Midwest Region – First Round: No. 1 Kansas had no troubles handling No. 16 Portland State in an 85-61 first-round victory. The Jayhawks were led by junior guard Brandon Rush, who had 18 points and hit four three-pointers. Kansas was hot from the perimeter, hitting 12-of-25 three-pointers. The Vikings struggled to score against the Jayhawks’ defense, shooting only 38.2 percent from the field. After building a 23-point halftime lead, Kansas cruised in the second half. The Jayhawks will play UNLV in the second round.
No. 3 Wisconsin didn’t obliterate No. 14 Cal State Fullerton, but the Badgers slowly ground the Titans into submission in a 71-56 victory. Senior center Brian Butch had 14 points and nine rebounds, and the Badgers had 27 more rebounds than the Titans did to outwork Cal State Fullerton for the win. Wisconsin had nearly as many offensive rebounds as the Titans’ had total rebounds. Junior guard Josh Akognon, a Washington State transfer, had 31 points for the Titans. The Badgers will play Kansas State next.
Michael Beasley and No. 11 Kansas State won the battle of freshmen phenoms against O.J. Mayo and No. 6 USC. The Wildcats also delivered the first upset of the NCAA Tournament with an 80-67 victory. Beasley finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds despite being saddled with three fouls during the second half. He picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of the game. Mayo played well for the Trojans, finishing with 20 points and five assists. The Trojans couldn’t stop Kansas State on the glass as the Wildcats finished with 18 offensive rebounds.
No. 9 Kent State needed 20 minutes to get going on offense, and by the time the Golden Flashes started hitting shots, they were out of the game. Kent State matched an NCAA Tournament record for scoring futility in a half, putting up only 10 points while falling behind by 21 points to UNLV in the first half. The Runnin’ Rebels shot better than 50 percent in the 71-58 win, and junior forward Joe Darger led UNLV with 18 points. [3/20/08]
