NCAA Tournament

The men's NCAA basketball tournament has been a fun one so far, and it's led to record viewership through the first two rounds.

The Round of 32 games on Saturday averaged 10.8 million viewers across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV, marking the most watched first day of the second round ever, per March Madness Men's Basketball TV.

On top of the record viewership Saturday, this year's NCAA men's tournament has been the most watched tournament of all time through day one of the second round, averaging 9 million viewers in three days.

The historic viewing numbers aren't much of a surprise given the excitement through the first two rounds. Round 1 gave fans exciting upsets like No. 14 seed Oakland's win over No. 3 Kentucky and No. 13 Yale's win over No. 4 Auburn. The first round also saw several No. 5 and No. 6 seeds fall to No. 12 and No. 11 seeds, respectively.

Saturday's Round of 32 slate included some down-to-the-wire and overtime games. No. 11 NC State hung on against Oakland in overtime just a few hours before No. 3 Creighton defeated No. 11 Oregon in double overtime. No. 2 Tennessee won a slugfest against No. 7 Texas after a few clutch free throws.

After what has already been a thrilling tournament, viewership numbers could continue to see historic figures as the Round of 32 continues Sunday and the Sweet 16 starts next week.

Marquette held on to beat No. 10 Colorado 81-77 and advance to the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA men's basketball tournament on Sunday.

This is the first time since 2013 the second-seeded Golden Eagles have punched a ticket to the regional semifinals.

Marquette led by as many as 12 points and was up eight at halftime. The Buffaloes continued to hang around in the second half and had multiple opportunities to jump ahead late.

Sophomore guard Chase Ross hit a pivotal long-range jumper to put the Golden Eagles up three and senior guard Tyler Kolek restored the advantage with a left-handed floater inside the final minute.

Kolek posted a game-high 21 points along with 11 assists for his eighth double-double of the season. Junior guard Kam Jones chipped in with 18 points and went 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.

Marquette's backcourt tandem drew a lot of praise on social media:

The Buffaloes came up short despite the best efforts of junior guard KJ Simpson, who had 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists. He was the hero in the first round against Florida but couldn't replicate that magic when Colorado needed a bucket in the waning moments Sunday.

A date with No. 11 North Carolina State awaits Marquette in the next round. The Wolfpack ended Oakland's Cinderella bid in overtime on Saturday after having ousted sixth-seeded Texas Tech to open the tournament.

In terms of the draw, Marquette will have expected to get a slightly more difficult road after getting placed in the bottom half with No. 3 Kentucky. Especially after Sunday's scare, Shaka Smart's squad won't be looking past NC State.

The action tips off Friday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Armando Bacot pacing North Carolina in a win is nothing new. Harrison Ingram playing the role of the complementary star was a bit more of a surprise, however.

The junior forward hit five threes and finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, helping to lead the 1-seed Tar Heels to an 85-69 win over 9-seed Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA men's tournament.

Bacot did his usual work on both ends, notching 18 points, seven boards, three assists and two blocks, while RJ Davis posted 20 points. Malik Hall (17 points, nine rebounds) and Tyson Walker (24 points) had solid efforts for Michigan State in the loss.

But it was the pair of Bacot and Ingram who really helped spark a North Carolina team that trailed 26-14 at one point in the first half and finished the first 20 minutes on a 23-3 run.

Social media had nothing but love for the dynamic duo after the game:

It's never a surprise when Bacot and Hunter do their thing—they've led the Tar Heels all season long. Where North Carolina becomes a different beast, however, is when Ingram or Cormac Ryan emerge as a legitimate third option.

The Tar Heels now await the winner of 4-seeded Alabama vs. upstart 13-seed Grand Canyon in the Sweet 16. On the bottom half of the West Region, 2-seed Arizona remains alive.

But getting past Tom Izzo's Michigan State—always a perennial threat in March—was no small task. Davis led the Tar Heels in scoring, but it was Ingram's perimeter shooting that provided a necessary spark after a slow start and Bacot's two-way excellence that helped North Carolina escape the always dangerous Spartans.

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Kansas has been eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the Round of 32 for a second straight season.

