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The last two days have made Bill Walton proud.
The Pac-12, the Conference of Champions, went undefeated in round one. After the Arizona Wildcats advanced on Thursday night, the Oregon Ducks, UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans all followed suit on day two.
USC pulled, arguably, the biggest upset of the first round, defeating the 6-seed SMU Mustangs, 66-65. For the second consecutive tournament game, USC had to make a furious comeback to get the job done. The Trojans trailed by 12 early on but behind Elijah Stewart’s six three pointers, the last of which put them up for good, SC survived to fight another day.
On Sunday, USC will play the 3-seed of the East region, the Baylor Bears.
Oregon, the 3-seed in the Midwest, playing their second game since the disappointing news of Chris Boucher’s torn ACL, are being overlooked as a national championship contender. But they looked strong on Friday, defeating 14-seed, Iona, 93-77.
Oregon put their balanced attack on display on Friday — Tyler Dorsey led the way with 24 points, Dillon Brooks finished with 18, Jordan Bell had 17 and Freshman point guard, Payton Pritchard scored 16.
Up next for the Ducks is a date with difficult 11-seed, Rhode Island.
And in Friday’s nightcap, the UCLA Bruins took their time putting away 14-seed Kent State, but in the end, the high-octane offense of the Bruins came through for a 97-80 victory.
Kent State was within 4 early in the second half. But the Golden Flashes couldn’t keep up with UCLA, who had a seven minute stretch without a missed field goal. UCLA shot 63% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.
The 3-seed Bruins face the 6-seed Cincinnati Bearcats — the only 6-seed to make the second round — in Sacramento on Sunday.
Other Sunday matchups decided:
East region - 2-seed Duke Blue Devils vs. 7-seed South Carolina Gamecocks
Midwest region - 1-seed Kansas Jayhawks vs. 9-seed Michigan State Spartans
Midwest region - 2-seed Louisville Cardinals vs. 7-seed Michigan Wolverines
South region - 1-seed North Carolina Tar Heels vs. 8-seed Arkansas Razorbacks
South region - 2-seed Kentucky Wildcats vs. 10-seed Wichita State Shockers
NCAA Tournament Second Round schedule
| Game | Date | Tip Time (ET) | Network | Site | Commentators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Tip Time (ET) | Network | Site | Commentators |
| (4) West Virginia Mountaineers vs. (5) Notre Dame Fighting Irish | March 18 | 12:10 p.m. | CBS | Buffalo | Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel / Allie LaForce |
| (1) Villanova Wildcats vs. (8) Wisconsin Badgers | March 18 | Approx. 2:40 p.m. | CBS | Buffalo | Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel / Allie LaForce |
| (1) Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. (8) Northwestern Wildcats | March 18 | 5:15 p.m. | CBS | Salt Lake City | Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Jamie Erdahl |
| (3) Florida State Seminoles vs. (11) Xavier Musketeers | March 18 | 6:10 p.m. | TNT | Orlando | Ian Eagle / Steve Lavin / Evan Washburn |
| (4) Butler Bulldogs vs. (12) Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | March 18 | 7:10 p.m. | TBS | Milwaukee | Carter Blackburn / Mike Gminski / Debbie Antonelli / Lisa Byington |
| (2) Arizona Wildcats vs. (7) St. Mary's Gaels | March 18 | Approx. 7:45 p.m. | CBS | Salt Lake City | Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Jamie Erdahl |
| (4) Florida Gators vs. (5) Virginia Cavaliers | March 18 | Approx. 8:40 p.m. | TNT | Orlando | Ian Eagle / Steve Lavin / Evan Washburn |
| (4) Purdue Boilermakers vs. (5) Iowa State Cyclones | March 18 | Approx. 9:40 p.m. | TBS | Milwaukee | Carter Blackburn / Mike Gminski / Debbie Antonelli / Lisa Byington |
| (2) Louisville Cardinals vs. (7) Michigan Wolverines | March 19 | 12:10 p.m. | CBS | Indianapolis | Jim Nantz / Grant Hill / Bill Raftery / Tracy Wolfson |
| (2) Kentucky Wildcats vs. (10) Wichita State Shockers | March 19 | Approx. 2:40 p.m. | CBS | Indianapolis | Jim Nantz / Grant Hill / Bill Raftery / Tracy Wolfson |
| (1) Kansas Jayhawks vs. (9) Michigan St. Spartans | March 19 | 5:15 p.m. | CBS | Tulsa | Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner / Dana Jacobson |
| (1) North Carolina Tar Heels vs. (8) Arkansas Razorbacks | March 19 | 6:10 p.m. | TNT | Greenville | Brian Anderson / Chris Webber / Lewis Johnson |
| (3) Oregon Ducks vs. (11) Rhode Island Rams | March 19 | 7:10 p.m. | TBS | Sacramento | Spero Dedes / Steve Smith / Len Elmore / Ros Gold-Onwude |
| (3) Baylor Bears vs. (11) USC Trojans | March 19 | 7:30 p.m. | truTV | Tulsa | Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner / Dana Jacobson |
| (2) Duke Blue Devils vs. (7) South Carolina Gamecocks | March 19 | Approx. 8:40 p.m. | TNT | Greenville | Brian Anderson / Chris Webber / Lewis Johnson |
| (3) UCLA Bruins vs. (6) Cincinnati Bearcats | March 19 | Approx. 9:40 p.m. | TBS | Sacramento | Spero Dedes / Steve Smith / Len Elmore / Ros Gold-Onwude |