South Region

Nevada 75, Cincinnati 73

Nevada's Jordan Caroline sat in the Wolf Pack's locker room and shouted the three words that were being repeated in households across the country.

"What just happened?!?"

Only a comeback that matched the second-largest in NCAA Tournament history.

Nevada rallied from 22 points down in the final 11 minutes Sunday to stun No. 2 seed Cincinnati and earn its second Sweet 16 appearance ever. Josh Hall converted an offensive rebound with 9.1 seconds left to make the tiebreaking basket and give Nevada its only lead of the night.

"It's such an unimaginable feeling," Caroline said.

The seventh-seeded Wolf Pack (28-7) move on to an all-upstart South Region semifinal matchup with 11th-seeded Loyola-Chicago (30-5) on Thursday night in Atlanta. Nevada's only previous regional semifinal appearance came in 2004.

Nevada earned its trip to Atlanta because Cody Martin led a comeback for the ages.

The only bigger comeback in NCAA history came in 2012, when BYU beat Iona after trailing by 25 points. Nevada's rally is tied for second place with Duke, which erased a 22-point deficit to beat Maryland in the 2001 Final Four.

"That locker room right now, I've never seen anything like it in my life," Nevada coach Eric Musselman said. "It's the happiest I've ever seen. It's the happiest I've ever been in my life."

While Nevada celebrated, Cincinnati's players stood silently in their locker room wondering how their defense that ranked second among all Division I teams allowed 32 points in the last 11 minutes. The Bearcats also failed to make a single basket in the final 5 minutes, 45 seconds.

Cincinnati forward Gary Clark, the American Athletic Conference player of the year, calmly answered questions for several minutes and blamed himself for not beating Hall to the rebound that decided the game.

"I've probably got a million text messages saying you had a great year and career, but it comes down to that last rebound," said Clark, who had 11 points and 10 boards. "It could have gotten my team over the hump."

Hall instead got the rebound, made a move in the paint and put up a shot that hit the front rim, softly kissed the glass and went through the net.

"I saw an opening and tried to put as much touch on it as possible because of how close I was," said Hall, who scored 14 points.

Cincinnati's Cane Broome raced up the court, briefly lost control of the ball and then appeared to try putting up a shot that Nevada's Caleb Martin knocked away. Clark and Caroline then chased after the ball as the final seconds ticked away.

Once the final horn sounded, a jubilant Caroline slid toward midcourt while Clark lay on his back under the basket. Television cameras caught Musselman taking off his shirt as he headed into a boisterous locker-room celebration.

"It's crazy," Caleb Martin said. "Coach works out every morning, so his shirt comes off a lot. So I know he's definitely going to use this as an excuse to take it off, show a little bit of his muscle."

"Especially in March, you know that nobody's ever out," Clark said. "I think we're an example for many young people and many other teams in the tournament, that you can't let up at all. You've got to just figure out a way to get stops and get baskets."

Cody Martin led Nevada's furious rally by collecting 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists with no turnovers. His twin brother Caleb tied the game by making a fadeaway 3-pointer from in front of Nevada's bench with 54 seconds left.

Nevada's rally came two days after the Wolf Pack erased a 14-point, second-half deficit to beat Texas 87-83 in overtime for its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2007.

Cincinnati (31-5) scored the game's first 10 points and was up 44-32 at halftime, the fifth straight time Nevada has trailed at the intermission. Cincinnati extended its advantage to 65-43 on Jarron Cumberland's basket with 11:37 left.

Nevada outscored Cincinnati 32-8 the rest of the way.

"Especially in March, you know that nobody's ever out," Clark said. "I think we're an example for many young people and many other teams in the tournament, that you can't let up at all. You've got to just figure out a way to get stops and get baskets."

"We had a big lead," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. "They gambled and just started trapping at halfcourt, gave us a lot of wide-open shots that we didn't make. And it got real, real physical around the rim, and I'll let you take it from there on that. When we had chances around the rim, it was unbelievable what was happening."

Nevada has trailed at halftime in five straight games and is still in the Sweet 16. Nevada eventually will have to start producing faster starts in order to keep advancing.

The Bearcats won the American regular-season and tournament titles while tying a school single-season record for wins, but this second-round collapse seriously tarnishes what had been a special year. Jacob Evans II had 19 points and Cumberland had 17, but they combined for just eight in the second half.

