Midwest Region – First Round: No. 1 Florida was able to roll into the second round after defeating No. 16 Jackson State 112-69 in the first round. Jackson State was able to take the lead early in the contest until the Gators put up 71 points in the second stanza. Florida will now play No. 9 Purdue in the second round. Joakim Noah was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, but teammate Corey Brewer led the Gators with 21 points in the victory.
No. 2 Wisconsin let No. 15 Texas A&M – Corpus Christi build a 25-7 lead in the first half. The Badgers couldn’t hit any shots to open the game, while the Islanders seemingly could do no wrong. Wisconsin climbed back before halftime to trail only 27-19. The Badgers were sensational in the second half, outscoring Texas A&M – Corpus Christi 57-36 to win 76-63. Senior leaders Kammron Taylor and Alando Tucker had 20-plus games to help the Badgers overcome the Islanders. Taylor finished with a game-high 24 points, and Tucker was right on his heels with 23 points.
No. 3 Oregon proved it can do more than run up the score against No. 14 Miami, Ohio. The Ducks persevered 58-56 in a slower defensive battle. Senior Aaron Brooks helped Oregon pull off its first NCAA Tournament win in five years by scoring 18 points. Sophomore Michael Bramos missed a three-pointer that would have tied the game with 10 seconds remaining. He finished with 18 points, and junior Tim Pollitz had a game-high 21 points. Oregon committed only five turnovers in a clean game.
No. 11 Winthrop completed its destiny by beating No. 6 Notre Dame 74-64 to win its first NCAA Tournament game. The Eagles have played well in two consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament but failed to break through for the upset. Winthrop ended the game on an 11-2 run to negate the Fighting Irish’s furious second-half rally, which erased a 20-point hole. Seniors Craig Bradshaw and Torrell Martin scored at will against Notre Dame. Bradshaw finished with 24 points, and Martin added 20.
Senior-laden No. 7 UNLV got big games from Wendell White and Michael Umeh to lead the Rebels to a 67-63 victory against No. 10 Georgia Tech. White and Umeh scored 19 points apiece to form a masterful inside-out combination that flustered the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech got 11 points from junior Anthony Morrow and sophomore Alade Aminu. But freshmen stars Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton struggled, shooting only 7-of-23 from the field and combining for 16 points.
Purdue was able to ride an 11-point lead after an 8-0 run to start the second half to advance to the second round to play Florida. Purdue was led by Senior Carl Landry with 19 points and 12 boards to a victory over a staple of the NCAA Tournament — Lute Olson’s Arizona Wildcats. The No. 9 Boilermakers converted the Wildcats’ 17 turnovers into 20 points and were able to hold off Arizona to play another day. [3/16/07]
