WASHINGTON — No. 15 seed Belmont came tantalizingly close to stunning second- seeded Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night in a game that will most likely leave two distinct legacies.
The first will be that Belmont may have redefined the near-upset in the NCAA Tournament, after leading with less than a minute to go and having three chances to take the lead in the final five seconds.
Instead, the Bruins did not score in the game’s final two minutes, and was one bungled inbounds play from becoming America’s team, in falling to Duke 71-70.
“We’ll be remembered as the team that almost did it,” Belmont guard Justin Hare said, “and it’s hard going out that way.”
By avoiding becoming the fifth No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament history to lose to a No. 15, Duke was exposed as vulnerable to being knocked out early. The Blue Devils will face seventh-seeded West Virginia next.
Duke needed a finger roll with 11.9 seconds left by Gerald Henderson, who led the Blue Devils (28-5) with 21 points, to escape infamy.
“It’s an unpredictable tournament,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “I’ve coached in 89 of these games now and I told the guys as far as game pressure goes, this has to rank in the top three or four.”
After Henderson’s shot, Belmont had three chances. Hare missed a runner with five seconds left, but a jump ball gave possession to Belmont. Inbounding under his own basket, Belmont’s Alex Renfroe, who led the Bruins with 15 points, lobbed a ball in the paint that was picked off by Duke’s DeMarcus Nelson.
Belmont’s last chance came on a Hare shot from just beyond halfcourt.
Texas A&M 67, BYU 62
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Josh Carter scored 26 points, matching his career high, as the Aggies (25-10) handed the Cougars their sixth consecutive opening-round loss.
Xavier 73, Georgia 61
WASHINGTON — Led by Derrick Brown’s 19 points and 11 rebounds, and super-sub Josh Duncan’s 20 points, the Musketeers (28-6) erased a double- figure deficit against the Bulldogs.
Purdue 90, Baylor 79
WASHINGTON — The Boilermakers (25-8) built a 19-point halftime lead and cruised to their 10th straight opening- round win since 1993.
West Virginia 75, Arizona 65
WASHINGTON — After Arizona closed to 60-59, two 3- pointers by Darris Nichols and another by Alex Ruoff sealed the victory for the Mountaineers (25-10).
UCLA 70, Mississippi Valley State 29
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Bruins (32-2) held the Delta Devils to the fewest points in the tournament since 1946, when Baylor scored 29 in a loss to Oklahoma State.
The Associated Press
