March Madness scores, highlights from Sunday's NCAA Tournament games

Blake Birt

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March Madness scores, highlights from Sunday's NCAA Tournament games image

If there's one thing the 2018 NCAA Tournament has taught us, if you didn't already know, is that you absolutely can't miss a moment.  

Saturday night, on the final play of the day's final game, Michigan freshman Jordan Poole sank a nearly impossible 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Wolverines to a 64-63 win against Houston and a berth in the Sweet 16. Earlier in the day, Loyola-Chicago's Clayton Custer scored a layup with 3.6 seconds to go that wound up being the game winner in a stunning 63-62 upset of Tennessee. 

MARCH MADNESS: NCAA Tournament bracket

Today's slate of round of 32 games includes, No. 2 North Carolina taking on seventh-seeded Texas A&M, darlings of the Big Dance No. 16 UMBC matching up against ninth-seeded Kansas State and in-state, big brother-little brother foes No. 5 West Virginia against 13th-seeded Marshall, getting it on.  

Stay glued to this page for all of the latest scores, biggest highlights and breaking news from Sunday's second-round action.  

March Madness scores, highlights from NCAA Tournament

No. 2 Purdue 76, No. 10 Butler 73

Butler's Kamar Baldwin had a good look at what would'v been a game tying heave at the buzzer but it clanged off the iron, allowing the Boilermakers to advance to the Sweet 16  where they'll face Texas Tech March 23. Vincent Edwards led the way for Purdue with 20 points followed by P.J. Thompson (14), Carsen Edwards (13) and Dakota Mathias (11). Matt Haarms started in the place of Purdue's Isaac Haas, out with a fractured elbow, and added seven points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Butler's Kelan Martin poured in a game-high 29 points and Baldwin contributed with 14. 

Second half

10:19—Purdue's Nojel Eastern's layup gives the Boilermakers a double-digit lead at 61-51. 

Halftime 

Purdue leads Butler 40-36 at the break despite not having second-leading scorer and rebounder Isaac Haas, who suffered a fractured elbow in the first round. Vincent Edwards (12) and Carsen Edwards (11) have combined for 23 points to lead Purdue. Butler guard Kelan Martin leads all scorers with 14 points to go along with two assists, two rebounds and a steal. Bulldogs sohomore Kamar Baldwin has 10 points. 

First half 

16:48—The Boilermakers and Bulldogs are lighting it up early in Detroit. 

 

 

Pregame

Isaac Haas, Purdue's 7-2 center and the Boilermakers second-leading scorer and rebounder won't be playing after suffering a fractured elbow in the first round. 

 

No. 11 Syracuse 55, No. 3 Michigan State 53

Syracuse has emerged from the First Four to reach the Sweet 16, where it will face Duke March 23. The Orangemen upset the Spartans to earn their third win in the NCAA Tournament after knocking off Arizona State and TCU. Tyus Battle led the way for Syracuse with 17 points followed by Oshae Brissett, who scored 15 to go along with nine rebounds and Frank Howard, who added 13 points. Cassius Winston had 15 points, tops for Michigan State. Spartans star sophomore forward Miles Bridges was held to 11 points on 4-for-18 shooting in what could be his final game as a pro. Freshman Jaren Jackson, who could be a lottery pick, was limited to two points. Syracuse's defense gave Michigan State fits all afternoon as the Spartans connected on 17 of 66 shot attempts (25.8 percent). 

0:49—Syracuse's Tyus Battle nails a stepback jumper over Josh Langford to give the Orangemen a 52-49 lead. Michigan State has missed its last nine shots and hasn't scored a field goal in more than five minutes. 

 

 

4:08—Syracuse's Bourama Sidibe adds a free throw as the Orangemen are in the midst of a 7-2 run and now lead 50-48. 

7:30—Miles Bridges tried to put his entire body in the rim on this flush to give the Spartans a 44-39 victory. 

 

 

Halftime 

An absolutely brutal watch for fans of made baskets, goes into the break on a high note when Michigan State's Matt McQuaid gets his shot blocked but catches the swatted ball in mid air and hoists up a high-arching 3-pointer that kisses off the glass into the basket to put the Spartans ahead 25-22 at the break. Syracuse held Michigan State to 8 of 28 (26.8 percent) shooting from the floor. The Orangemen have connected on 8 of 20 attempts (40 percent). No one is in double figure in scoring. 

First half 

8:33—Syracuse guard Frank Howard went hiiiiiiigh off the glass here. The Spartans and Orangemen are in the thick of a defensive struggle. That has to favor Syracuse. 

 

No. 7 Texas A&M 86, No. 2 North Carolina 65

Texas A&M steamrolled North Carolina and never looked like underdogs in a dominant 21-point win. The Aggies move on to face No. 3 Michigan in the Sweet 16. A&M took over the game by feeding the big men and Tyler Davis was a force, scoring 18 points to go along with his 9 rebounds. Joel Berry II led North Carolina with 21 points but aside from teammate Luke Maye (13 points), no other UNC player had more than 7 points.

Second half

08:12 --- The Aggies are all over North Carolina, getting inside at will. Texas A&M up 22.

 

 

Halftime 

Texas A&M looks more than capable of knocking off the defending national champions up 42-28 at the break. Aggies big men Tyler Davis (13 points, 7 rebounds) and Robert Williams (4 points, 7 rebounds) have combined for 17 points and 14 rebounds. Point guard Joel Berry has 11 points to lead the Tar Heels.

First half 

6:57—Texas A&M's DJ Hogg knocks down a jumper amid a 7-0 Aggie run to give his team a 28-20 lead. 

