With the NCAA Tournament under way in Denver today, fans have filled the Pepsi Center for each of the four games.
Today’s schedule saw this action in the Southwest Regional:
The evening session has these games in the Southeast Regional:
Times for Saturday’s games:
Morehead State vs. Richmond, 3:15 p.m.
BYU vs. Gonzaga, 5:45 p.m.
Gonzaga beats St. John’s, 86-71
Marquise Carter led Gonzaga with 24 points as the 11th-seeded Bulldogs upset No. 3 seed St. John’s 86-71 in the final game of the second round in Denver.
St. John’s led by six points less than two minutes into the game, but Gonzaga pulled away soon after and never were threatened down the stretch. The Zags led by as many as 18 points in the second half.
St. John’s Dwight Hardy led the Red Storm with a game-high 26 points.
Attendance for the night session was announced at 19,260.
BYU cruises in second half
After Wofford made a run in the first half, it was BYU that was able to put it on cruise control in the second half and end any hopes of a third upset at Pepsi Center on Thursday.
The Cougars (31-4) were led by Jimmer Fredette’s 32 points and won 74-66.
Richmond sends home Vandy
Richmond guard Kevin Anderson made a soft jumpshot with 18.7 seconds to play to take a 68-65 lead against Vanderbilt, and the 12th-seeded Spiders held on for a 69-66 victory.
On Vandy’s next possession, they moved down court but turned it over down low with 5.5 seconds to play. After Richmond missed a free throw, the Spiders fouled Vandy center Festus Ezeli, who got the rebound on the miss.
But Ezeli, who struggled at the line the entire game, made his first free throw to pull within 68-66 and intentionally missed the second with 4.7 second remaining.
That miss was rebounded by Richmond’s Kevin Anderson, who was foul. However, Anderson missed the first free throw but made the second for a 69-66 lead with 3.4 to play.
Vandy inbounded from the baseline and immediately called timeout with 2.5 seconds to play. The Commodores could not get off its final shot.
Morehead’s Harper hits game-winner
Morehead State’s Demonte Harper hit a 3-pointer with 5 seconds to play to win the game 62-61. Harper took the inbounds pass with 23.8 to play and drained the clock to 8 second before he made his move and shot over Louisville’s Petyon Siva.
Louisville called timeout with 4.2 seconds, but couldn’t get off a final shot.
Louisville’s Elisha Justice missed the frontside of a 1-and-1 with just under 30 seconds to play. And after Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried pulled in his 17 rebound of the game, the Eagles had the ball down 61-59 with 23.8 seconds to play and called timeout.
Louisville did trail 57-52 with 5:16 to play, but the Cardinals went on a 9-0 to take the lead.
