The first night of the 2021 edition of men’s college basketball’s most celebrated postseason tournament tipped off Thursday night, with four play-in round games that all came down to the wire.
No. 16 - Texas Southern vs. No. 16 - Mount St. Mary’s
FINAL: 60-52 - Texas Southern
A matchup of No. 16 seeds started the evening off, as Texas Southern bested Mount St. Mary’s, 60-52.
Trailing 30-20 at halftime, Texas Southern out-scored Mount St. Mary’s by 18 points in the second half, going on a 21-12 run over the final 10 minutes to close out the win. John Walker III led Texas Southern in scoring and rebounding, finishing with 19 points and nine boards.
The No. 16 seed will take on No. 1 seed Michigan in the first round on Saturday, March 20, at 3 p.m. ET.
No. 11 - Drake vs. No. 11 - Wichita State
FINAL: 53-52 - Drake
No. 11 seed Drake defeated No. 11 seed Wichita State, 53-52, in an absolute thriller, to earn the school’s first tournament victory in 50 years. Down by as much as 12 points in the second half, Drake took its largest lead of the game, a 51-47 advantage, with 1:05 to play on a basket from Darnell Brodie.
Wichita State’s Dexter Dennis knocked-down a three-pointer with 10 seconds left, cutting the score to 53-52. Wichita State had a great chance to win the game at the buzzer following a missed free throw from Drake’s Joseph Yesufu. Alterique Gilbert’s three-point attempt in the final seconds bounced off the front of the rim, inches short of giving Wichita State the shocking win.
Yesufu led Drake in scoring with 21 points, finishing 8-for-21 from the floor and 3-for-9 from three-point range. Wichita State’s Morris Udeze finished with a game-high 22 points.
Drake is now slated to face No. 6 seed Southern California in the first round on Saturday, March 20, at 4:30 p.m. ET.
No. 16 - Norfolk State vs. No. 16 - Appalachian State
FINAL: 54-53 - Norfolk State
The third game of the evening also came down to a final shot at the buzzer. No. 16 Norfolk State out-scored No. 16 Appalachian State 17-5 over the final 9:48 of the first half, allowing the former to take a 36-20 lead into the locker room.
Appalachian State came roaring back in the second half, going on a 16-0 run over the course of 5:26 and holding a 51-45 lead with under six minutes to play.
Norfolk state responded with a 7-0 run of its own, pulling ahead, 52-51, with 3:08 left on a J.J. Matthews jumper.
Still ahead by one point, Matthews fouled Appalachian State’s Adrian Delph with 1:03 to play. Delph knocked down a pair of free throws to put Appalachian State in front, 53-52.
Norfolk State’s Devante Carter was sent to the free throw line after being fouled by Appalachian State’s Justin Forrest with 0:10 on the clock. Carter hit both of his shots from the charity stripe, giving Norfolk State the 54-53 lead.
Appalachian State managed to get two good shots off in the final seconds. Forrest got a clean look after grabbing a rebound off a missed three-pointer from Michael Almonacy, but his jumper fell short as well.
Norfolk State’s first round opponent will be undefeated Gonzaga, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed. That game will tip off on Saturday, March 20, at 9:20 p.m. ET.
No. 11 - UCLA vs. No. 11 - Michigan State
FINAL: 86-80 (OT) - UCLA
In the nightcap, No. 11 seed UCLA outlasted No. 11 seed Michigan State in an absolute barnburner, winning in overtime, 86-80.
Down by as much as 14 points in the first half, UCLA battled back, taking its first lead of the game with 5:48 left in regulation, a 67-66 advantage.
Michigan State pulled back in front and held a 75-70 lead with less than three minutes left in the second half. UCLA closed the period with a 7-2 run, tying the score at 77-77 through 40 minutes of play.
After drawing a foul on a made lay-up, UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. made a free throw to tie the game at 77-77 with 0:29 on the clock. Michigan State’s Aaron Henry had a chance in the final seconds to put his team in front, but the shot fell short. UCLA got a nice look at a buzzer beater from half court as time expired, but that heave rimmed-out.
UCLA ended the second half on a 5-0 run, and that momentum carried over into overtime. UCLA scored the first four points of overtime and out-scored Michigan State 9-3 in the extra period.
Jaquez Jr. finished with a career-high 27 points to lead all scorers. Jaquez’s teammate, Johnny Juzang, dropped the second-most points for UCLA, finishing with 23.
UCLA will face No. 6 seed Brigham Young University in the first round on Saturday, March 20, at 9:40 p.m. ET.
Tournament action continues on Friday, March 19, with the first of 16 first round games tipping off at 12:15 p.m. ET; and the final matchup on the slate scheduled to start at 9:57 p.m. ET. Coverage of on Friday of the men’s college basketball championships will be available on ESPN 1520 starting at 12 p.m. ET.
