Hoops HD

HoopsHD continues its simulation of what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t).  Up next it is time to continue with the First and Second rounds of the NCAA Tournament with a look at the third of the four pods in the Midwest Region.  Michigan State, the preseason #1 team in the nation, entered the NCAA Tournament as the 3 seed in the Midwest and the clear favorite to advance to the Sweet 16.  However, the Spartans would have to first get past a tough North Dakota State team and then a possible matchup with Bob Huggins’ West Virginia team, should the Mountaineers be able to get past Utah State.  Who would get the Sweet 16 spot?  It is time to find out!

FIRST ROUND – MIDWEST REGION – CLEVELAND, OHIO

(6) West Virginia vs (11) Utah State

Bob Huggins’ West Virginia Mountaineers had a roller-coaster ride of a season, losing a handful of games that they simply should not have lost, while at the same time capturing several noteworthy wins including a late-season home win over Baylor.  Their first round opponent was the automatic bid-winner out of the Mountain West, Utah State.  The Aggies seemed destined for a stressful Selection Sunday until they pulled off the huge upset of San Diego State in the Mountain West title game to capture the automatic bid.  That one win both locked them into the Big Dance and solidified them as a serious threat to win once they got there.

Utah State came out strong in the first half of this game, building an early 6 point lead.  From there, the game was back-and-forth until the halftime buzzer sounded, and the teams went to their lockerrooms with the Aggies on top 35-33.  The second half appeared to have the teams set for a great finish, as they traded shots back and forth.  A Jordan McCabe 3-pointer with 5 minutes left to play gave the Mountaineers a 67-65 lead, however, that they would not relinquish the rest of the way.  A combination of solid free throw shooting and strong defense allowed West Virginia to dominate the final five minutes of play and walk off the court with a 78-67 win.  Oscar Tshiebwe had a double-double for the winners, scoring 13 points and pulling down 15 rebounds.

Final Score: (6) West Virginia 78, (11) Utah State 67

(3) Michigan State vs (14) North Dakota State

The Michigan State Spartans had started the season ranked #1 in the nation and as the odds-on favorite to win the national championship.  Finishing in a tie for the Big Ten regular season championship, advancing to the Big Ten Tournament title game and winning 24 games overall can hardly be looked at as a disappointing season, but 10 losses heading into the Big Dance were quite a few more than Spartans’ fans had expected.  However, the slate is wiped clean in the NCAA Tournament, and Michigan State was the same six wins away from cutting down the nets as everyone else in the Round of 64.  Their first opponent was the Summit League regular season and tournament champion North Dakota State Bison, appearing in their fourth NCAA Tournament in the last seven years.

Michigan State may have had the most talent on the court, but the Bison came ready to play in this game, hanging tough with Sparty for the entire first half and heading to the break only down by 4 points.  The second half started with warning bells going off throughout the state of Michigan as NDSU was able to tie the game at 46 six minutes in on a Tyson Ward jumper.  Coach Izzo quickly called timeout in an attempt to get his players to regroup, and that is exactly what they did.  A quick 8-0 run put the Spartans up 54-46, and they never let the Bison make another serious run the rest of the way.  When the dust settled, Michigan State had won 77-64, led by 24 points from Cassius Winston and 15 from Xavier Tillman.  The Bison’s season was over, and the Spartans were looking forward to a second round game against West Virginia.

Final Score: (3) Michigan State 77, (14) North Dakota State 64

SECOND ROUND – MIDWEST REGION – CLEVELAND, OHIO

(3) Michigan State vs (6) West Virginia

Another great coaching matchup was in store in the second round in Cleveland as Bob Huggins’ West Virginia Mountaineers were matched up against Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans.  Despite Michigan State being the clear favorite on paper, going up against “Press Virginia” is never an easy task for any team, making the spot in the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis far from being a lock.

The first half of the game was a defensive struggle, with West Virginia controlling the pace early and eventually opening an 11 point lead at 27-16.  The Spartans fought back, however, with Cassius Winston leading his team, finishing the first half on a 23-5 run and taking a 7-point lead  at the break.  The second half saw the Mountaineers regain the lead early again, but Sparty had an answer every time.  A basket by Rocket Watts opened up the Michigan State lead to 7 points late, and key free throw shooting down the stretch locked up the win and the berth in the Sweet 16.  Xavier Tillman’s double-double led the Spartans, who had an 86-82 win and a trip booked to Indianapolis for the Midwest Regional.

