NCAA Latest: Villanova getting a scare from Alabama

 

The Latest on the second round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):
1:10 p.m.
No. 1 Villanova is getting a scare from Alabama.
The Wildcats lead the ninth-seeded Crimson Tide 32-27 at halftime. The sport is still buzzing from top-seeded Virginia’s 20-point loss to 16th-seeded UMBC on Friday night.
Alabama would love to make it two No. 1s knocked out.
The Wildcats are upset prone because they live and die by the 3-pointer. When it works, and it usually works, they are clearly one of the best teams in the tournament.
Against Alabama, they missed eight of their first 11 3-point attempts. Donte DiVincenzo steadied the Wildcats when he hit three straight 3s and added one more right before the half to give them a 5-point edge.
DiVincenzo scored 18 points in the half.
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12:50 p.m.
The Pac-12 is out. The Big Ten is undefeated. And the SEC has the most teams left in the NCAA Tournament with six still playing after the first round.
The conference scoreboard for the 32 teams left in the NCAA Tournament is an interesting mix with 13 conferences remaining, with most of the one-bid leagues and the Pac-12 bounced in the first round.
The ACC has five teams left in the field after losing four teams in the first round, while the Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 each have four teams chasing a spot in the Sweet 16.
Here’s a look at the tournament records for the basketball’s top conferences at the start of the second round:
SEC: 6-2
ACC: 6-4
Big Ten: 4-0
Big East: 4-2
Big 12: 4-3
Pac-12: 0-3.
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12 p.m.
The second round of the NCAA Tournament tips off on Saturday – with many fans still stunned over top-seeded Virginia’s 20-point loss to 16th-seeded UMBC on Friday night.
Fellow No. 1 seed Villanova opens the action against Alabama, as the Wildcats look to avoid a second-round exit for the second year in a row.
Second-seeded Duke will face a dangerous and veteran Rhode Island team, while Kentucky takes on 13th-seeded Buffalo – which blew out Arizona on Thursday.
No. 1 seeded Kansas will play Seton Hall, while Tennessee has Loyola-Chicago in its path to the Sweet 16.
Ohio State and Gonzaga will square off in Boise. Florida and Texas Tech will meet in an AP Top 25 matchup, and Michigan closes out the day against Houston.
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More AP college basketball: https://collegebasketball.ap.org ; https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 and https://www.podcastone.com/ap-sports-special-events