had 10 points and four assists. Joshua Jefferson also had 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
In other words, everything was back to normal, minus Keshon Gilbert, who is out for the rest of the season.
The quality of player, and Lipsey’s return to health, bodes well for the second round against Ole Miss, which sent North Carolina home.
This might be the rare game where every Big 12 fan is a Cyclones fan. Everyone knows who Ole Miss’ coach is right? Chris Beard. Oh, and Mark Adams is on the staff, too.
A STELLAR START
After Arizona dismantled Akron, the Big 12 was 6-1 in the first round. Now it’s not always the best strategy to judge a conference by how it plays in the NCAA Tournament, simply because you just never know. But that’s how it goes. March is how we judge conferences.
So, the league going 6-1 in the first round is a great feather in the league’s cap.
The only loss? Kansas. That still seems weird.
GAUGING TOMORROW
The games get much harder now. If the first round is about surviving, the second round is about finding a way to thrive with what you have.
BYU, Houston and Texas Tech all looked good on Thursday. Each is basically healthy, aside from the status of the Red Raiders’ Chance McMillian, which is likely to be a storyline right up to gametime. Tech needs his shooting.
I wrote our previews. I picked all three to win. Let’s see what happens. Enjoy the day, because the night is filled with Big 12 action.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