Final Score: (3) Michigan State 86, (5) West Virginia 82

HoopsHD continues its simulation of what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t).  Up next it is time to continue with the First and Second rounds of the NCAA Tournament with a look at the second of the four pods in the Midwest Region.  This pod was being played in Sacramento, California, though it featured a huge matchup of two teams from the State of Ohio – Xavier and Ohio State.  Those two teams, together with Louisville and New Mexico State, were looking to advance to the Sweet 16 and a chance to take on 1-seed Baylor.

FIRST ROUND – MIDWEST REGION – SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

(5) Ohio State vs (12) Xavier

Following their five point win over Richmond in the First Four, the Xavier Musketeers had set up a classic all-Ohio battle between themselves and 5-seed Ohio State.  Naturally this game was being played in . . . Sacramento.  Despite both teams having to travel across the country, the Musketeers and Buckeyes both knew that bragging rights within the state where on the line in this game.  Xavier had limped into the NCAA Tournament before winning their First Four game, while Ohio State had been a force throughout the Big Ten season, even if they only finished in a tie for 5^th place.

The Musketeers were out to prove that just because a team struggles late in the regular season does not mean they cannot win in the postseason.  Xavier jumped out early and built a six point lead by the halftime break.  The second half saw Ohio State fight back to tie the game at 41 early, but the Buckeyes could not take the lead.  Instead, it was Xavier again surging out to an even bigger lead and eventually winning the game going away, by a final score of 77-62.  Paul Scruggs led the way for Xavier with 19 points, while both Naji Marshall and Tyrique Jones both notched double-doubles.

Final Score: (12) Xavier 77, (5) Ohio State 62

(4) Louisville vs (13) New Mexico State

The South Region had already produced as 12 vs 13 second round matchup.  In the second game of the day in Sacramento, New Mexico State was out to create a second one in the Midwest and advance to take on Xavier.  The Aggies had been perfect in the WAC this season, going undefeated against conference foes in the regular season and winning the conference tournament.  Their opponent, however, was not a WAC team.  Louisville had been one of the top teams in the ACC all season, and the Cardinals entered this game looking to prove that they were worthy of being counted among the list of teams with a legitimate shot at cutting down the nets in Atlanta.

The Louisville Cardinals felt they had something to prove, and prove it they did in this game.  New Mexico State kept the score close for about the first 12 minutes, but then the Cardinals turned it on and did not bother turning it back off again the rest of the night.  Louisville led 42-28 at halftime a cruised home for a 75-60 win and a date with Xavier in the Round of 32.  Jordan Nwora led the way with 23 points in the win, while Dwayne Sutton had a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards.

Final Score: (4) Louisville 75, (13) New Mexico State 60

SECOND ROUND – MIDWEST REGION – SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

(4) Louisville vs (12) Xavier

Louisville had come out like a team on a mission in their first round game against New Mexico State.  The Cardinals were now looking to eliminate the Big East’s Xavier Musketeers and advance to a Sweet 16 matchup with top-seed Baylor.  Xavier, however, seemed to be on a mission of their own.  After barely sneaking into the NCAA Tournament as one of the very last at-large teams selected, the Musketeers had already knocked off Richmond in the First Four and upended in-state foe Ohio State in the Round of 64.

The Louisville Cardinals once again showed up ready to take care of business in this game, jumping out to a very quick 17-4 lead.  Xavier tried to fight back, but was only able to cut the lead to 10 points at the halftime break.  The second half saw Louisville counter every run that the Musketeers made, including their final late push to pull within a point with 4:27 left to play.  A Jordan Nwora 3 on the very next possession extended the lead again, and Xavier seemed to simply run out of gas.  Louisville won by a final score of 78-69 led by Nwora’s double-double and 17 points off the bench from Malik Williams.  The Cardinals were off to the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis, while the Musketeers were heading home with their season having come to an end.