Nevada committed only two turnovers against one of the nation's stingiest defenses.

Kansas State 50, UMBC 43

The ultimate underdog story is over, but this NCAA Tournament will always be remembered for the sweetest No. 16 in college basketball history.

UMBC's brief, but historic run ended with a loss to ninth seeded Kansas State.

UMBC became the first 16 seed to beat a No. 1, destroying top-ranked Virginia 74-54 on Friday night. After pulling off an all-time sports stunner, the Retrievers ran out of magic against the Wildcats.

"I'm proud of my guys, man," UMBC senior guard Jourdan Grant. "We made history. Can't be mad at that. I wouldn't want to go out with another set of guys, man. I love these guys to the moon and back. This season, we'll remember it for the rest of our lives."

As UMBC coach Ryan Odom emptied his bench with 9.4 seconds left, the crowd gave the Retrievers a standing ovation. The players hugged at midcourt. After the game ended, players walked over to the side of the court and gave their fans an appreciative wave.

The dream had ended, but some players managed smiles as they left the court.

"(UMBC) played their hearts out," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. "UMBC, you've got to give Coach (Ryan) Odom credit. What they did to Virginia was unbelievable."

Barry Brown led Kansas State with 18 points and Xavier Sneed came up with some huge plays down the stretch, including a monster dunk off an offensive rebound.

The Wildcats (24-11) move on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010 when they lost in the Elite Eight to Butler. They will face No. 5 Kentucky on Thursday night.

UMBC had only had two field goals in the final six minutes and shot just 29.8 percent for the game.

UMBC's scrappy defense forced 18 turnovers, but managed just three points off those. They finished 6 of 22 from 3-point range two nights after lighting up Virginia. And 9 of 18 from the free throw line.

"This entire week has been amazing up until the last two hours," UMBC guard Joe Sherburne said. "We connected with people around the world. We could tell during the game how many people were rooting for us."

K.J. Maura, the 5-foot-8 point guard, said: "We put our name on the map. We gave hope to smaller seeds."

And earned the admiration of their opponents. Brown made sure to congratulate the Retrievers.

"I think they just needed to hear they had a great run — and what they did was history," Brown said. "I just wanted to tell each and every one of them 'You're a great player, good job' and just give them the credit. They earned it."

Maybe the Spectrum Center was simply done giving up upsets.

Earlier, defending national champion and No. 2 seed North Carolina was throttled by seventh-seeded Texas A&M.

Not that UMBC didn't give it a try.

The Retrievers (25-11) had a chance to take the lead with 5 minutes remaining, but Arkel Lamar was stripped of the ball on a drive to the lane and Sneed took the ball the length of the floor for a two-handed dunk.

Brown then hit a fall-away jumper.

Sneed, who had eight points, then skied above the rim and jammed home an offensive rebound even bringing the pro-UMBC crowd to its feet. Makol Mawien added a dunk on a fastbreak to seal the victory with 45 seconds left.

"It just gave us a lot of energy and a boost to show we could win this game," said the 6-foot-5 Sneed said of his dunk, where he elevated so high the top of his head was almost level to the rim.

The Retrievers showed no sign of a letdown early on, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after Kansas State missed its first eight shots — five of those from beyond the arc.

Kansas State didn't score until the 13:40 mark of the first half, but the Wildcats closed the half on a 17-8 run and led 25-20 at the break despite going 0 for 8 from 3-point range.

"What I said in the huddle was keep guarding, keep being persistent," Weber said. "And then Xavier made some plays down the stretch. We just shut them out."

Brown defended Jairus Lyles extremely well, holding him to 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

Lyles was upset that he went 3 of 6 from the field, matching his team's 50 percent shooting from the foul line. He was held to 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting by Brown, one of the nation's top defenders.

"I'm not going to make any excuses," Lyles said. "I've got to hit those free throws. I missed a lot of shots I usually make."

The Wildcats held a 35-28 edge on the boards.

Grant said the Retrievers were not satisfied with just beating Virginia and thought they would win.

"I mean, it definitely puts a damper on it, man," Grant said. "We definitely didn't think we were going out tonight. We definitely intended on being in this tournament a lot longer. Nobody plans on losing and I don't think we planned on losing. Just take it for what it is. We made history, I love my guys and that's all I can say."

