Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz looks at the biggest matchups from the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament including the high profile battle of polarizing college coaches.
Auburn’s Johni Broome, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner centers of attention in March Madness matchup
Johni Broome and Ryan Kalkbrenner are big men with big-time experience on the March Madness stage. Just not against each other, which makes Saturday night's NCAA Tournament second-round South Region showdown between overall top seed Auburn and No. 9 seed Creighton so compelling. Plot lines abound thanks to the Tigers’ and Blue Jays’ multiple strengths, but the matchup of main men in the middle is the most intriguing.
Duke remains great, but the rest of the ACC needs a basketball reckoning
The ACC's issues aren't about nonconference scheduling or computer numbers. The league needs better coaches and more investment in rosters.
Kyan Evans and favored No. 12 seed Colorado State beat short-handed Memphis
Kyan Evans made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 23 points to lead No. seed Colorado State past fifth-seeded Memphis 78-70 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Nique Clifford, the Mountain West Tournament MVP, had his quietest scoring night in a month, finishing with 14 points, eight on free throws.
Julian Reese and Maryland blow out Grand Canyon 81-49 in March Madness
Julian Reese had 18 points and nine rebounds, and fourth-seeded Maryland pounded No. 13 seed Grand Canyon 81-49 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Ja'Kobi Gillespie added 16 points for the Terrapins (26-8), who will play No. 12 Colorado State on Sunday in the second round of the West Region. Derik Queen, the Big Ten freshman of the year who was averaging 16.3 points and nine rebounds a game, finished with 12 points and 15 boards, becoming the first Maryland freshman with a double-double in the tournament since Jalen Smith in 2019.
Rick Pitino and John Calipari share a mutual respect. Just don’t call them friends
The Hall of Fame coaches will renew their occasionally acrimonious rivalry on Saturday when Pitino’s second-seeded St. John’s faces Calipari’s No. 10 seed Arkansas for the chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. The matchup has been anticipated since the March Madness brackets were announced, and sealed on Thursday when Arkansas beat Kansas and St. John’s dispatched Omaha in the first round in Providence – where Pitino hung his first Final Four banner. The two have crossed paths over the decades from summer camp to UMass – Pitino’s alma mater and Calipari’s first head coaching job – to the NBA and, most notably, to one of basketball’s most heated rivalries: Kentucky and Louisville.
North Carolina comeback falls short in loss to Ole Miss
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz reacts to the Rebels’ 71-64 win over the Tar Heels in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
TCU takes down FDU for first NCAA tournament win in 19 years
Yahoo Sports’ Caroline Fenton and basketball analyst Isis "Ice" Young break down TCU’s 73-51 win against FDU and discuss what led them to a strong offensive victory.
Rick Pitino and John Calipari write a new chapter in their storied rivalry
Two coaching giants of college basketball with complicated history are set to spar again at the NCAA Tournament.
3 observations after Sixers fall to Spurs despite four 20-point performances
3 observations after Sixers fall to Spurs despite four 20-point performances originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Multiple career highs and four 20-point outings did not add up to a victory for the Sixers on Friday night in San Antonio.
The Spurs pulled out a 128-120 win at Frost Bank Center. They improved to 30-39 and the Sixers fell to 23-47.
San Antonio’s top scorer was Jeremy Sochan with 23 points. Rookie guard Stephon Castle tallied 17 points and 14 assists.
For the Sixers, Quentin Grimes posted 25 points and a career-best 10 assists. Justin Edwards also put up 25 points, which is tied for the most he’s scored in a game his rookie year.
Ricky Council IV set a new career scoring high, adding 20 points. Guerschon Yabusele had 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
The Sixers were still heavily shorthanded. Lonnie Walker IV returned from a four-game absence with a concussion. However, according to the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast, Walker was ruled out at halftime because of a mild headache.
The Spurs’ sidelined players included star center Victor Wembanyama, who’s out for the rest of the season because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
The Sixers will finish their six-game road trip with games Sunday against the Hawks and Monday against the Pelicans.
Here are observations on their loss to the Spurs:
Edwards’ steady scoring
In their 70th game of the season, the Sixers used a 46th starting lineup.
After his 14-point, 15-rebound night Wednesday in the Sixers’ loss to the Thunder, Chuma Okeke started next to Jared Butler, Grimes, Edwards and Yabusele.
The Sixers were the sharper team out of the gates. They played active defense, forced turnovers and profited in transition. Butler’s fast-break three-pointer gave the Sixers an early 15-6 lead.