Final Score: (4) Louisville 78, (12) Xavier 69

HoopsHD continues its simulation of what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t).  Up next it is time to continue with the First and Second rounds of the NCAA Tournament with a look at the first of the four pods in the Midwest Region.  Baylor was the #1 seed in the Midwest and #2 overall team entering the Big Dance.  Their potential journey towards the Final Four was beginning in Omaha with a game against 16-seed Texas Southern.  After that, an always-exciting 8 vs 9 game between Colorado and Houston is in store.  Time to find out what would have happened!

FIRST ROUND – MIDWEST REGION – OMAHA, NEBRASKA

(1) Baylor vs (16) Texas Southern

The Baylor Bears had an amazing season in 2019-20, winning 29 games, finishing in second place in the Big 12, and capturing the Big 12 Tournament title.  The Bears entered the NCAA Tournament as the #2 overall ranked team and captured the 1-seed in the Midwest Region.  Their quest for a spot in the Final Four in Atlanta began with a game against 16-seed Texas Southern.  The SWAC champion Tigers had knocked off North Carolina A&T in the First Four by 19 points.

The Tigers played a strong game against Baylor, staying within 8 points at halftime.  Justin Hopkins led the way for head coach Johnny Jones’ team with 20 points in the game.  However, that was simply not enough to upend the Bears.  Jared Butler scored 20, MaCio Teague had a dozen and Davion Mitchell added 11 points to lead Baylor to an 83-67 win and a spot in the Round of 32.  For Texas Southern, it was time to head home and celebrate a SWAC tournament title and a First Four win.  For Baylor, it was time to scout the 8 vs 9 game between Colorado and Houston and prepare for their next opponent.

Final Score: (1) Baylor 83, (16) Texas Southern 67

(8) Colorado vs (9) Houston

The Baylor Bears were waiting for one of two potential ex-conference rivals in the Round of 32.  The Pac-12’s Colorado Buffaloes had formerly been in the Big 12 with Baylor, while the American’s Houston Cougars were old Southwest Conference rivals.  Colorado had, at times, looked like the best team in the Pac-12 this season, but had apparently fallen apart down the stretch and entered the NCAA Tournament on a five game losing streak.  Houston had looked like they would run away with the AAC several times this season, but kept finding ways to fall back to the pack, and ended in a three-way tie for the league’s regular season crown.

Colorado’s late-season struggles carried over to the start of this game, as Houston jumped out early and built a 47-38 halftime lead.  The Buffs fought back hard in the second half, taking the lead by the first media timeout and eventually pulling ahead by as many as 7 points.  Houston was not done either though, and an 18-3 run put the Cougars up for good.  A Colorado 3 at the buzzer made the final score, 77-72, look closer than it really was.  Marcus Sasser led the way for Houston with 18 points, and a date was set for a second round matchup between a pair of former Southwest Conference members – Houston would get their shot at 1-seed Baylor.

Final Score: (9) Houston 77, (8) Colorado 72

SECOND ROUND – MIDWEST REGION – OMAHA, NEBRASKA

(1) Baylor vs (9) Houston

Two old rivals would meet in Omaha with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line.  Baylor, the 1-seed, entered the game on a roll, having bounced back from a late-season slump to win the Big 12 Tournament and roll over Texas Southern in the Round of 64.  Houston had taken care of Colorado in their first game of the NCAA Tournament and head coach Kelvin Sampson now had his eyes set on an upset win and a trip to Indianapolis next week.

The Baylor Bears came ready for business in this game.  They jumped on Houston early, building a 13-point lead midway through the first period.  Houston was able to trim that lead down to 7 at the break.  The Cougars came out strong in the second half as well, and with 14:30 left to play took a 55-54 lead over the Bears.  Apparently, Baylor did not take kindly to seeing Houston in front, as they stormed back, dominating the majority of the remainder of the game.  A few baskets late cut a 14-point lead down to 9, but that was more than enough for Baylor to get the win and earn a trip to the Midwest Regional in Indianapolis.  Jared Butler was the top scorer in the game with 25 points, as he and his Baylor teammates secured the 88-79 win.

