After two jam-packed days of college basketball, the second round of the men’s NCAA tournament is underway. The field has been cut in half, the contenders have emerged — and we get to do it all again today.
We’ve got you covered with all the March Madness action right here, featuring updates from writers at every site and analysis on what each final result means.
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Saturday’s schedule (all tips ET):
(5) Michigan vs. (4) Texas A&M, 5:15 p.m. (CBS)
(11) Drake vs. (3) Texas Tech, 6:10 p.m. (TNT)
(9) Creighton vs. (1) Auburn, 7:10 p.m. (TBS)
(6) BYU vs. (3) Wisconsin, 7:45 p.m. (CBS)
(8) Gonzaga vs. (1) Houston, 8:40 p.m. (TNT)
(7) UCLA vs. (2) Tennessee, 9:40 p.m. (TBS)
Saturday results
Final: Purdue beat McNeese 76-62
How Purdue won: Purdue played with the pedigree of a team that was in the national championship game a year ago with its convincing 76-62 victory over McNeese State. Led by junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (22 points, 15 rebounds) and All-America guard Braden Smith’s steady hand in the face of pressure, the Boilermakers started fast by opening a 17-6 lead in making an early statement that they weren’t overlooking the Cinderella-story Cowboys, who had dominated No. 5 Clemson in the first round. Purdue trailed just once (3-2) in a game that had a “been-there, done-that” feel to it. A signature moment came when Smith dove to keep the ball in play in the first half, directly in front of the Purdue bench. It was an all-out effort from the leader who was willing his team into the Sweet 16 in the Midwest Region, where they will play in Indianapolis, about 65 miles from campus in West Lafayette. — Mike Reiss
