One of the greatest aspects of March Madness is that heroes come from anywhere. And on Thursday, one came from Devils Lake, North Dakota, (population 7,000-ish) and did not wilt under the bright lights in
Los Angeles as millions watching from around the world. delivered the game of his life when needed it most, scoring 24 points (and 19 in the second half) in a over . Nelson went from relative unknown to hot commodity last offseason when he entered the transfer portal out of and highlights of a 6'11" guy who could handle, shoot and dunk emerged. He now joins the long list of March heroes, .
Alabama is into its first regional final since 2004, and the Crimson Tide will face a program that had an even longer wait: is into the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980 after a over . scored a team-high 18 points, and his brother, , sealed the game late. Cameron . In the East regional, if you thought would finally be challenged ... you're still waiting. The No. 1 overall seed overwhelmed , , in a rematch of last year's title game. The Huskies are the first reigning champion to reach the Elite Eight since in 2007, who went on to defend said title. UConn is favored to do the same. But can change that? That's after the Illini held off , . continued his rampage through March with 29 points. His 246 points this month are the most in a single March since (293) and (275) in 2011. Unfortunately, this is what
Arizona does. It wasn't just Love, though. The Wildcats connected on just five of 28 from 3 (18%) and 13 for 26 on layups. They turned 17 offensive rebounds into just 15 second-chance points. They had too many defensive breakdowns to count. A few hours later on the very same court, the No. 1 seed in the West regional said farewell to its season too. And, ironically, another conference player of the year struggled. -- who shared the UNC backcourt with Love for three years -- shot just four for 20, including nine misses on nine shots from 3, just like Love. Again, it's not all on him. blew a crucial wide-open dunk, and North Carolina as a team went just 12 of 28 (43%) on layups. The Tar Heels' improved defense allowed its second-most points this season. Missed opportunities, bad guard play and bad defense can end your season in the blink of an eye. Arizona and North Carolina are the latest to find out. Four Sweet 16 games in the books, four to go. : NC State is the lone double-digit seed, and while "ACC Tournament champion" may not fit the traditional Cinderella description, a team that was 17-14 less than three weeks ago and nowhere near the bubble going 7-0 since is indeed a Cinderella, no matter the conference. Kyle Boone explains . Things were never that dire for Gonzaga, but 's bunch also needed a late surge. The Bulldogs were on the bubble as recently as early February. But , and David Cobb looked at why. Few is the only coach left in the Midwest regional who has made a Final Four. The other three -- and -- are in Detroit this weekend, David notes. The with four games: The best game of the day -- and third-best of the Sweet 16 -- according to is ... When the acquired this offseason, they knew they were getting a generational bat. On Opening Day, Soto showed he can play some defense, too. The star right fielder at the plate in the ninth inning which helped to preserve the Yankees' 5-4 win over the . He also started the Yankees' rally from a 4-0 deficit with an RBI single and walked twice. Pretty good! He wasn't the only player making a strong first impression on his new team. A pitcher making his team debut landed among the "winners" of R.J. Anderson's . 🏀 , 2:30 p.m. on
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