Final Score: (1) Baylor 88, (9) Houston 79

HoopsHD continues its simulation of what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t).  Up next it is time to continue with the First and Second rounds of the NCAA Tournament with a look at the fourth and final of the four pods in the South Region.  These games were to be played in Albany, New York and featured an always entertaining 7 vs 10 matchup between Illinois and Oklahoma, followed by 2-seed Villanova taking on 15-seed Georgia Southern.  Who would have advanced to the Sweet 16 from this pod?  It is time to find out!

FIRST ROUND – SOUTH REGION – ALBANY, NEW YORK

(7) Illinois vs (10) Oklahoma

The final first and second round pod in the South Region was being played in Albany, New York, and started with the Big Ten’s 7-seed Illinois taking on the Big 12’s 10-seed Oklahoma.  Brad Underwood’s Illini surprised this season with a 4^th place finish in the tough Big Ten, winning 21 games overall heading into the Big Dance.  The Oklahoma Sooners were one of four teams to finish 9-9 in Big 12 play but needed a few key late-season wins, including one over Texas Tech, to lock up their spot in the Tournament.

A 7 vs 10 matchup always has a chance to be a great game that comes down to the final minutes, and this one was no exception.  Illinois grabbed the early lead and held a 47-43 advantage at the halftime break.  The Sooners stormed back early in the second and eventually opened up at 10 point lead at 67-57, about halfway through the period.  A 13-3 Illini run knotted the game at 72.  From there, it was back-and-forth the rest of the way.  Kofi Cockburn’s layup with a minute left gave Illinois a 3-point edge.  Oklahoma then had four different chances to tie the game, thanks in part to poor free throw shooting by the Illini, but could not get the ball through the net.  Illinois won, 83-80, behind 17 points each from Cockburn and Trent Frazier.

Final Score: (7) Illinois 73, (10) Oklahoma 70

(2) Villanova vs (15) Georgia Southern

The Villanova Wildcats won the national championship in both 2016 and 2018.  This season, they looked to continue their every-other-year streak by taking home the 2020 championship as well.  The path to a title would begin with a matchup against the automatic bid winners from the Sun Belt, the Georgia Southern Eagles.  Georgia Southern was in the Big Dance for only the fourth time ever and the first since 1992.  Although the Eagles entered the tournament with 22 victories under their belts, it would take a huge upset for them to defeat Villanova in this game.

15 seeds had knocked off 2 seeds before, though these types of upsets were rare indeed.  This was the South Region, however — a region that had already seen its 4, 5 and 6 seeds all go down in the first round.  So adding the 2 seed to that list should not have come as too much of a shock, and seemed to be a reality when the Eagles came out on fire building a 43-28 halftime lead.  Villanova knew how to win games, however, and came out with guns blazing in the second half.  With just over 5 minutes left to play, the Eagles’ lead was down to 6.  However, Georgia Southern was not done yet.  Back-to-back jumpers from Isaiah Crawley extended the lead to 10.  Villanova tried to make one last run, but the Wildcats simply ran out of time, and the biggest upset of the tournament so far was in the books — 2-seed Villanova was gone and Georgia Southern was moving on.

Final Score: (15) Georgia Southern 82, (2) Villanova 75

SOUTH REGION – SECOND ROUND – ALBANY, NEW YORK

(7) Illinois vs (15) Georgia Southern

Only once since the field has expanded to 64 or more teams had a 15 seed advanced to the second weekend and the Sweet 16.  The Georgia Southern Eagles, following their amazing upset of Villanova, had a chance to join Florida Gulf Coast on that very short list.  To get there, however, the Eagles would have to defeat the Brad Underwood’s Illini, a team that had shown a ton of heart in their first round win over Oklahoma.

Given how the first two rounds had played out so far in the South Region, another upset win would not have been a shock.  In fact, Georgia Southern was right there in striking distance, trailing by only 6 points at the halftime break.  The Illini tried to pull away several times, but the Eagles kept responding, pulling the score to 62-60 with just under 6 minutes left to play.  Illinois did not let up, and with one final strong push and some key free throw shooting, the Illini notched the victory and punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 by a final score of 79-70.  Kofi Cockburn led the way with 17 points and 10 boards for the victors.

