COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Tennessee didn't let an underdog fight back again and pull off a shocker in the NCAA Tournament.
Last year the Volunteers advanced to the second round as a No. 3 seed and were stunned when 11th-seeded Loyola of Chicago hit a jump shot with 3.6 seconds left for a 63-62 victory that sent the Ramblers and Sister Jean to the Sweet 16.
This time No. 2 seed Tennessee let No. 15 seed Colgate overcome a 14-point lead to tie the game midway through the second half and keep it close until the Vols pulled away late for a 77-70 victory in the opening round Friday.
"I told the guys last night, don't expect it to be easy," Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes said. "Even if we get up, which we did. And they fought back. [There] were really some uncharacteristic things that we did with our body language and things that we haven't done all year. And that's where I know that there was some anxiety with our guys."
Admiral Schofield had 19 points for Tennessee (30-5), which advances to play Iowa -- winner of a first-round game over Cincinnati -- on Sunday. Jordan Bone added 16 and Jordan Bowden 14 for Tennessee.
Leading 67-64 with 45 seconds left, Schofield hit back-to-back three-pointers to give Tennessee a cushion, and Bone and Schofield followed with a pair of foul shots each to extend the lead as Colgate ran out of time.
Jordan Burns had 32 points for Colgate, the most allowed by a single Tennessee opponent this season. The Raiders' 15 3-pointers matched the most allowed by the Vols. Burns was 8 for 13 from long range.
IOWA 79, CINCINNATI 72
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Luka Garza scored 20 points, Jordan Bohannon made a three-point play during Iowa's closing surge as the 10th-seeded Hawkeyes rallied past No. 7 seed Cincinnati.
The Hawkeyes (23-11) got their first NCAA Tournament victory in four years despite what amounted to a home crowd for the Bearcats, who couldn't overcome a subpar game by Jarron Cumberland. He was 3 of 9 from beyond the arc and finished with 18 points.
Point guard Justin Jenifer scored a career-high 19 points for Cincinnati (28-7), which hasn't made it past the opening weekend for seven consecutive years.
CALIFORNIA-IRVINE 70, KANSAS STATE 64
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- California-Irvine got back-to-back three-pointers from Evan Leonard to spark the deciding run in an upset over Kansas State, the Anteaters' first NCAA Tournament victory in school history.
Leonard and Max Hazzard each scored 19 points to send UC Irvine (31-5) into the second round of the South Region.
One year after making a run to the Elite Eight, the fourth-seeded Wildcats (25-9) had a short stay in the tournament as they struggled to decipher the Anteaters zone defense and missed star forward Dean Wade, who was sidelined by a foot injury.
Kamau Stokes led Kansas State with 18 points.
VIRGINIA 71, GARDNER-WEBB 56
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- No. 1 seed Virginia rallied from 14 points down to beat No. 16 seed Gardner-Webb and avert another first-round exit as a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cavaliers trailed 30-16 with 6:42 left in the first half but rallied and cut the Runnin' Bulldogs (23-12) lead to six at halftime.
Virginia (30-3) then opened the second half with a 25-5 run to put to rest any thoughts of an upset.
The Cavaliers used their trademark stifling defense to force 11 Gardner-Webb turnovers in the first 12 minutes after the break.
De'Andre Hunter led the Cavaliers with 23 points and Mamadi Diakite added 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 9 rebounds.
OREGON 72, WISCONSIN 54
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Payton Pritchard scored 19 points, Kenny Wooten protected the rim with four blocks, and No. 12 seed Oregon extended its surprising March run by beating No. 5 seed Wisconsin.
The Ducks (24-12) won four games in four days to win the Pac-12 tournament last week just to make the NCAAs then followed it with an impressive victory over a higher-seeded opponent. Oregon advanced to play No. 13 seed California-Irvine (31-5) on Sunday.
Louis King added 17 points, Paul White scored all of his 14 points in the second half, and Wooten had 9 points, 6 rebounds and the tone-setting blocks to give the Ducks their ninth consecutive victory.
Ethan Happ and Khalil Iverson each scored 14 points to lead the Badgers (23-11).
OKLAHOMA 95, OLE MISS 72
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Rashard Odomes and Christian James scored 20 points apiece, Kristian Doolittle had 19 points and matched a career-high with 15 rebounds, and No. 9 seed Oklahoma blitzed Mississippi with a season high in points.
The Sooners (20-13) scored on 8 of their first 9 possessions for a 12-0 lead and led by 17 at halftime.
The Rebels (20-13) had looked like a tired team for more than a month, and eight days off didn't appear to help. Terrence Davis led Ole Miss with 17 points.
Sports on 03/23/2019