PORTLAND, Ore. — Shaka Smart and his team pulled off the first major surprise of the NCAA tournament.
That’s right, VCU is back again.
Bradford Burgess hit a key 3-pointer with 1:33 left and Smart coached the 12th-seeded Rams to another March upset, holding off the Shockers 62-59 in the South Region second round last night.
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The Rams (29-6) led by as many as 13 in the second half, but Wichita State closed to 54-53 on Garrett Stutz’s layup with 5:39 left. Troy Daniels hit a 3-pointer for the Rams, and Joe Ragland answered with his own for the Shockers.
Toure Murry made a 3-pointer that gave Wichita State the lead, but Burgess came back with his big shot to give the Rams a 60-59 edge. Darius Theus’ runner from about six feet provided the final margin.
Stutz’s long jumper just before the buzzer was off for fifth-seeded Wichita State (26-6), which will face Indiana in the third round tomorrow. Ragland finished with 15 points after a slow start.
Burgess finished with 16 points, and Theus and Daniels had 10 points apiece for the Rams, who last year became the third No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four.
Indiana 79, New Mexico St. 66
Jordan Hulls went on a second-half shooting spree and finished with 22 points, and fourth-seeded Indiana (26-8) rolled to an impressive win over New Mexico State (26-10) in the NCAA tournament South Region.
Making their return after a four-year tournament absence, the Hoosiers picked up their first tournament win since beating Gonzaga in 2007 on a night their main stars — Cody Zeller and Christian Watford (14 points apiece) — did the heavy lifting early then watched Hulls and others carry the load.
Wichita State, NCAA tournament, Shaka Smart, PORTLAND, Ore., Troy Daniels, Joe Ragland, NCAA, Burgess, New Mexico State, Garrett Stutz, tournament
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