NCAA tournament: Thursday’s East Region review

It’s not March without chaos and chaos ensued in the NCAA East Region on Thursday night when No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s stunned No. 2 seed Kentucky — a team many thought could win the national title — in overtime. Kentucky is the blue-blood program, but the Peacocks came up bigger than the Wildcats in OT to pull the 85-79 shocker.

Saint Peter’s finished second in the MAAC, three games behind Iona, then won the conference tourney after Rick Pitino’s Gaels were upset in the quarterfinals. Saint Peter’s is known for its defense, but its offense came up huge. The Peacocks outscored the Wildcats 14-8 in OT; they were 9-of-11 from the line in the extra period while UK was 1-of-6. Saint Peter’s shot 50.9 percent from the field, including 9-of-17 from 3-point range, against the Wildcats.

There were two afternoon games in the East Region on Thursday afternoon. One involved a No. 1 seed (Baylor), who are expected to blow out their opponents. But both outcomes were one-sided affairs, and North Carolina’s demolition of Marquette added some intrigue to the Tar Heels’ matchup against top-seeded Baylor on Saturday. Will the defending champs be knocked out in the second round by a blue blood coming off maybe its best game of the season? And Kentucky’s loss means one huge roadblock for everybody else in the region is gone.

Here’s a look at what happened in the East Region on Thursday.

Most impressive performance, team: Saint Peter’s. A No. 15 beating a No. 2 seed is unreal as it is. But this Peacocks team pulling the upset is beyond unreal. This was not a good offensive team in the regular season. But the Peacocks scored 71 points — a figure they reached just eight times against Division I opponents this season — in regulation, and the eventual 85-point total was the most against a Division I foe. Even more impressive was their ability to hit free throws and big shots in overtime against a team far more talented. UK didn’t seem focused early, but, hey, the opponent was Saint Peter’s. But Saint Peter’s never went away. Saint Peter’s played two Power 6 conference foes in the regular season, losing to Big East members Providence and St. John’s by a combined 35 points.

Most impressive performance, individual: North Carolina G Caleb Love and F Brady Manek. Both played at a high level offensively in the Tar Heels’ 95-63 evisceration of Marquette, combining for 51 points (Manek had a season-high 28) and 11 3-pointers (Love was 6-of-13, Manek 5-of-10). Manek, a transfer from Oklahoma, also had 11 rebounds, which tied a season-high. Love hit a 3-pointer to give UNC a 10-8 lead with 16:15 left in the first half, and the Heels were off to the races. Marquette didn’t show much fight after that. It was 21-10 midway through the first half, then 37-19 at the five-minute mark, then 53-25 at halftime. In retrospect, Marquette peaked in late January, winning seven in a row to move to 15-6. The Golden Eagles finished 19-13.

Hard to understand: Kentucky’s loss to Saint Peter’s is … well, it’s a lot of things. Mystifying might be at the top of the list. The Wildcats’ offense had been incredibly efficient all season, ranking fourth at the end of the regular season in kenpom.com’s national ratings. (Saint Peter’s was 259th.) And their sheer talent — not to mention their athleticism and size — should’ve been enough to get past Saint Peter’s. Instead, UK suffered a loss that will live in infamy in Wildcats basketball lore.

What we’ll be talking about from this region on Friday: Kentucky’s loss makes things far more interesting in this region. If North Carolina can match Thursday’s performance — and conjure memories of the win at Duke in Mike Krzyzewski’s last home game — it can beat Baylor on Saturday. The Tar Heels showed everything Thursday. They passed well, they shot well, they defended well (though Marquette’s offensive prowess isn’t anything close to Baylor’s) and they rebounded well.

Some key numbers: Marquette star F Justin Lewis had a miserable day. He was 0-of-8 on 2-pointers and 2-of-5 from 3-point range. He finished with a season-low six points, just the third time this season he finished in single digits. … Kentucky was 4-of-15 from 3-point range. And while Oscar Tshiebwe had 16 rebounds himself, UK managed just a one-rebound advantage (36-35) over the Peacocks. … For the first time all season, UCLA didn’t score at least 60 points. … Norfolk State committed 15 turnovers. … Murray State’s Jordan Skipper-Brown, who averages 3.9 points and 2.3 rebounds, came off the bench and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. … Baylor had 38 rebounds, and almost a third of them (13) were on the offensive end. … Baylor G James Akinjo had 10 assists as the Bears had 24 assists on 31 made baskets. … North Carolina had 29 assists, with R.J. Davis leading the way with 12, on 44 made baskets. UNC had four players in double figures and hit 13 3-pointers. … Saint Mary’s had 16 assists in its rout of Indiana. … Akron had just four assists in its loss to UCLA.

Game results

No. 1 Baylor 85, No. 16 Norfolk State 49

Main takeaway: As expected, a rout. Baylor (26-6) shot 57.4 percent from the field, including 74.1 percent (20-of-27) on 2-point baskets. Baylor roared out to a 27-10 lead, and it never was in doubt after that.
Up next: Baylor vs. No. 8 North Carolina, Saturday

No. 15 Saint Peter’s 86, No. 2 Kentucky 79 (OT)

Main takeaway: It’s hard to imagine there will be a bigger upset in this season’s tournament. UK looked to have everything it needed to make a Final Four run.
Up next: Saint Peter’s vs. TBA, Saturday

No. 4 UCLA 57, No. 13 Akron 53

Main takeaway: The Bruins struggled to score all game but they did dominate in the final five minutes, outscoring the Zips 15-4 to close it out. UCLA PG Tyger Campbell had eight points and two assists in the closing stretch. Akron’s active and aggressive defense caused all sorts of problems for UCLA, which shot just 35.2 percent (19-of-54, including 8-of-22 from beyond the arc) from the field. UCLA’s defense was stifling, too, with the Zips shooting 39.6 percent. Bruins star Johnny Juzang had just nine points and was 3-of-11 from the floor.
Up next: UCLA vs. No. 5 Saint Mary’s, Saturday

No. 5 Saint Mary’s 82, No. 12 Indiana 53

Main takeaway: It took about 10 minutes, but Saint Mary’s seized control of the game and then ran away from the Hoosiers. IU won a First Four game Tuesday night and looked to hit a wall about midway through the first half. Part of that, though, was the stifling defense and patient offense shown by the Gaels, who shot 51.7 percent from the field, including 10-of-21 from 3-point range, against one of the Big Ten’s best defenses. The Gaels won the rebound battle by 11.

No. 7 Murray State 92, No. 10 San Francisco 87 (OT)

Main takeaway: The Racers gave away the lead late in regulation by playing tentatively, then regrouped in overtime to hold off the Dons. Murray State outscored USF 19-14 in the extra period. The reward is a matchup with No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the second round. G Jamaree Bouyea singlehandedly kept the Dons in it, finishing with 36 points. USF has a backcourt-oriented offense, but the other two starting guards scored just 10 points. USF was without starting C Yauhen Massalski, who missed the game with a knee injury.
Up next: Murray State vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s, Saturday

No. 8 North Carolina 95, No. 9 Marquette 63

Main takeaway: This was more like a No. 1 seed playing a No. 16 seed. It never really was in doubt after about the first six or seven minutes. UNC’s offense overwhelmed Marquette, and the Heels looked vastly more athletic than the Golden Eagles.
Up next: UNC vs. No. 1 Baylor, Saturday