The Latest on the second round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):
6:10 p.m.
Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni has a strong opinion about whether the Thundering Herd is worthy of playing West Virginia annually.
The annual in-state rivalry ended a few years ago, making it all that more juicy that the Thundering Herd will face the Mountaineers on Sunday night in San Diego in the East Region second round.
Asked if the Thundering Herd would go for a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 to resume the series, D’Antoni said: “No, we’re a Division I school. You’ve got to treat us like one. I would love to play. … I’m not going to just play at Morgantown, so after that, ask West Virginia. I think it should be played. You play one time at their place, one time at our place, one time at a neutral place, whatever.”
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins downplayed the controversy, saying the schools are on opposite sides of the state.
“We don’t really cross,” Huggins said. “You don’t want to make it out to be Duke-North Carolina. It’s not that at all.”
___
4:55 p.m.
Duke has a Sweet 16 berth in the bag.
Marvin Bagley III had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 2 seed Duke past seventh-seeded Rhode Island 87-62 on Saturday.
The Blue Devils (28-7) are in the Sweet 16 for third time in four years.
Duke plays Friday against the Michigan State-Syracuse winner.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points and Wendell Carter Jr. had 13.
Rhode Island (26-8) defeated Oklahoma in overtime to advance to the second round for the second straight season. E.C. Matthews led the Rams with 23 points.
Hurley is a hot commodity in coaching circles and may not return to Rhode Island.
This one was never in doubt. Trent hit three 3s in the first half and the Blue Devils raced to a 45-28 lead.
___
3:30 p.m.
North Carolina hasn’t lost an NCAA Tournament game played in its home state since 1979, a winning streak that Texas A&M was unaware of as the Aggies prepared to play the Tar Heels on Sunday in a second round game in Charlotte.
Aggies coach Billy Kennedy said the statistic would be motivation for another upset at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. UMBC made history Friday night by knocking off No. 1 seed Virginia in the final game of the day in Charlotte.
Kennedy will use the fact the Tar Heels have never been defeated instate as fodder for his team, which has been preparing for a year to end the season in San Antonio in the Final Four.
“We’re here to win, we’re not here just to show up,” Kennedy said. “The Final Four is in San Antonio. We don’t want to go there to eat chips and salsa. We want to play. In order to play, you’ve got to beat Carolina.”
___
3:15 p.m.
North Carolina coach Roy Williams was out to dinner in Charlotte with his staff Friday night watching the first half of the game between 16th-seeded UMBC and top-ranked Virginia. Although the game was tied at 21 at halftime, Williams told his staff he was heading back to his hotel room to begin preparations for the Tar Heels’ second-round game Sunday game against Texas A&M.
“There is no way that’s going to happen,” Williams told his staff of UMBC’s upset bid.
But after settling back into the hotel room he flipped over the channel to catch the second half of the game — and had the same sort of reaction most of the country did.
“Oh my gosh,” Williams said.
He wound up watching the last 4 minutes.
“Unbelievable. I was shocked,” Williams said. “I kept thinking it’s April Fool’s Day. I didn’t know what was going on.”
Williams has been able to avoid that first round upset during his career. His teams are a combined 28-0 in the first round, never having failed to reach the round of 32.
“I try not to get caught up in any records or anything like that, but that is one I have been very proud of,” Williams said.
___
2:20 p.m.
The plot is now thickening for Purdue and star center Isaac Haas.
Coach Matt Painter now says he thinks Haas will dress and go to warmups for Sunday’s game against Butler, but he said he still doesn’t expect the big man to play after breaking his elbow in Friday’s victory over Cal State Fullerton. Shortly before Painter’s news conference Saturday, a CBS reporter tweeted that Haas had practiced.
Purdue announced Friday that he was out for the rest of the NCAA Tournament, but there now appears to be some question about that.
“He ran up and down today, did a few things and worked out,” Painter said. “I don’t see him playing.”
Haas was not available to reporters Saturday.
___
2:15 p.m.
No second-round flameout for top-seeded Villanova this time.
Mikal Bridges scored 22 of his 23 points in the second half and the Wildcats rolled by ninth-seeded Alabama 81-58 and into the Sweet 16 on Saturday. Bridges poured in 16 points during an 18-1 burst to start the second half as Villanova quickly pulled away.
Donte DiVencenzo added 18 off the bench for Villanova (31-5), helping the Wildcats stay in front in the first half with star guard Jalen Brunson in foul trouble.
The Wildcats had lost during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament four times as a No. 1 or 2 seed, including last season. They overwhelmed the Crimson Tide (20-16) with a barrage of 3-pointers. Villanova finished 17 of 41 from deep.
The Wildcats will play either Marshall or West Virginia in the East Regional semifinals in Boston on Friday.
Alabama freshman star Collin Sexton finished with 17 points but also committed five of the Crimson Tide’s 15 turnovers
___
1:40 p.m.
No. 1 Villanova has a Sweet 16 berth in sight.
Mikal Bridges hit three straight 3-pointers and the Wildcats opened the second half on an 18-1 run to grab a 50-28 lead. Bridges scored only 1 point in the first half before he exploded in the second.
He finished off a thunderous alley-oop then went on his 3-point spree.
The Wildcats are trying to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since they won the national championship in 2016. Villanova was upset by Wisconsin in the second round a year ago.
___
1:10 p.m.
No. 1 Villanova is getting a scare from Alabama.
The Wildcats lead the ninth-seeded Crimson Tide 32-27 at halftime. The sport is still buzzing from top-seeded Virginia’s 20-point loss to 16th-seeded UMBC on Friday night.
Alabama would love to make it two No. 1s knocked out.
The Wildcats are upset prone because they live and die by the 3-pointer. When it works, and it usually works, they are clearly one of the best teams in the tournament.
Against Alabama, they missed eight of their first 11 3-point attempts. Donte DiVincenzo steadied the Wildcats when he hit three straight 3s and added one more right before the half to give them a 5-point edge.
DiVincenzo scored 18 points in the half.
___
12:50 p.m.
The Pac-12 is out. The Big Ten is undefeated. And the SEC has the most teams left in the NCAA Tournament with six still playing after the first round.
The conference scoreboard for the 32 teams left in the NCAA Tournament is an interesting mix with 13 conferences remaining, with most of the one-bid leagues and the Pac-12 bounced in the first round.
The ACC has five teams left in the field after losing four teams in the first round, while the Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 each have four teams chasing a spot in the Sweet 16.
Here’s a look at the tournament records for the basketball’s top conferences at the start of the second round:
SEC: 6-2
ACC: 6-4
Big Ten: 4-0
Big East: 4-2
Big 12: 4-3
Pac-12: 0-3.
___
12 p.m.
The second round of the NCAA Tournament tips off on Saturday — with many fans still stunned over top-seeded Virginia’s 20-point loss to 16th-seeded UMBC on Friday night.
Fellow No. 1 seed Villanova opens the action against Alabama, as the Wildcats look to avoid a second-round exit for the second year in a row.
Second-seeded Duke will face a dangerous and veteran Rhode Island team, while Kentucky takes on 13th-seeded Buffalo — which blew out Arizona on Thursday.
No. 1 seeded Kansas will play Seton Hall, while Tennessee has Loyola-Chicago in its path to the Sweet 16.
Ohio State and Gonzaga will square off in Boise. Florida and Texas Tech will meet in an AP Top 25 matchup, and Michigan closes out the day against Houston.
___
More AP college basketball: https://collegebasketball.ap.org ; https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 and https://www.podcastone.com/ap-sports-special-events
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.