The Big 12 Conference had four teams play on the first day of the men’s NCAA Tournament on Thursday, with the league going 3-1 for the day.
Thursday’s First-Round Results
No. 1 Houston 78, No. 16 SIU-Edwardsville 40
No. 6 BYU 80, No. 11 VCU 71
No. 10 Arkansas 79, No. 7 Kansas 72
No. 4 Texas Tech 82, No. 13 UNC-Wilmington 72
Friday’s First-Round Games
No. 9 Baylor vs. No. 8 Mississippi State, 11:15 a.m. CT, CBS
No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb, 12:30 p.m. CT, TNT
No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron, 6:35 p.m. CT, truTV
Here are five takeaways from the latest day of men’s basketball action.
TECH’S HUGE NIGHT
What didn’t Texas Tech do in their tournament opener against UNC-Wilmington?
JT Toppin grinded through to get his 16th double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. It was not an easy game for the forward. The broadcasters were really on coach Grant McCasland for not getting him the ball enough. But UNCW made it hard to get him the ball and double-teamed him when he had it.
Kerwin Walton had a career night, as he scored 27 points, made eight 3-pointers and picked up the slack for the injured Chance McMillian. That’s five straight games in double figures for Walton.
Elijah Hawkins nearly had a triple-double — 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
And, the Red Raiders shot 46 3-pointers, a school record for any game. That’s an insane amount of 3-pointers.
Yet, Texas Tech had to grind this game out. Sometimes that’s just what one must do in March.
This is why Tech is such a tough out. The Red Raiders are banged up and someone like Walton steps up. Toppin is blanketed defensively but he grabs 11 rebounds and blocks two shots. Darrion Williams, who isn’t there physically yet, finished with 13 points. Federiko Federiko managed a couple of dunks and stole two passes
The Red Raiders had control in the final minutes and pulled away. If McMillian returns against Drake, well, Texas Tech may be going to the Sweet 16 once again. If he doesn’t, well, these Red Raiders look tough enough to do it anyway.
BYU’S BIG DAY
The BYU Cougars won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2012 when it beat VCU.
Richie Saunders also got the NIL deal he was literally born for.
Man, I’m guessing the per-capita on tot sales in Provo was off the charts on Thursday.
Saunders had a solid afternoon — 16 points but just one 3-pointer. It was Egor Demin (three 3-pointers) and Trevin Kneel (two 3-pointers) who carries the load from distance. Demin had his best game in a couple of weeks with 15 points.
I thought the big guys might have an edge in this game and they did. Fousseyni Traore had 13 points and nine rebounds while Keba Keita had nine points and nine rebounds.
Take that with you to Saturday’s game against Wisconsin and the Cougars might be in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011.
HOUSTON ROLL EASILY
How much did Houston dominate SIU-Edwardsville? The Cougars were up 52-24 at halftime. Houston could have spent the entire second half without a point and still won because it held SIUE to just 16 second-half points.
Yep, without a second-half point Houston could have won, 52-40. I mean that’s still comfortable.
J’wan Roberts returned and only had to play 20 minutes. That’s great for the long-time forward, who is returning from an injury suffered in the Big 12 Tournament. That should make recovery a little easier as Houston prepares for Saturday’s game with Gonzaga.
Roberts needs the recovery time. Gonzaga rolled over Georgia, 89-68. The Bulldogs will be tough and they’re seeking a 10th straight trip to the Sweet 16.
HALL-OF-FAME SHOWDOWN
Among all of the intersections between Kansas coach Bill Self and Arkansas coach John Calipari, these two stood out.
First, each won a national championship at the other’s expense. In 2008, Self led Kansas to a national title in the “Mario Chalmers” game in San Antonio, beating Calipari’s Memphis Tigers in overtime. Then, in 2012, Calipari, then at Kentucky, returned the favor by beating Self and the Jayhawks.
Second, they’re among the Top 10 winningest coaches in the NCAA Tournament.
Self made the coaching move of the game. In a fit of desperation, he went to a 2-3 zone — something Kansas had used on just seven possessions all season, per CBS. And it worked. It thoroughly discombobulated the Razorbacks for most of the second half. With about four minutes left, it looked like KU was on its way to the second round.
Then KJ Adams Jr. got hurt, reportedly an Achilles injury. He had 13 points but, of course, Adams is so much more than points to the Jayhawks. After he was helped off the floor, Kansas turned it over three straight possessions and went on a near-five-minute field goal drought. The offensive execution was awful down the stretch. Kansas lost in the first round for the first time since 2006.
Zeke Mayo led with 18 points. Hunter Dickinson had 11 points but don’t let that fool you. Arkansas made him useless in the second half. AJ Storr had 15 points off the bench.
It was a fitting end to Kansas’ season — streaks of excellence and bouts of volatility in the same game. Isn’t “volatility” the word Dickinson used in Kansas City last week?
LET’S LOOK BACK AT 2006
So, Kansas hadn’t lost in the first round since 2006? Really? Let’s look back at that tournament, shall we?
The Big 12, incredibly, had just four bids. Kansas wasn’t the top Big 12 seed in that tournament. It happened to be Texas, which was a No. 2. Oklahoma and Texas A&M were the other two teams.
Who were the coaches? Along with Self, they were Rick Barnes (Texas), Kelvin Sampson (OU) and Billy Gillespie (A&M).
Texas reached the Elite Eight and lost to LSU. A&M beat Syracuse in the first round before losing to LSU in the second round. Oklahoma lost in the first round to UW-Milwaukee.
In case you’re wondering, the Final Four was LSU vs. UCLA and Florida vs. George Mason, with Florida beating UCLA in the championship game.
Oh, plus there’s this. Woof.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