East Region

Purdue 76, Butler 73

Without Isaac Haas, Purdue played fine for the most part.

Until the last few minutes, when the Boilermakers' season nearly slipped away.

"We lost our poise there, but then we also regained it," coach Matt Painter said. "And Dakota Mathias made a huge shot."

Mathias sank a 3-pointer with 14.2 seconds left, and second-seeded Purdue held off 10th-seeded Butler to reach the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year.

Haas, the 7-foot-2 center who broke his elbow in Friday's win over Cal State Fullerton, did not play, but the Boilermakers prevailed anyway despite a late push by their in-state rivals.

Purdue (30-6) led by as many as 10 points in the second half of this all-Indiana matchup, but Butler (21-14) cut the deficit to two and had the ball in the final minute. Kelan Martin missed a 3-pointer, and the Boilermakers were able to settle down.

"We can still win the game with that one possession and we were able to do that," Painter said.

The shot by Mathias made it 76-71.

"Once it left my hand it felt pretty good," Mathias said. "Those last couple of minutes we kind of got out of our element, forcing some things offensively, not making the right read, to let them back in. ... Give Butler a lot of credit. They played hard. They're a good team. We're excited to come out with a win."

Martin scored with 2.1 seconds remaining, and P.J. Thompson missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving Butler another chance. The Bulldogs called a timeout with 1.8 seconds left, and Kamar Baldwin's shot from near midcourt hit the rim — although it may have been waved off on a review even if it had gone in.

Vincent Edwards scored 20 points despite early foul trouble for Purdue, and Matt Haarms filled in capably for the injured Haas. The Boilermakers set a school record for victories in a season and are in the regional semifinals for the fourth time under Painter. Purdue faces third-seeded Texas Tech on Friday in Boston.

Martin scored 29 points for Butler.

"Every day at practice, this group, they came and they embraced and they were willing to learn," Butler coach LaVall Jordan said. "So I just wish we could have done better so we could still coach them for a few more practices and at least one more game."

Haas warmed up before the game but wasn't using his injured arm much, and an official said a few minutes before tipoff that the big man's brace hadn't been approved for competition. Haarms, a redshirt freshman, started for the first time this season and missed an easy layup early on.

But the 7-foot-3 Haarms settled in, finishing with seven points and six rebounds. He was on the court at the end, using his huge frame to guard the inbound passer on Butler's last play.

"This is for Isaac," Haarms said. "This one's for him. He helped me a lot today, but he has always been like that. He's always in my ear and a great mentor."

Haas was ruled out for the rest of the tournament after his injury Friday, but on Saturday, there appeared to be at least some possibility he could come back. He didn't on Sunday, and he was noncommittal afterward about the next couple of weeks.

"We'll see," Haas said. "It just depends on how the inflammation goes down and if we can find a brace that meets NCAA regulations."

Edwards picked up his second foul with 15:10 left in the first half, but Painter didn't bench him completely. Edwards finished the half with 12 points in 12 minutes. Purdue rallied from a nine-point deficit and led 40-36 at the break.

A 3-pointer by Edwards started a 7-0 run that put Purdue ahead 61-51.

Even without Haas, the Boilermakers seemed comfortable on offense until the final minutes. They went 11 of 24 from 3-point range and were able to move the ball for good shots despite missing their top inside threat.

Butler didn't have enough scoring threats in this tournament. Martin and Baldwin combined for 51 points in a win over Arkansas on Friday and had 43 on Sunday. No other Bulldog was in double figures against Purdue.

Edwards helped preserve Purdue's late lead with a huge defensive play. After turning the ball over with about 90 seconds remaining, he hustled back and blocked an attempted layup by Baldwin that would have tied the game.

West Virginia 94, Marshall 71

Jevon Carter scored 28 points, Lamont West added 18 off the bench and West Virginia overwhelmed its in-state rival beating Marshall in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Mountain State showdown more than 2,000 miles from home was a one-sided celebration for the fifth-seeded Mountaineers. Bigger, more physical and making fewer mistakes, the Mountaineers (26-10) took control with a 19-0 first-half run, and Carter's three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the second half made sure there wouldn't be a rally coming from the 13th-seeded Thundering Herd.

West Virginia will face top-seed Villanova in the round of 16 next Friday.

