An emotional overtime, a game-winner, missed free throws, blowouts and a 40-ball headline second-round NCAA Tournament action

Eight of 16 tickets to the second weekend of the 2026 NCAA Tournament were punched on Sunday.

No. 1-seed Texas, No. 2-seed Michigan, No. 2-seed LSU, No. 3-seed Duke, No. 3-seed TCU, No. 4-seed North Carolina, No. 4-seed Minnesota and No. 4-seed Oklahoma are bound for the Sweet 16.

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Although winning a tournament game is never easy, several teams made it look that way on Sunday.

Up by just three points at the half, Michigan mauled No. 7-seed NC State over the final 20 minutes. LSU lapped No. 7-seed Texas Tech, hitting the century mark yet again. Duke’s defense made No. 6-seed Baylor’s afternoon miserable. Madison Booker authored a 40-point masterpiece, scoring the most points in a game in this year’s tournament to lead Texas’ dismantling of No. 8-seed Oregon.

These four games, however, involved the ups, downs and drama often required to survive and advance on the tournament stage.

Missed 3s, FTs doom Maryland against North Carolina

Considering they shot 3-for-23, or just 13 percent, from 3 and went 17-for-33, or only 55 percent, from the free throw line, it’s miraculous that No. 5-seed Maryland stayed in contact with No. 4-seed North Carolina until the final moments, when the Tar Heels sealed the 74-66 win to advance to their second-straight Sweet 16.

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The result remained in question for much of the afternoon because Terrapins made sure that the Tar Heels felt them, grabbing 21 offensive boards and generating 12 steals, which helped them put up 14 more shots than UNC.

But winning the possession battle is not enough when the shots refuse to fall.

Only Addi Mack made a 3-pointer for Maryland, going a strong 3-for-5 from behind the arc. It 0-for-everyone else, with Saylor Poeffenbarger’s 10 deep misses being particularly painful. From the foul line, Oluchi Okananwa was the main culprit, with her 3-for-11 effort staining an otherwise outstanding game. Even Yarden Garzon, a near 93 percent free throw shooter for the season, missed two critical ones…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/emotional-overtime-game-winner-missed-110500686.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-23 11:05:00

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