Final Score: (7) Illinois 79, (15) Georgia Southern 70

HoopsHD continues its simulation of what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t).  Up next it is time to continue with the First and Second rounds of the NCAA Tournament with a look at the third of four pods in the South Region.  St. Louis, Missouri was the site for the 6 vs 11 game between Michigan and Wichita State followed by the 3 vs 14 game between Kentucky and Western Kentucky.  The Kentucky Wildcats were the top seed in this pod, but would they be able to win it and advance to the Sweet 16?  It is time to find out!

FIRST ROUND – SOUTH REGION – ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

(6) Michigan vs (11) Wichita State

The Michigan Wolverines were one of only two teams to defeat the Gonzaga Bulldogs this season, and early in the year looked like they might be one of the top teams in the entire nation.  Although they did come back down to earth, the Wolverines still finished the year 20-13 overall and had more than their share of quality wins.  Michigan’s first round opponent was the American Athletic Conference’s automatic bid winner, Wichita State.  The Shockers had an up-and-down year themselves, and might have been on the bubble for an at-large bid had they not locked themselves in with an automatic one.

The first half of the game was close the entire way, with Wichita State taking a narrow 4-point lead into the halftime break.  The Shockers came out in the second half on a 16-5 run to build a 15 point lead 9 minutes into the period.  Michigan was not done, however, and the Wolverines fought back to trim the lead to only 5 points with just under 2 minutes left to play.  That was not enough though, as Wichita State made their free throws down the stretch and the Michigan season was over, falling by a final score of 77-68.  Dexter Dennis scored 19 for Wichita while teammate Jaime Echenique has 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Final Score: (11) Wichita State 77, (6) Michigan 68

(3) Kentucky vs (14) Western Kentucky

Head coach John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats entered the NCAA Tournament with clearly enough talent to win the entire thing.  However, this team had been quite perplexing all season, including suffering an extremely ugly home loss to Evansville early in the season, and dropping three other games to non-Tournament teams (Tennessee, Utah and South Carolina).  On the other hand, the Wildcats had wins over Michigan State, Louisville, LSU, Florida and more.  Their journey through the 2020 Tournament would begin with Conference USA’a tournament champion, Western Kentucky.  The Hilltoppers had been the preseason favorite to win CUSA, but when Charles Bassey went out for the year in December, their title hopes seemed to be dashed.  A run through the conference tournament, however, put WKU into the Big Dance and gave them a shot against an in-state foe and one of the top teams in the nation.

With several major upsets already in the books in the South Region by the likes of Belmont, Liberty and Wichita State, the question heading into this game was whether or not Western Kentucky could pull one off as well.  The answer, quite simply, was no.  Kentucky came ready to play, building a 12-point halftime lead and rolling to an 87-61 win and a spot in the Round of 32.  Immanuel Quickley was close to unstoppable in this game, scoring 29 points to lead the Wildcats to a second round matchup with Wichita State.

Final Score: (3) Kentucky 81, (14) Western Kentucky 67

SECOND ROUND – SOUTH REGION – ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

(3) Kentucky vs (11) Wichita State

John Calipari versus Gregg Marshall.  Kentucky versus Wichita State.  The regular season SEC champions were taking on the tournament champions from the AAC in St. Louis with a berth in the Sweet 16 in Houston on the line.  Although Kentucky was clearly the favorite, especially after their strong performance in the first round against Western Kentucky, it was by no means a lock that the Wildcats would get past a tough Shockers team.

The Kentucky Wildcats had spent the season playing at times like superstars and at other times like they had no idea what the game was even about.  Although the team that had beaten the like of Michigan State and Louisville had shown up for the first round against Western Kentucky, the team that lost to Evansville apparently showed up for the second round game.  Wichita State was dominant the entire first half jumping out 26-13 early and cruising to a 49-29 halftime lead.  Although Kentucky played the second half almost even with the Shockers, the Wildcats did not do anything close to what was needed to erase a 20-point deficit.  Wichita State had another upset win in their pockets, with Jaime Echenique’s 19 points leading the Shockers to an 81-60 win and a spot in the Sweet 16.

Final Score: (11) Wichita State 81, (3) Kentucky 60

HoopsHD continues its simulation of what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t).  Up next it is time to continue with the First and Second rounds of the NCAA Tournament with a look at the second of four pods in the South Region. Tampa, Florida was the site of games involving two of the more popular Cinderella picks in the field as 12-seed Liberty had a shot at 5-seed Auburn and 13-seed Belmont was matched up with a red-hot 4-seed Wisconsin team that had just won the Big Ten Tournament.  Would the seeds hold or could a major upset be in store?  It is time to find out!

