After slamming Drexel by nearly 30 points in the first round, Illinois is moving on to face Loyola in the second round. After taking the Big Ten title last Sunday, the Fighting Illini are on their way to take home the NCAA tournament title. Tune in to today’s game against Loyola at 10 A.M. on Full Service 100.1 FM WJBD.
Also happening in the NCAA March Madness Torunament:
— Corey Kispert scored 15 of his 23 points by halftime on 3-pointers and No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga rolled past Norfolk State, 98-55. Kispert had made 8 of 12 shots and 6 of 9 3-pointers to lead an attack that shot 55.7%, including 14 of 27 from behind the arc. Anton Watson had 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting for the 27-0 Bulldogs, who shook off a slow few opening minutes.
— Mike Smith scored 18 points and Hunter Dickinson added 16 as top seed Michigan rolled to an 82-66 rout of Texas Southern. The Wolverines never trailed in building a lead that reached 24 early in the second half. Eli Brooks and Brandon Johns Jr. had 11 points apiece for the Wolverines, who won with ease as they continue to playing without injured forward Isaiah Livers.
— Rick Pitino’s latest trip to the tournament was short as Iona was beaten by second seed Alabama, 68-55. Herb Jones led Alabama with 20 points, including a steal and layup that highlighted an 11-0 run and gave the Crimson Tide breathing room at 54-46. Jahvon Qujinerly (KWIHN’-ur-lee) furnished 11 points off the bench for the Tide, while Jaden Shackelford and John Petty added 10 apiece.
— No. 2 Iowa got 24 points from Luka Garza and avoided the early exit with an 86-74 victory over Grand Canyon. Joe Wieskamp (WEES’-kamp) added 16 points and helped the Hawkeyes shoot 54%, including 10 of 22 from 3-point range. Iowa made six 3s and hit 16 of 29 shots to stretch the lead to 42-31 at halftime.
— Christian Bishop made both ends of a one-and-one with 16 seconds left to give fifth-seeded Creighton the lead in a 63-62 downing of UC Santa Barbara. Marcus Zegarowski scored 17 to lead the Bluejays and Bishop had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Amadou Sow committed the foul that sent Bishop to the line, and he missed an attempt at the rim before time expired.
— Fifth seed Colorado nailed 11 3-pointers in the first half of a 96-73 rout of Georgetown, ending the Hoyas’ surprising postseason run. Freshman Jabari Walker had a career-high 24 points to lead the Buffaloes, which went 16 for 25 from long range and had 27 assists. D’Shawn Schwartz had 18 points and made four of his five 3s in the first half to put Colorado into cruise control.
— Raiquan Gray provided 17 points as No. 4 Florida State held off UNC Greensboro, 64-54. The Seminoles went 0 for 9 from 3-point range, winning a game without a made 3 for the first time since February 2018. Balsa Koprivica (koh-prah-VEET’-sah) had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Noles, who led just 51-50 with 4:52 to play.
— Freshman Cameron Thomas contributed 27 points and his LSU teammates provided the rebounding muscle in defeating St. Bonaventure, 76-61. Darius Days and Aundre Hyatt each had 13 points and Trendon Watford had 11. Days and Watford also had 11 rebounds each while Hyatt grabbed 10 in the Tigers’ fifth win in six games.
— Johnny Juzang poured in 27 points and Jules Bernard provided a big second-half lift for No. 11 UCLA in a 73-62 victory against sixth-seeded BYU. Juzang followed up his 23-point performance in the First Four round by going 8 of 11 from the floor and scoring 19 first-half points. Bernard finished with 16 points and Jaime Jaquez (HY’-may HAH’-kwehz) Jr. added 13 in the Bruins’ first regulation win since Feb. 25.
— Austin Reaves furnished 23 points and Brady Manek added 19 for eighth-seeded Oklahoma in a 72-68 decision over Missouri. The Sooners pulled out to an eight-point lead with 1:08 left behind Reaves’ free-throw shooting, but Dru Smith made two 3-pointers in the final minute to keep the pressure on and pull the Tigers within 70-67 with 46.7 left. Smith led the Tigers with 20 points.
— Evan Mobley had 17 points and 11 rebounds for No. 6 Southern Cal in a 72-56 victory over Drake. Isaiah Mobley scored 15 points and Drew Peterson added 14 for the Trojans. Joseph Yesufu scored 26 points for the 11th-seeded Bulldogs, but none of his teammates scored more than six as Drake shot 29% overall.
— Eric Ayala scored 23 points and Maryland clamped down on defense down the stretch to snag a 63-54 victory over No. 7 UConn. The 10th-seeded Terrapins held UConn to 32% shooting to overcome the Huskies’ 40-29 rebounding edge. The Terps shot 51% for the game and converted 9 of 18 from behind the arc.
