Trailing by ten early and without a true point guard on the floor, it didn’t look good for Akron. But a couple of unexpected players picked up the slack, got the Zips back to life and sparked a quarterfinal victory.
Month: March 2009
Conference USA: Memphis Makes Case for No. 1 Seed
No. 1 Memphis continued to roll through Conference USA with a 74-49 win against No. 5 Houston. No. 2 Tulsa used a 12-0 run in the first half to erase a slow start, the Golden Hurricane never relinquished the lead in a 70-67 win against No. 3 UAB.
Mid-American: Buffalo Closes in on Tourney Trip
No. 3 Buffalo is a game away from its first NCAA Tournament trip after beating No. 2 Ball State 64-52. No. 5 Akron upset top-seeded Bowling Green 63-55 by shutting down everyone not named Nate Miller, who had 27 for the Falcons.
MEAC: Morgan State Wins Battle of B’more
No. 1 Morgan State won the battle of Baltimore 75-67 against No. 5 Coppin State to advance to the Bears’ second-straing MEAC championship game. Corey Lyons buried a three-pointer with less than 20 seconds to go to give No. 3 Norfolk State the lead, and the Spartans held on for a 74-71 win against No. 2 South Carolina State.
Mountain West: Aztecs and Utes Surge to Championship Game
Lorenzo Wade’s dunk with six minutes to go gave San Diego State the lead, and he scored 10 of the team’s final 12 points to help push the Aztecs past No. 1 BYU 64-62. No. 2 Utah advanced to the championship game by beating No. 6 Wyoming 68-55.
Pac-10: Trojans Surprise UCLA to Meet Sun Devils in Championship
No. 4 Arizona State led No. 1 Washington by as much as 20 in the first half and survived the Huskies’ second-half rally to win 75-65. No. 6 USC beat No. 2 UCLA 65-55 to advance to the championship game against Arizona State as freshman DeMar DeRozan had 21 points and 13 rebouns
Tar Heels Win Without Lawson, Without Running
North Carolina didn’t have Ty Lawson on Friday, and may not have him the next day. They didn’t run much, but they still found a way to knock off Virginia Tech despite a valiant effort from the Hokies.
Patriot: American Returns to NCAA Tournament
No. 1 American repeated as Patriot League champions by beating No. 2 Holy Cross 73-57.
SEC: LSU Quiets Meeks
No. W1 LSU successfully shut down No. E4 Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks, holding the junior guard to only eight points on 3-of-9 shooting, to help propel the Tigers into the semifinals with a 67-58 win. No. W3 Mississippi State dominated the paint and second half against No. E2 South Carolina to win 82-68. No. E1 Tennessee routed No. W4 Alabama 86-62 to advance to the SEC semifinals. No. W2 Abuurn won 61-58 against No. E3 Florida in what might prove to be a bubble elimination game.
Southland: Roadrunners Move 1 Game Away From Repeat Championship
No. 6 Texas-San Antonio appears determined to protect its Southland Conference title, beating No. 2 Nicholls State 57-55 for its second upset in two days. No. 1 Stephen F. Austin held off No. 4 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 63-60 to advance to the Southland title game against Texas-San Antonio.
