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Every year since the First Four was put in place, an 11-seed team has advanced from Dayton to win its opening game and advance to the weekend.
In 2011, the first year the First Four was in place, VCU carried that momentum all the way to the Final Four.
So odds are, either Kansas State or the winner of Wednesday night’s Providence-USC game will knock off its 6-seed foe later this week. One thing’s for sure, the Wildcats should be energized by its 95-88 win over Wake Forest on Tuesday night.
Kansas State came out firing, dictating the pace and shooting better than 60 percent from the field but led by only four at halftime as Wake Forest hung tight at the free-throw line. The Demon Deacons cut the lead to one several times in the second half but never led as crucial errors in the final minutes cost them the game.
A few takeaways from Tuesday night’s action:
The good Kansas State showed up
Don’t forget that Kansas State, one of the last teams in the NCAA Tournament, lost to Oklahoma, the ninth-place team in the Big 12, by 30 just a few weeks ago. The Wildcats were erratic this year, beating the likes of West Virginia and Baylor (twice, in Waco and in the Big 12 tournament) but also losing to some of the league’s bottom-feeders.
Senior forward Wesley Iwundu wasn’t in the mood to end his season in Dayton, and his 24 points showed a preview of what could come in the first round. Iwundu was active early, setting the tone along with fellow senior DJ Johnson and making sure that a Wake Forest team led by All-ACC big man John Collins never got comfortable on offense. The physical style of play kept the Demon Deacons at the line, where they converted 29-of-32 attempts, but it also contributed to the victory.
John Collins still had some highlights
The NBA scouts have been drooling over the 6-10 big man during the his explosion onto the scene this season. His 26 points, nine rebound performance falls in line with his near double-double averages (19 points, 9 boards) and when Wake Forest was looking for a spark in the second half he delivered some awesome above-the-rim highlights.
While Mt. St. Mary’s prepares for Villanova, New Orleans deals with the fall-out
New Orleans coach Mark Slessinger tried to play down the impact of the bench scuffle between junior starting forward Travin Thibodeaux and senior Christavious Gill during an official timeout. He blamed it on the competitiveness of the situation and said the two players were “best friends,†though decided to bench Thibodeaux for the rest of the half after it appeared he reached for Gill’s neck (1:04 mark on the video below).
“I made the decision to sit Travin for the rest of the half,†Slessinger said after the game, via NOLA.com. “It was in the best interests of our team moving forward. It’s disappointing. He’s got as big a heart ... Unfortunately for him, it gives an uncharacteristic impression of how great a kid he is. He’s an honor student. He’s extremely passionate and cares about his team. Unfortunately, it will take away from the experience of the game here and how great an experience this was.â€
What’s next: Preparing for Cincinnati
Kansas State and Cincinnati could end up having the lowest combined point total of the day on Thursday, but the low-scoring showcase could result in another game decided in the final seconds. The Bearcats are trying to not let history repeat itself, one year after losing in the first round when a dunk at the buzzer was ruled a bit too late.
Cincinnati won 29 games and touts the now-patented disciplined defense we’ve come to expect under Mick Cronin. The biggest improvement from last year’s squad was the addition of transfer Kyle Washington from NC State, who has provided double-digit scoring (13.1 ppg) and bulked up the back line.
Kansas State’s best hope to continue the trend of 11-seed teams going on to win is to start fast and grab the lead early, like it did against Wake Forest, to force Cincinnati to press a little. The Wildcats’ win on Tuesday night was the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 2012, but those First Four wins can come with an asterisk in the minds of fans. For many, breaking a streak of NCAA Tournament futility means getting to the weekend, and that requires a win on Thursday in Sacramento against the Bearcats.