Texas A&M's Robert Williams is letting North Carolina know early it can't bring any weak stuff in the paint. 

 

 

No. 7 Nevada 75, No. 2 Cincinnati 73

Nevada completed an incredible comeback to shock Cincinnati, overturning a 22-point deficit with a stunning 16-0 run. The Wolf Pack’s first lead of the night came with nine seconds left as Josh Hall rose up to send them to the Sweet 16. Cody Martin led the way for Nevada with 25 points and 6 rebounds, while Jacob Evans was Cincinnati’s best, scoring 19 points and grabbing 7 boards.

Second half

00:09 --- Nevada has come roaring back and somehow leads 75-73. What an incredible comback.

 

 

06:07 --- Nevada is right back in this. The Wolf Pack reeled off a 16-0 run and are now down just eight points.

 

 

14:16 --- Cincinnati has this game well in hand, leading 59-42 and looking comfortable.

Halftime

Nevada has stopped Cincinnati from running away with it, but the Wolf Pack are still in complete control at the half, up 44-32.

First half

7:49 — Cincinnati is all over Nevada early, jumping out to a 31-18 lead. Jarron Cumberland has stepped up for the Bearcats with 13 points.

No. 5 Clemson 84, No. 4 Auburn 53 

This one was never close. Clemson barely broke into a sweat in moving past Auburn, going on a 41-9 run at one point. Gabe DeVoe did a bit of everything for Clemson, scoring 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting while dishing 5 assists and picking up 5 rebounds. Mustapha Heron led Clemson with 12 points but the 3-for-10 shooting line makes it clear that no-one in Auburn colors had a great night.

Second half

14:22 --- The second half has not brought any respite for Clemson. Auburn 58, Clemson 26.

 

 

Halftime

Auburn is putting an almighty beating on Clemson, up 43-19 at the break.

First half

11:40 --- Tight contest so far with Clemson up 15-13. Horace Spencer has made an early case for dunk of the game:

 

 

No. 9 Kansas State 50, No. 16 UMBC 43

UMBC took care of No. 1 Virginia in the first round but couldn’t follow that up with a win over Kansas State. Barry Brown led the Wildcats to their Sweet 16 berth with 18 points, despite an indifferent shooting night (5-for-13). Jairus Lyles, the Retrievers’ first round star, also struggled with his shot, finishing with 12 points (4-for-15). Overall UMBC hit just 29.8% of its shots.

Second half

03:06 --- A massive putback might just do it for Kansas State. Wildcats up 4 and looking like they'll hold on.

 

 

04:15 --- A Jairus Lyles triple pulled UMBC to within 4 but a Xavier Sneed steal and slam helped pull Kansas State out to a 5-point lead.

 

 

08:20 --- Neither team has been lighting it up, UMBC is shooting 30.6% and Kansas State isn't that much better on 35.3%. 1-point Wildcats lead.

13:56 --- UMBC is going to take this one all the way to the end. Max Curran drains a 3 to bring the Retrievers within a point.

 

 

Halftime

Kansas State is not falling apart against UMBC like No. 1 Virginia did in the first round. The Wildcats lead 25-20 at the half behind Barry Brown's 10 points. Jairus Lyles led UMBC with 28 points in its win over Virginia but has not had the same success tonight. He has 4 points on 2-for-8 shooting. 

First half

08:28 --- Both teams going punch for punch midway through the first half, 15-14 in Kansas State's favor.

 

No. 9 Florida State 75, No. 1 Xavier 70

This crazy March continues to claim highly-ranked teams. This time it was Xavier falling to an upset as Florida State claimed its first lead of the second half with just over a minute remaining. Florida State had five players score in double-digits, led by Braian Angola's 15. J.P. Macura impressed for Xavier with 17 points but the Seminoles' late push was enough to see them into the Sweet 16. 

Second half

01:07 --- Florida State is in front with a minute left, the Seminoles might just do this.

 

 

03:36 --- Heading into the final minutes and Florida State is determined to push Xavier all the way. Musketeers up 68-64.

12:14 --- Xavier is trying to pull away behind J.P. Macura's solid game. He has 14 points and Xavier is up 51-44.

Halftime

Florida State is hanging with Xavier, down by 2 through the first half. Florida State's Braian Angola (11) and Xavier's J.P. Macura (10) are the only two players in double-digits.

First half

10:19 --- Xavier are slowly starting to enforce themselves in this game. Kerem Kanter's beautiful Euro step is the best play so far.

 

 

No. 5 West Virginia 94, No. 13 Marshall 74

After a night of tight finishes and shocking results, West Virginia's comfortable win was a return to normalcy. Jevon Carter led the way for the Mountaineers with 28 points, including 5-for-7 from deep. Jon Elmore was on fire for Marshall in its first round win but he was unable to back up that performance, finishing with 15 points on 4-for-12 shooting. 

Second half

08:02 --- If you were staying up late hoping for some March drama, you can probably hit the hay. WVU leads it 77-50.

11:26 --- West Virginia's lead is rising, and so is Sagaba Konate. WVU up big, 69-43.

 

 

Halftime

SN's early prediction of a shootout hasn't exactly come to fruition, neither team is shooting above 40%. WVU leads it 42-25.

First half

03:54 --- West Virginia just took over the game with a 19-0 run, highlighted by this ridiculous Jevon Carter spin. WVU up by 10.

 

 

10:00 --- This one looks like it could be a shootout. Both teams have attempted seven three-pointers and WVU leads 23-20.

Blake Birt

Blake Birt is a digital content producer for DAZN News. He has worked in media communications the past five years, including as a social media manager, writer and editor. He is located in Sydney, Australia.