The No. 4 Jayhawks fell to No. 5 Gonzaga 89-68 Saturday, and head coach Bill Self told reporters after the game that he had already had his sights set on next season well before March Madness got underway.

"For the last month, I've been thinking about next season to be honest," he said.

Kansas went into halftime with the lead, but the second half was all Gonzaga as the Bulldogs pulled away. Gonzaga went on a 15-0 run early in the second half and didn't look back to advance to its ninth straight Sweet 16.

Self said fatigue got the best of his team as they watched their season come to an end, per Fox Sports' Bryan Fischer.

"My guys were gassed," Self said after the game.

It was another disappointing ending for Kansas after the Jayhawks won the national championship just two seasons ago. Kansas was not its dominant self this season, finishing sixth in the Big 12 and earning their lowest seed since 2019.

The Jayhawks snuck past No. 13 Samford 93-89 on Thursday, but the Zags were too much for them in the second round.

Injuries played a major part in Kansas' early exit. The Jayhawks were without leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. after the guard suffered an injury toward the end of the regular season. Kansas was lacking the spark that McCullar likely would have provided had he been healthy.

Now, Self and the Jayhawks begin preparation for what they hope will be a bounce-back season in 2024.

Gonzaga and Kansas were playing what looked like it might be a classic game for the first half of Saturday's second-round showdown in the NCAA men's tournament, with the No. 4 seed Jayhawks taking a 44-43 lead into the break.

And then the fifth-seeded Bulldogs went Super Saiyan.

Gonzaga reeled off a 37-9 run to start the second half en route to an 89-68 blowout win. The Bulldogs opened the half by hitting on 11 of their first 12 field goals, while Kansas missed 15 shots in that span.

Sometimes, a tourney game is decided by one team getting hot. Other times, a team going cold seals their fate. Both happened simultaneously in the second half on Saturday.

Anton Watson paced the Bulldogs with 21 points and six rebounds, while Nolan Hickman added 17 points. Hunter Dickinson (15 points, five boards, four assists) did what he could for the Jayhawks.

But this was all Gonzaga, and social media gave the team its deserved flowers after the contest:

Make it nine straight Sweet 16 appearances for Gonzaga. That level of consistency is very impressive in the age of one-and-done recruits and the transfer portal, and Mark Few was praised after the win, too:

Saturday's result doesn't come as the biggest surprise. Gonzaga was only one seed lower than Kansas, has won 11 of its past 12 games and the Jayhawks were without star guard Kevin McCullar Jr. due to a bone bruise on his knee.

But does anybody want to see this Gonzaga team right now? Purdue is the top seed in the Midwest region, but a potential Sweet 16 matchup with the Bulldogs would be a formidable test.

Kansas ran into an absolute buzzsaw in the second half, a reminder of what this Gonzaga team is capable of when it's hitting on all cylinders.

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Following his electric performance in No. 14 Oakland's upset over No. 3 Kentucky on Thursday night, Jack Gohlke received some high praise from an NFL legend.

J.J. Watt, who is from Gohlke's hometown of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, gave a shoutout to the Oakland guard for his 32-point performance.

"Jack, what's going on, it's J.J. Watt. I'm actually over here in London right now," Watt said. "I hope you know that you've taken Pewaukee worldwide, because people over here are talking about you. What an unbelievable performance. Had to catch the highlights of it in the morning because it was like, 3 in the morning. But don't worry I'm going to stay up for the next one no matter how late it is, because I can't wait to watch you play."

In the win, Gohlke drained 10 three-pointers on an efficient 50 percent from deep. Gohlke's 10 threes are tied for the second-most in NCAA tournament history, and he is one of just five players to have 10 or more threes in an NCAA tournament game.

Now, Gohlke and the Golden Grizzlies will take on No. 11 NC State, where they will look to keep their magical run going. If Gohlke can get hot from deep again, Oakland could be on its way to the Sweet 16.

After Gohlke's tournament run does come to an end, he has a free meal waiting on him in his hometown on Watt's dime.

"I don't know if it's an NCAA violation with all the new NIL rules, but next time you're at the 5 O'clock Club, fish fries on me big guy," Watt said.