32. Liberty Flames
They went wild in Lynchburg, Virginia, when No. 12 Liberty upended No. 5 Mississippi State 80-76.
It was a great showing behind a 12-of-25 (48 percent) effort from deep. Given that the Flames average 36.8 percent from three on the season, it seems unlikely they'll get that kind of help again. It was nice while it lasted.
31. UC Irvine Anteaters
No. 13 UC Irvine gratified bracketology hipsters when the trendy upset pick delivered a 70-64 win over No. 4 Kansas State.
A 12-0 second-half run keyed the Anteaters past the Wildcats, and then they admirably closed things out down the stretch at the free-throw line, where they went 17-of-19 for the contest.
But let's not get too excited. This is not an offensive juggernaut, with only two players averaging double figures and the top scorer, guard Max Hazzard, notching only 12.5 points per contest. UC Irvine's 72.9 points per game ranks 161st nationally, and that doesn't suggest a deep run.
30. Ohio State Buckeyes
No matter what happens from here, No. 11 Ohio State will exit the tournament with a lot more notoriety than when it entered.
With about as little fanfare as a major Ohio State sports team can muster, the Buckeyes toppled No. 6 Iowa State 62-59. The hero for OSU was Kaleb Wesson, who notched 21 points and 12 rebounds.
It was a good thing the Buckeyes could get this done with only 62 points. Only UC Irvine, Washington and Oregon sit below them in KenPom's offensive rankings.
29. Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa pulled a mild upset when it pushed over No. 7 Cincinnati 79-72. Playing in front of a friendly crowd, the Bearcats were cruising early, but the Hawkeyes took over late thanks to some seriously hot shooting from deep (11-of-22).
A team that shot 36.1 percent from three during the season, Iowa probably won't be able to rely on that again. Ditto a non-presence from a team's star like the Bearcats' Jarron Cumberland, who went 2-of-7 from the field in the first half.
28. Florida Gators
Part of this ranking is not so much what the No. 10 Gators did in their 70-61 upset as what No. 7 Nevada didn't do.
At times, the Gators looked like they would run away with it—just a turn of phrase here, given their plodding pace on both sides of the ball. But they let their guard down in the second half and allowed Nevada back in.
The Wolf Pack, who ranked as high as No. 5 in the Associated Press poll this season, finished with 20.8 percent shooting from three and didn't convert a field goal in the final 4:03.
27. LSU Tigers
The No. 3 Tigers survived an unexpected struggle with No. 14 Yale, "clawing" past, if you will, 79-74. But they didn't win any style points.
Plenty of observers counted them out after head coach Will Wade's indefinite suspension, and the Tigers almost obliged. Behind guard Skylar Mays, who scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half, the Tigers held Yale off.
Against Maryland in the second round, they'll need to do better than shoot 23.5 percent from three.
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