MARCH MADNESS

Published 6:33 pm Sunday, March 23, 2025

Field Level Media

RALEIGH, N.C. — Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points and sparked top-seeded Florida’s late-game splurge to oust two-time defending champion UConn 77-75 in the West Region’s second round on Sunday afternoon.

The Gators looked disjointed at times on offense before racking up 18 points across the game’s final three minutes. The eighth-seeded Huskies seemed poised to pull off an upset before their 13-game winning streak in NCAA Tournament games came to a close. Alijah Martin’s 18 points and Will Richard’s 15 also helped lift the Gators to victory. Florida (32-4) will meet Colorado State or Maryland in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in San Francisco. It’s the Gators’ first time advancing to the second weekend of the tournament since 2017.

Liam McNeeley poured in 22 points, Alex Karaban had 14 and Samson Johnson added 10 to pace the Huskies (24-11), who had a late-game escape against Oklahoma two days earlier in the first round.

ALABAMA 80, ST. MARY’S 66: Six Alabama players scored in double figures and the No. 2 seed Crimson Tide held seventh-seeded Saint Mary’s to 24-of-70 shooting from the floor in an 80-66 win in the second round of the East Region on Sunday in Cleveland.

Alabama (27-8) answered every one of the Gaels’ efforts at a rally in the second half, preserving the 13-point advantage the Crimson Tide built going into halftime. Alabama capitalized on the Gaels’ 0-for-9 start from 3-point range, including 0 of 6 as part of a woeful 9-of-36 shooting performance through the first 20 minutes. Saint Mary’s (29-6) threatened multiple times in the second half behind Jordan Ross, Mitchell Saxen and Augustas Marciulionis, each of whom scored eight points in the latter 20 minutes. However, the Gaels could get no closer than seven points thanks to timely points from a variety of Alabama scorers. Aden Holloway,

Mark Sears and Grant Nelson each scored 12 points. Nelson, who did not play until late in the game because of a knee injury during Alabama’s first-round win over Robert Morris, was integral to the Tide combating a Saint Mary’s team that was excellent on the boards all season. Nelson grabbed eight rebounds to help give Alabama a 41-36 edge on the glass. Clifford Omoruyi, who provided a variety of key dunks in the second half to stem Saint Mary’s rallies, posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Youngblood led Alabama with 13 points. The Tide’s multifaceted look produced the most points the typically stingy Saint Mary’s defense allowed all season. On Sunday, however, the Gaels surrendered 29-of-56 shooting from the floor, including 7 of 17 from 3-point range.

Saxen led all scorers with 15 points in the loss. Harry Wessels finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for the Gaels. With Sunday’s win, Alabama advances to its third straight Sweet 16 and fourth since 2021. The three straight trips to the regional semifinals matches a program record set from 1985-87.

KENTUCKY 84, ILLINOIS 75: MILWAUKEE — Kobe Brea had 23 points and Otega Oweh added 15 to pace third-seeded Kentucky to an 84-75 victory over No. 6 Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region on Sunday.

Kentucky (24-11) will face second-seeded Tennessee in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Indianapolis. Kentucky hit its first five shots of the second half for a 10-0 run. Amari Williams turned into a steal into a breakaway jam to put the Wildcats up 47-32 to cap the run three minutes into the frame. Brea scored 10 consecutive points for Kentucky for a 70-54 lead with 9 1/2 minutes remaining. Kylan Boswell’s jumper from the right wing pulled the Illini within 74-68, but Andrew Carr countered with a drive to make it 76-68 with 1:13 left. The Wildcats hit eight free throws over the final 1:01 to preserve the victory and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.

Boswell had 23 points, Tomislav Ivisic 19 and Kasparas Jakucionis 13 for the Illini (22-13). Kentucky scored 26 points off 14 Illinois turnovers and had 18 assists on its 32 field goals. Brea hit 10 of 16 shots, including 3 of 8 beyond the arc, and Oweh was 6 of 12. Lamont Butler added 14 points and Williams pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. The Illini had a 44-36 advantage on the boards, including 12 offensive rebounds, but had just a 9-6 edge in second-chance points.

MARYLAND 72, C. STATE 71: Derik Queen’s running buzzer-beating bank shot allowed the No. 4 seed Terps to remain on the West Coast after edging No. 12 seed Colorado State, 72-71, in an NCAA Tournament second-round game Sunday evening at Climate Pledge Arena.

Maryland (27-8) will travel to San Francisco to participate in its first Sweet 16 since 2016. The team will meet No. 1 seed Florida at Chase Center on Thursday at a time to be announced after the Gators (32-4) evicted two-time reigning national champion Connecticut, 77-75, earlier in the day.

Queen, the freshman center from Baltimore, amassed a team-high 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks to lead the team. Sophomore shooting guard Rodney Rice scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half and grabbed four rebounds, and senior power forward Julian Reese got his 15th double-double of the season on 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Junior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and graduate student small forward Selton Miguel scored 11 points each. Gillespie compiled seven assists, four steals and three rebounds, while Miguel added two rebounds.

Playing in the second round for the first time since 2013, the Rams (26-10) missed their first Sweet 16 berth since 1969 and second overall. They fell one win short of matching the program record for victories in a single season and watched an 11-game winning streak end.

Fifth-year senior shooting guard Nique Clifford lived up to the hype by scoring a game-best 21 points and accruing seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Senior shooting guard Jalen Lake had 13 points and two rebounds.

Trailing 37-30 at halftime, the Terps opened the second half by connecting on three of their first four 3-point attempts — two by Rice and one by Gillespie — to narrow the gap. Five consecutive points by Rice in 24 seconds, including a 3-point play, gave them a 49-47 lead with 13:39 to go — the team’s first since 8-6 with 17:25 left in the first half.

But Colorado State responded with a 7-3 spurt capped by four straight points by graduate student guard Bowen Born for a 54-52 lead. After a media timeout, Miguel nailed a 3-pointer, stole the ball and slammed home a dunk to return the advantage to Maryland at 57-54 with 11:11 remaining.