March Madness scores, winners, losers: St. John’s rolls, Miami (Ohio) bows out

St. John’s was dealt a bad hand, on paper. A No. 5 seed? This CV seemed completely worthy of a #4. A cross-country trip to San Diego? Frame. Oh, and the opponent is Northern Iowa, who looked poised to give the Johnnies plenty of schematic problems with their plodding pace and connected defense.

None of that mattered.

St. John’s took the lead from Northern Iowa with a 16-2 score in the first minute and advanced to Sunday’s round of 16 with a 79-53 victory. The Johnnies proved to be too big, too strong and too athletic, and perhaps most importantly, Rick Pitino forced this game to be played on his terms. The Red Storm unleashed a vicious press that toppled Northern Iowa from the jump, and the damage was all but done.

This version of St. John’s is a terrifying unit with captain Zuby Ejiofor leading the way. Like so many older people this time of year, Ejiofor seems determined not to go out quietly. Ejiofor had 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, four blocks and a steal while picking up Northern Iowa all 94 feet and wreaking havoc from start to finish. This is St. John’s second-biggest NCAA tournament win in school history, and the Red Storm is a full 40 minutes away from advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.

Let’s dive into the winners and losers from Friday’s action, including Pitino’s old club, Kentucky, which just booked its place in March Madness lore with one of the best streaks of this glorious tournament.

Winner: Us (and Kentucky)

Sit back and enjoy it once again. This is basketball and the NCAA Tournament at its finest.

Kentucky ended up advancing to the round of 16 with an 89-84 victory. Heroes came from likely and unlikely sources. Oweh was brilliant, scoring 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. That’s a stat line that hasn’t been matched in the NCAA Tournament since a guy named Larry Bird for Indiana State. Pretty good player.

But let’s not forget Brandon Garrison. The mercurial center had too many head-scratching moments to count during a trying season, but he was absolutely terrific in Winning Time, racking up two huge blocked shots to send Kentucky to the second round.

Friday’s slate was mostly a chalk fest, but the Kentucky-Santa Clara finish will go down in the record books. –Isaac Trotter

Winner: Texas Tech relaxes its master plan

Grant McCasland’s plan was simple: Akron wasn’t going to get clean 3s. Texas Tech executed it perfectly. The Red Raiders held Akron to just five triples – its second-fewest total of the season – in a 91-71 victory over the upset Zips.

Texas Tech allowed five players to score at least 14 points, led by fearless freshman Jaylen Petty, who drained five treys en route to two dozen. Donovan Atwell, LeJuan Watts, Christian Anderson and Josiah Moseley joined Petty in the scoring deluge. It’s Texas Tech against Alabama in the round of 16 on Sunday. Trotter

Loser: an agonist for Santa Clara

Santa Clara was winning the game until it wasn’t. Allen Graves’ 3-pointer with less than three seconds left gave Santa Clara the lead before a nightmare sequence ensued.

• Herb Sendek tried to call a timeout, but it was not granted.
• The clock seemed to start a little late.
• Otega Oweh made a 3-pointer at the horn, the ball leaving his fingertips with tenths of a second to spare.

Kentucky would win in overtime, 89-84. It’s a soul breaker. — Trotter

Loser: Villanova collapses late against Utah State

The first year of the Kevin Willard era at Villanova ended with a loss to No. 9 seed Utah State 86-76. Despite making 14 more 3-pointers, Villanova couldn’t buy a bucket down the stretch. Utah State went on a key 15-3 run in the final four minutes of play and was able to erase a 10-point deficit in the second half to advance. Twenty-four wins should be considered a successful first season in the Big East for Willard, but this loss will sting for a while – Cameron Salerno

Loser: Miami (Ohio) out of breath

In retrospect, it was a good thing for Miami (Ohio) that he was sent to the First Four. Wednesday night’s spotlight in Dayton, Ohio, allowed the RedHawks to prove their legitimacy against top competition before running into a gruesome matchup Friday against Tennessee.

The Volunteers withstood an early punch before using their size and physicality to crush and earn a 78-56 victory. Miami showed off its offensive ability in its First Four win over SMU, but its limitations were evident against a stout SEC opponent. Nonetheless, it will remain a forgettable season for Miami, which returns home with a 32-2 record as the Volunteers head to Virginia in the second round. – Cobb

Winner: Virginia shows its depth

Jacari White is arguably Virginia’s No. 5 goalie. He played like a senior alpha to save UVa from upset bid Wright State. The senior guard made six 3-pointers and totaled 26 points, including a decisive layup in the crunch time. Wright State led 70-67 with less than six minutes remaining after a slight technical foul on UVa’s Sam Lewis, but the Cavaliers weren’t going to be denied.

This is Virginia’s first NCAA tournament victory since winning the national championship in 2019. — Trotter

Loser: Iowa State faces injury uncertainty

No. 2 seed Iowa State had no issues in a 108-74 win over No. 15 seed Tennessee State, but an easy win was overshadowed by a troubling injury. U.S. forward Joshua Jefferson fell to the floor just three minutes later and did not return after his ankle buckled on the downhill following a layup attempt.

He later told reporters that the x-rays were negative and that it was simply a sprained ankle. But Jefferson wore a boot and used crutches, calling into question his status for Sunday’s second-round game against No. 7 seed Kentucky. Jefferson told the Quad-City Times he was “hopeful” to play UK. — Cobb

Winner: Labaron Philon leaves

No. 13 seed Hofstra closed in on No. 4 seed Alabama a few times late in the second half before the Crimson Tide pulled away for a 90-70 victory behind a huge effort from Labaron Philon.

The second-year star carried a significant load as the Crimson Tide navigated life without starting point guard Aden Holloway, who was arrested before the NCAA Tournament on felony drug charges. Philon finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals. He scored 21 points in the second half alone. — Cobb

Winner: Braden Smith makes history

Smith broke the NCAA Division I men’s career assists record in the first half of his team’s NCAA Tournament first-round game Friday. He outplayed former Duke star Bobby Hurley when he fed Trey Kaufman-Renn for a basket with 12:11 left in the first half.

Smith tied the record minutes earlier after assisting big man Oscar Cluff. A rare four-year player at the same school in today’s college basketball landscape, Smith’s longevity made this feat possible. This is a step that could last a long time. — Salerno

Winner: Iowa does it

No. 9 Iowa earned its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2021 with a 67-61 win over No. 8 seed Clemson. The first year of the Ben McCollum era has already been a success for the Hawkeyes. McCollum has a reputation for winning tournaments: Last year, as Drake’s coach, he guided the Bulldogs to an upset first-round victory over Missouri.

Iowa star Bennett Stirtz made one off-night shot (4 of 17) but still scored 16 points. The Hawkeyes haven’t reached the Sweet 16 since 1999, and they face a tough second-round matchup against Florida on Sunday. — Salerno

Winner: Short-handed UCLA finds shock

UCLA’s star big man Tyler Bilodeau was out at the last second due to a knee injury, but No. 7 seed UCLA wasn’t going to be denied. The Bruins dominated No. 10 seed UCF for long stretches and held on for dear life for a 75-71 victory.

Mick Cronin has now won at least one game in five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Eric Dailey Jr. (20 points) was ridiculously good, but UCLA got the best game of the season from struggling transfer Xavier Booker at just the right time. The big guy had 15 points, eight rebounds and four massive blocks. — Trotter