Boise State Seeks 1st March Insanity Event Win

Now, Rice desires to do the identical for his Boise State staff that’s on the lookout for its first tournament win when the Tenth-seeded Broncos tackle the seventh-seeded Wildcats in a West Area sport in Sacramento on Thursday.

“I believe the final couple years we’ve accomplished numerous checking off containers that this program has by no means accomplished earlier than,” Rice mentioned. “That’s one of many final containers I believe can be large for this program, to verify off an NCAA Event win. I do know Northwestern did {that a} couple years in the past, I believe. I keep in mind watching that. That’s one thing that has been our purpose all 12 months.”

In a West Area stuffed with powerhouses like defending champion Kansas, UCLA, Connecticut and Gonzaga, the Wildcats and and Broncos are clearly missing.

Northwestern (21-11) has made it to this stage for simply the second time, beating Vanderbilt within the first spherical in 2017 earlier than dropping to Gonzaga.

Boise State (24-9) has been to this stage much more, making its ninth journey. However the Broncos have misplaced their opening-round sport the earlier eight occasions, including 64-53 to Memphis final 12 months.

“It will imply a lot for our followers,” coach Leon Rice mentioned. “I would like it so unhealthy for our gamers to maintain them going. I wish to preserve this group collectively so long as I can preserve this group collectively.”

After making the match for the primary time again in 2017 in what coach Chris Collins mentioned was considered by many followers like a Remaining 4 at different faculties, success has been more durable to come back by.

The Wildcats adopted that up with 5 straight dropping seasons earlier than breaking by once more this 12 months with a second-place end within the Huge Ten that Collins hopes lays the groundwork for extra seasons like this.

“I believe coming a second time, it’s gratifying as a result of for those who go as soon as, it’s nice, however it might nearly be like sort of the one-hit-wonder kind of deal,” Collins mentioned. “To have the ability to now stamp it and be again a second time, hopefully that may assist us as we proceed to construct for the long run.”

Within the different video games Thursday within the West Area, second-seeded UCLA (29-5) takes on No. 15 seed UNC Asehville (27-7) in Sacramento; whereas in Des Moines, Iowa, top-seeded Kansas (27-7) takes on Howard (22-12) with hopes that coach Bill Self will return from a stint within the hospital, and No. 8 seed Arkansas (20-13) faces ninth-seeded Illinois (20-12).

Terrence Shannon Jr. will get one other crack at Arkansas within the NCAA Event, this time with Illinois.

Two years in the past, when he was at Texas Tech, Shannon scored a team-high 20 factors in a 68-66 second-round loss in Indianapolis.

Shannon leads the Illini with 17.1 factors per sport and has wowed crowds with electrifying dunks.

Davonte “Devo” Davis is the one present Arkansas participant who appeared within the sport towards the Crimson Raiders. Davis led the Razorbacks with 15 factors that day.

“As soon as I came upon we had the Arkansas matchup, he’s the primary person who got here to thoughts as a result of he hit huge pictures my sophomore 12 months after I was at Texas Tech, and he’s probably the greatest defenders within the nation,” Shannon mentioned.

Davis, who guarded Shannon two years in the past and expects to be assigned to him once more Thursday, mentioned the Illini level guard’s sport has modified for the reason that final time they met.

“Now he’s acquired the ball in his hand extra and he’s ball dominant,” Davis mentioned. “It’s not simply me guarding him, it’s the entire staff.”

Final 12 months’s match is entrance and middle for UCLA and UNC Asheville.

The Bruins wish to keep away from one other first-round scare after surviving 57-53 against Akron on the best way to the Candy 16.

The Bulldogs are attempting to repeat the run St. Peter’s went on as a fifteenth seed, making it to the Elite Eight.

“Who wouldn’t wish to be in that scenario? That they had an excellent run final 12 months,” ahead Drew Pember mentioned. “Might we be the Cinderella staff? Solely the Lord is aware of that. It might occur.”

Whereas UNC Asheville has by no means superior past the spherical of 64, they function a lineup that features the college’s all-time main scorer in Tajion Jones and Pember, who averages 21.2 factors.

“They’re not scared,” Bruins guard Tyger Campbell mentioned. “They’re right here for a cause. So we’re going into this sport, we simply acquired to arrange prefer it’s any common sport.”

Howard is the opponent for No. 1 seed Kansas on Thursday, on the five-year anniversary of UMBC’s victory over Virginia that continues to be the one win by a No. 16 seed in a non-play-in sport in NCAA Event historical past.

The Bison would like to be the subsequent one, however they’re enjoying for a much bigger objective because the maybe essentially the most outstanding member of the nation’s Traditionally Black Schools and Universities.

At his information convention in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday, coach Kenneth Blakeney proudly listed the entire faculty’s well-known alumni – from Kamala Harris to Thurgood Marshall – and his efforts to guide his gamers in social justice causes and different experiences off the courtroom.

“I simply actually really feel we’ve got to develop and we’ve got to have well-rounded younger males,” Blakeney mentioned. “If we’re not doing that off the courtroom, then I’m not doing my job.”

Illinois freshman Jayden Epps, who collapsed in observe on Feb. 28 and later was recognized with a concussion, is “good to go” towards Arkansas, Illini coach Brad Underwood mentioned.

Epps missed two video games and performed two minutes and scored three factors in a 79-76 loss to Penn State within the Huge Ten Event final week.

Epps collapsed after he took an elbow to the jaw in observe and was hospitalized in a single day.

UCLA might be with out defensive stopper Jaylen Clark (Achilles) for the match, however might get huge man Adem Bona (shoulder) again after he missed the Pac-12 title sport.

AP Sports activities Writers Dave Campbell and Eric Olson in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report

AP March Insanity protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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