Low-seeded Teams Pick Up Early Victories – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 14, 2002
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%^$%^$By HOWARD FENDRICH
%^$AP Sports Writer%^$
%^$Sure didn’t take long for low-seeded teams to pick up right where they left%^$off last year in the NCAA tournament.%^$
%^$Tulsa, Missouri and Kent State all advanced to the second round with upset%^$victories Thursday, when only two of the tourney’s first eight games%^$featured a favorite winning easily.%^$
%^$Tulsa and Missouri are seeded No. 12, Kent State is a No. 10.%^$
%^$In 2001, 13 of the tournament’s 32 first-round games were won by underdogs -%^$the most opening victories by teams seeded ninth or worse since the event%^$expanded to 64 teams in 1985.%^$
%^$The upset total was nearly higher Thursday, but Alabama, seeded No. 2 in the%^$South, and Ohio State, No. 4 in the West, narrowly avoided being bounced.%^$
%^$In the East Regional in St. Louis, Greg Harrington’s runner in the lane with%^$14.6 seconds left pushed Tulsa past No. 5 Marquette 71-69 in the tightest%^$early game.%^$
%^$Tulsa now takes a crack at pulling off another surprise – and it would come%^$against its former coach.%^$
%^$The Golden Hurricane next face fourth-seeded Kentucky, which beat Valparaiso%^$83-68. Kentucky coach Tubby Smith guided Tulsa to the round of 16 in 1994%^$and ’95.%^$
%^$In the West Regional in Albuquerque, N.M., Missouri scored the first 12%^$points and knocked off No. 5-seeded Miami 93-80. The Tigers will try to%^$register another shocker against Ohio State, which barely got by Davidson%^$69-64.%^$
%^$And in the South Regional in Greenville, S.C., Kent State started the streak%^$of surprises by topping No. 7 Oklahoma State 69-61 in the tournament’s very%^$first game.%^$
%^$Kent State now plays Alabama, which was tied with 15th-seeded Florida%^$Atlantic with about seven minutes left but won 86-78.%^$
%^$In the Midwest Regional in Sacramento, Calif., No. 2-seeded Oregon beat%^$Montana 81-62, and seventh-seeded Wake Forest defeated Pepperdine 83-79.%^$
%^$East
%^$St. Louis%^$
%^$Tulsa 71, Marquette 69
%^$After Harrington’s go-ahead shot, Marquette settled for Travis Diener’s%^$hasty 3-pointer from well beyond the arc. The shot was an air ball, and%^$Dwyane Wade couldn’t grab it for a follow at the buzzer. Antonio Reed scored%^$18 points as the Golden Hurricane won a first-round game for the fourth%^$straight time.%^$
%^$Kentucky 83, Valparaiso 68
%^$Keith Bogans had 21 points, and Tayshaun Prince made up for poor shooting%^$with strong defense on Valpo star Lubos Barton. Kentucky came in having%^$dropped four of its last nine games, but the Wildcats have won 12 straight%^$opening NCAA games.%^$
%^$West
%^$Albuquerque, N.M.%^$
%^$Missouri 93, Miami 80
%^$Looking once more like a team that opened 9-0 and climbed to No. 2 in the%^$rankings, the Tigers got a 3-pointer from Ricky Paulding and five straight%^$points from Clarence Gilbert in their game-starting run. Gilbert finished%^$with 20 points.%^$
%^$Ohio State 69, Davidson 64
%^$Brian Brown scored a career-high 33 points, and the Buckeyes barely avoided%^$another quick exit in the NCAA tournament.%^$
%^$Davidson, trying for its first NCAA win since Lefty Driesell coached them in%^$1969, rallied for 59-58 lead with 4{ minutes left. But Brown scored seven%^$straight points for OSU, putting the Buckeyes ahead 65-61 with 2{ minutes%^$left.%^$
%^$Last year, Ohio State fell to lightly regarded Utah State in the first%^$round.%^$
%^$South
%^$Greenville, S.C.%^$
%^$Kent State 69, Oklahoma State 61
%^$Demetric Shaw scored 21 points, and Trevor Huffman 18 as the Golden Flashes%^$(28-5) won their opening NCAA game for the second straight year. Oklahoma%^$State shot 39.6 percent from the field.%^$
%^$Alabama 86, Florida Atlantic 78
%^$Freshman guard Mo Williams scored a career-high 33 points, grabbed 10%^$rebounds and had six assists, and Alabama went on a 10-0 run to pull away%^$from a 64-64 tie.%^$
%^$Midwest
%^$Sacramento, Calif.%^$
%^$Oregon 81, Montana 62
%^$Luke Ridnour and Luke Jackson scored 18 points apiece to give Oregon its%^$first NCAA tournament victory since 1960.%^$
%^$Wake Forest 83, Pepperdine 74
%^$Craig Dawson senior scored 19 points to help Wake Forest win an NCAA game%^$for the first time since 1997.