Aside from his scoring, Carter was the leader of West Virginia's swarming defense that made the night miserable for the Herd. Marshall star Jon Elmore had more turnovers than points in the first half and was held to 15 points after scoring 27 points in the upset of Wichita State.

Ajdin Penava led the Herd (25-11) with 18 points.

The first meeting between the in-state rivals since 2015 when their annual series abruptly ended was a big enough event that West Virginia Governor Jim Justice flew out to watch the game in person. Wearing a blazer that was half dark blue and half green, Justice spent the first half on the West Virginia sideline and the second half with the Marshall cheering section.

There wasn't much cheering from the Marshall fans as West Virginia led by as many as 31 in the second half.

But this was decided in the first 20 minutes thanks to West Virginia's dominant run to take control. While Carter, West and their teammates were getting easy looks at the offensive end, Marshall became careless with the ball and missed a number of shots around the rim. After taking an 18-11 lead, Marshall missed six layups in the final 13 minutes of the first half and watched West Virginia surge ahead. Elmore was the most notable Marshall player to struggle with West Virginia's pressure finishing the first half with just three points — scored in the first 65 seconds of the game — and six turnovers.

West Virginia led 42-25 at the half and Carter's early 3s to start the second half ended any thought of a rally. Carter had 17 points in the second half.

It wasn't 3-point shooting that was the problem for Marshall. It was 12 of 26 from deep, but just 10 of 30 on its shots inside the arc. The combination of turnovers and poor shooting inside the 3-point line was far too much to overcome.

Midwest Region

Clemson 84, Auburn 53

Clemson isn't all about football.

The Tigers are pretty good at basketball, too, and are going to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 21 years.

Gabe DeVoe scored 22 points and Elijah Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Clemson, which closed the first half with a 25-4 run that helped it beat cold-shooting Auburn and advance to the Midwest Region semifinal.

"I think it's a statement game," Clemson guard Marcquise Reed said. "I think we showed how hard we can compete defensively. I think it's a real good game for us moving forward."

In a matchup between Southern schools better known for football — Clemson won the national championship two seasons ago — the No. 5 seed Clemson Tigers proved far more adept on the hardwood than the No. 4 seed Auburn Tigers.

The blowout win put Clemson (25-9) into the Sweet 16 for the fourth time overall and the first since 1997, earning it a spot against Kansas in the regional semifinal.

It was a humbling end for Auburn (26-8), which played this season under the cloud of a federal investigation into corruption in college basketball.

The final 10½ minutes of the first half were a nightmare for Auburn, which made only 6 of 33 shots (18.2 percent) in the first half and 17 of 66 overall (25.8 percent).

"I really don't know where we lost our focus," Auburn guard Bryce Brown said. "All I can really honestly remember is they had a few stretches where they came down and knocked down shots and we had a few stretches where we came down and took kind of bad shots at times and that led to easy fast breaks for them."

Jared Harper made a jumper with 10:33 before halftime to pull Auburn to 18-15. The Tigers then missed their next 18 field goals as Clemson raced to a 43-19 halftime lead.

Clemson scored 17 straight points, highlighted by 3-pointers by Anthony Oliver II and DeVoe, to make it 35-15.

Chuma Okeke made two free throws for Auburn, but the Tigers still couldn't hit a field goal. They got two more free throws by Mustapha Heron with 1:20 to go.

Auburn finally snapped the drought from the field when Bryce Brown hit a 3-pointer 44 seconds into the second half. All that did was pull the Tigers within 21 points.

"I felt like they had a couple of good looks and they weren't able to knock them down," DeVoe said. "But we play well defensively like that. The easy looks don't go in all the time. I think pressure and our defensive intensity really bottled them up offensively."

The drought "was just bad for us early and it affected what we could do offensively and defensively," Auburn's Jarred Harper said.

"We just got away from playing offense together and playing defense together," Davion Mitchell said.

Heron and Bryce Brown scored 12 points apiece for Auburn and Horace Spencer had 10.

Reed added 16 for Clemson and Shelton Mitchell had 10.

Clemson made 10 of 26 3-pointers. DeVoe made 6 of 9.

The rout was so complete that Clemson subbed in two walk-ons for the final two minutes.

"I don't know how long since we've been to the Sweet 16, but I know for a fact this won't be the last time," Oliver said. "We have a special group of guys, not only for this year but for next year and the year after that."