Day one of NCAA Tournament action in Greenville is now in the books and teams of local interest are set to take the floor, Friday night. Four games were on the slate Thursday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena or "The Well", as it's known locally.
9 seed TCU clipped Ohio State 66-64 with a bucket in the paint in the closing seconds. TCU Coach Jamie Dixon is making his 16th career appearance in the "Big Dance" dating back to his time as the Head Coach at Pitt. Dixon is in his 10th season at TCU and this is their 5th NCAA Tournament appearance in his tenure. He has yet to make a Final Four, which is really the missing piece to Dixon's career accomplishments.
#1 seed Duke struggled especially on the defensive end,16 seed Siena led by Head Coach Gerry McNamara was able to get going offensively with 43 1st half points. In the second half Duke locked in on the defensive end holding Siena to just 22 points after the break. The Blue Devils struggled mightily shooting the ball from deep. They were a collective 5 of 26 from three-point range. Duke and TCU will meet at "The Well" on Saturday. That game is set for a 5:15 tip off.
In Thursday's night session in Greenville, 6 seed North Carolina was knocked off by 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth. VCU was down as many as 19 in the game, but had a furious late comeback to win it 82-78 in OT. Terrence Hill Jr. was unstoppable off the bench for VCU. North Carolina couldn't contain him, as he drove to the basket time after time late in the game. Hill poured in a game high 34 points to led the charge in VCU's upset win.
In the nightcap, 3 seed Illinois destroyed 14 seed Penn 105-70. Illinois had 5 players in double figures on the night, as a team they had 20 offensive rebounds. The Illini dominated down low with over 40 points in the paint. Freshman David Mirkovic had a monster performance with game highs in points and rebounds after putting up 29 points and pulling down 17 rebounds. Projected NBA lotto pick and fellow Freshman Keaton Wagler had 18 points and 7 assists. Illinois meets VCU at "The Well" on Saturday, that game set for a 7:50 tipoff.
Local college programs will be in action on Friday night. Clemson is an 8 seed they travel to Tampa to tangle with 9 seed Iowa. The Hawkeyes are led by Bennett Stirtz, a tough veteran guard with a knack for scoring. Stirtz is really crafty and skilled and is averaging 20 points per game. Iowa also likes to put pressure on teams defensively and force turnovers. However, if they don't force turnovers they have had trouble guarding the paint. Iowa allows opponents to shoot a really high percentage from inside the 3 point line. We will see of Clemson protects the ball and tries to pound it in the paint to combat Iowa's style. Clemson and Iowa are slate to tip off just before 7PM, Friday.
In the late game, Furman will hope for some March magic as they look for a "David" like upset of a college hoops colossus. The 15 seed Paladins are in Philadelphia and will take on perennial powerhouse in 2 seed, Uconn. The Huskies have won two National Titles under Coach Dan Hurley. That game is set for a 10PM tipoff, Friday night. Can the Paladins shock the world? Find out tonight, as you can hear all the action of that game on The Fan Upstate.
Duke overcomes slow start, UNC knocked off, Clemson and Furman in action Friday