FIRST ROUND – SOUTH REGION – TAMPA, FLORIDA

(5) Auburn vs (12) Liberty

The Auburn Tigers entered the Tournament with 27 wins, the most of any SEC team.  Yet the lack of a single road win against an NCAA Tournament team had many questioning just how good this team was this season.  Their first round opponent was a tough Liberty team that had the majority of its roster back from a team that had upset another SEC team, Mississippi State, in last year’s tournament.  This matchup clearly had all the ingredients for a classic 5-12 first round upset.

Sometimes games that appear prime for an upset on paper play out nothing like that in reality.  Other times, they turn out exactly how predicted.  Today’s Auburn-Liberty game was clearly the later as the Flames put together a 15-5 run to end the first half and turn a 4-point lead into a 48-34 advantage at the break.  The Tigers didn’t even seem to show up for the second half of the game, and Liberty rolled to a fairly easy 90-63 upset win and a return to the Round of 32.  Caleb Homesley led the way for the Flames with 28 points in the victory.

Final Score: (12) Liberty 90, (5) Auburn 63

(4) Wisconsin vs (13) Belmont

One of the hottest teams entering the NCAA Tournament was the Wisconsin Badgers.  The Badgers, early in the season, looked like a team that might not even make the NCAA Tournament.  By the end of the year, they had captured a share of the Big Ten regular season title and followed that up with a Big Ten Tournament championship, landing them all the way up on the 4-seed line in the Big Dance.  The Badgers’ first round opponent was the champions of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Belmont Bruins.  Belmont had similarly come from a few games back in their conference standings to capture a share of the OVC regular season title and followed that up with a conference tournament title.  The Bruins certainly had the heart to win this game – but they would need more than just that to pull off the upset.

Belmont came out early and showed that they were not afraid of Wisconsin.  The Bruins played tough and were able to build a 7-point lead halfway through the first period.  However, Wisconsin fought back and, when halftime came, it was down to a one-point Belmont lead, 39-38.  The second half was close the whole way, with neither team building a lead larger than five.  With the upset in their sights and a minute left to play, Belmont was up 71-67.  A Nate Reuvers jumper cut the lead to 2, and after a defensive stand by Wisconsin, Aleem Ford nailed a shot to tie the game at 71.  Nick Muszynski’s attempt to win the game at the buzzer for Belmont missed long, and the game went into overtime.  Belmont’s defense proved to be the difference in the extra 5 minutes, holding Wisconsin to only 5 points and getting some key free throw shooting together with a clutch 3-pointer from Tyler Scanlon.  The overtime upset shocker was in the books, 81-76.  Nick Muszynski was the standout star of the game, scoring 22 points for the OVC champions and leading his team to an unlikely 12 vs 13 second round game against Liberty.

Final Score: (13) Belmont 81, (4) Wisconsin 76 (OT)

SECOND ROUND – SOUTH REGION – TAMPA, FLORIDA

(12) Liberty vs (13) Belmont

A double-digit seed was bound for the Sweet 16 when Atlantic Sun champion and 12-seed Liberty took on Ohio Valley champion and 13-seed Belmont in the South Region second round in Tampa, Florida.  The winner of this game would be off to the South Regional semifinals in Houston and a date with the tournament’s top-seed, Kansas.  Before either team got to think of taking their shot at the top dog, however, they had to get past each other.

The game started out about as close as possible, with each team trading baskets and neither school opening a lead of more than 4 points in the entire first half.  Liberty held a narrow 41-40 advantage at the break, and it looked like we were going to be in for another amazing finish.  A 7-0 run for the Flames to open the second half proved to be the key, as the Flames built out their lead and never let Belmont make any serious run the rest of the way.  The final score was 85-61 Liberty, with Elijah Cuffee’s 18 points and Caleb Homesley’s 17 leading the Flames to the Sweet 16.  Belmont’s Cinderella run was over, but Liberty was moving on for a shot at the nation’s #1 team.

Final Score: (12) Liberty 81, (13) Belmont 65