Edwards posted five of the Sixers’ first seven points with a put-back layup and corner three. He’s scored smoothly and consistently on this road trip, hitting double figures in all four contests. The rookie wing has generally taken sensible shots while also increasing his aggression for an extremely undermanned team.
Over his past three games, Edwards has totaled 62 points and gone 23 for 43 from the floor (53.5 percent).
Grimes and Yabusele making plays
The Spurs eventually got rolling. The Sixers took plenty of hasty jumpers in the first half and missed many, opening 3 for 16 from long range.
They also committed 10 first-half turnovers. The Sixers were whistled for an eight-second violation after Walker couldn’t handle Blake Wesley’s backcourt pressure. A Wesley corner three built San Antonio’s lead to 42-32.
The Sixers’ offense suddenly looked far more crisp when Grimes took charge. He had five assists in the first half, including a drive-and-kick dish to set up a Walker three.
Like Grimes, Yabusele has a knack for finding savvy ways to create open looks out of stagnant situations. He fed Grimes on a backdoor cut late in the second quarter and the 24-year-old guard slammed home a dunk before Sochan could recover.
Offensive magic runs out
Chris Paul canned four three-pointers early in the third quarter and the Spurs extended their advantage to 16 points.
Not much was working for the Sixers’ defense, which has conceded 132.5 points per game thus far on the road trip.
Led by Grimes, the Sixers made a big run back. Grimes poured in 10 straight points, converting three layups, a three-pointer and a free throw. He’s been great this month at attacking constantly and going directly at any defense on its heels.
Council drilled a three late in the third quarter to put the Sixers in front. Two nights after shooting 1 for 11 from the floor against the Thunder, Council had a strong, very efficient night. Over two career appearances in San Antonio, Council has scored 31 points on 10-for-14 shooting.
The Spurs went down 117-111 on an Okeke three, but they responded with a 10-0 spurt.
The Sixers’ offense grew shaky. The team committed two shot-clock violations, one of which came when Grimes air balled a deep, desperate three. Grimes threw a loose perimeter pass that Sochan picked off and turned into a slam on the other end.
Though Grimes made a triple to cut his team’s deficit to one point, the Sixers then left Harrison Barnes wide open. He nailed a crucial corner three and the Sixers wound up losing on a night they shot 56.8 percent from the field and received four excellent offensive performances.
Jordan Ross keys rally to help Saint Mary’s beat Vanderbilt 59-56 in March Madness
Saint Mary's guard Jordan Ross keyed a second-half rally while star Augustas Marciulionis dealt with foul trouble, and the seventh-seeded Gaels fended off 10th-seeded Vanderbilt 59-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Ross scored 10 points with Marciulionis on the bench to help the Gaels (29-5) pull even, and Marciulionis hit a couple of clutch shots down the stretch to set up a meeting with No. 2 seed Alabama on Sunday.
Baylor pulls away as Grand Canyon’s 30-game win streak ends with March Madness loss
Aaronette Vonleh had 25 points and 11 rebounds, leading fourth-seeded Baylor to a 73-60 victory over Grand Canyon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Jada Walker scored 17 points as the host Bears (28-7) ended the Lopes' nation-leading winning streak at 30 games in Grand Canyon's first NCAA appearance. Baylor will play the Mississippi-Ball State winner in the second round Sunday.
Virginia reportedly set to hire VCU’s Ryan Odom, who coached UMBC over Cavs in historic 16-vs.-1 NCAA tournament upset
Odom coached UMBC in the Retrievers' historic March Madness upset of Virginia in 2018.
Playing in his hometown, Amarion Dickerson helps Robert Morris nearly pull off upset of Alabama
Robert Morris' Amarion Dickerson came into the NCAA Tournament known as one of the nation's best shot blockers after being chosen the Horizon League's Defensive Player of the Year. Dickerson scored 25 points and had nine rebounds in the Colonials' 90-81 loss to No. 2 seed Alabama in a first-round game in the South Region in Cleveland. “I'm grateful to go out there and have a good game, but it don’t mean as much to me with the result we got,” said Dickerson, who tied Forest Grant for most points by a Robert Morris player in an NCAA Tournament game.
Duke cruises in Cooper Flagg’s return
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz and basketball analyst Isis ‘Ice’ Young react to the Blue Devils’ 93-49 win over Mount Saint Mary’s in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.