No. 1 seed SC cruises to 90-50 opening NCAA win

A’ja Wilson scored 21 points, including the put back that gave SC the lead for good and the free throws that sealed it, to help the No. 1 seed Gamecocks beat eight-seed Arizona State 71-68 in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday night. This time, their attempt at a tying 3 never had a chance. “I don’t think it really hit me yet”, said SC sophomore guard PJ Dozier. The Blue Devils had little trouble in their opening game, pounding Troy 87-65 and picking up where they left off in last week’s run through the ACC tournament. The Jayhawks head to the Midwest Region final in Kansas City as the top seed and will be favored – by seed – to reach the Final Four.

If you think Mike Krzyzewski and his players looked chagrined on the Greenville sideline, imagine the grimaces of the Garden’s executives.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t win tonight”.

Arkansas whipped Seton Hall 77-71 while SC downed Marquette 93-73 in opening round games. I think it’s starting to scratch the surface, when you talk about recruiting, the coaches that are in place. “I just thought the consistency was off, if they’re going to call it that tight, then call it even in such a big game”. Against Duke, they won the glass with most of the effort coming on the offensive side of the court.

Duke started the season the favorite to win the national championship. SC will play Baylor on Friday in NY in the Sweet 16.

So, who’s got the inside look to win the tournament?

Duke’s 88-81 loss Sunday night that demolished everyone’s brackets has been blamed on a myriad of reasons – the hatred Duke has mustered from other teams, the number of turnovers by the Blue Devils, guard Luke Kennard’s less-than-stellar performance, and more. Washington fired Lorenzo Romar which makes sense given the bad record Washington has had in recent years, but with so many top recruits verbally committing to Washington for next year, does it really make a lot of sense to send him packing and potentially lose these recruits?

“It’s another game for us”, Allen said. They got back on track in a 91-73 win over New Mexico State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and appear to be rolling now.

That advantage quickly dissipated, as South Carolina’s Wilson converted a lay-up and the Gamecocks moved back within three thanks to Bianca Cuevas-Moore’s three-pointer.

“It’s nothing that we weren’t able to accomplish, it’s what they were able to accomplish and what they stopped us from doing”. Both programs have enjoyed moderate success in recent years, but they faced two true blue bloods in No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Duke, respectively.

The crowd was left on the edge of their seats, as SC was up by three with two seconds remaining.

Kennard eventually fouled out, one of three Duke players, including Jones and freshman wing Jayson Tatum, to do so. Baylor held a 10-point lead late in the 1st half, however, needed a 11-5 run late in the game to hold off the Trojans after USC stormed back to tie the game with just 5:13 remaining. He maintained that he felt welcomed in SC. “That’s what we play for”, said coach Staley.

“We’ve been playing at neutral sites”, Arkansas senior guard Manuale Watkins said.

And with their season on the line, the Blue Devils had no answer as the Gamecocks found a rhythm.

With the flurry of distractions, Duke rarely had consistency.