NCAA Tournament

North Texas guard Javion Hamlet posted 24 points, 12 rebounds and five assists as the No. 13 Mean Green upset the No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers 78-69 in overtime on Friday in the first round of the Division I men's basketball NCAA tournament.

The Mean Green scored the first 11 points in the extra session, with senior forward Thomas Bell starting the run with a three-pointer to give North Texas the lead for good.

Hamlet later extended the lead to seven after some excellent work in the post:

Purdue's first overtime points came with 28 seconds left after a Mason Gillis three-pointer, but the Boilermakers were unable to get within seven down the stretch.

Bell scored 16 points for North Texas, which won the first NCAA tournament game in the program's history. Mean Green guard Mardrez McBride added 16 points.

Purdue guard Jaden Ivey paced all scorers with 26 points on 10-of-24 shooting. Junior forward Trevion Williams had 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

North Texas took an early 4-3 lead and never trailed for the remainder of the game.

However, Purdue kept the matchup close and tied it up at 57 with 3:24 remaining in regulation thanks to an Ivey jumper. A Williams steal and dunk and an Ivey layup capped the stretch. 

Ivey was fouled on the layup, but he missed the ensuing free throw.

A McBride two-point jumper gave North Texas the lead back. Bell then blocked a Williams shot attempt and finished on the other end with a layup to give his team a 61-57 edge with 1:29 left.

Williams then responded with back-to-back buckets on consecutive possessions, with the latter hoop tying the game at 61 with 24 seconds remaining in regulation.

North Texas had a chance to win the game at the buzzer after a great inbounds play, but guard James Reese's long two-pointer hit the backboard and rim before falling to the floor.

The Mean Green regrouped in overtime, however, to move onto the second round.

The Boilermakers shot 36.2 percent from the field. Outside Williams and Ivey, Purdue players made just 8-of-30 field goals.

North Texas will now play the winner of Friday's first-round matchup between No. 5 Villanova and No. 12 Winthrop. That second-round matchup will occur Sunday at a to-be-determined time.

Purdue's season ends with the Boilermakers going 18-10.

Even if you're not a basketball fan, there is still something so intriguing about the NCAA tournament. It's a magical month of chaos, unpredictability, announcer catch phrases and mascots. 

For one month every year, the spotlight is fixed on college basketball and other sports don't even try to share it. 

It's been difficult to figure out where college sports fit into the grand scheme of things over the last year, but it became a bit easier when seeing No. 15 Oral Roberts upset No. 2 Ohio State early in the first full day of games. 

There was some understandable ambivalence from fans and students as the men's tournament kicked off. It lacked the buzz of years past. 

Other sports returned and made their presence felt through bubble tournaments and social justice reform, but college basketball flew under the radar. There were no students in the stands and programs went through numerous stops and starts as they dealt with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

There was nothing magic about March 2020. There was madness; oh was there ever madness. But life as we knew it came to a screeching halt when the coronavirus became a global pandemic and we are still struggling to find some normalcy a year later. 

This tournament is anything but normal. There are no cheerleaders or marching bands. This year's contest is being played in a bubble in Indiana. And keeping with the theme of the last 12 months, there are players pushing for reform. 

Players who are unhappy with how the governing body is expected to make $900 million while all they get is a swag bag and a boxed lunch. The night before the 2021 iteration of the Big Dance began the hashtag #NotNCAAProperty began trending thanks to Geo Baker of Rutgers, Isaiah Livers of Michigan and Jordan Bohannon of Iowa. Players from more than a dozen teams and players from other levels of NCAA competition called for name, image and likeness reform. 

The argument is simple. We deserve an opportunity to create money from our name, image, and likeness. If you don't agree with that statement, then you are saying that you believe that I, a human being, should be owned by something else. #NotNCAAProperty pic.twitter.com/BOehxsjruE

— Geo Baker (@Geo_Baker_1) March 18, 2021

And then there is the issue of the grossly uneven conditions of the men's and women's tournament bubbles. The conditions in San Antonio are so bad that Friday, the NCAA's committee on women's athletics asked NCAA president Mark Emmert for an investigation, saying it undermines Title IX protections. 

The social reform and political unrest surrounding the Big Dance will persist as we consume the nostalgic excitement the tournament also offers.

That excitement was on display when Colgate, the No. 14 seed in the South Region, took a first-half lead against No. 3 Arkansas. The Razorbacks eventually prevailed, saving a few brackets from going bust early. No sooner than Arkansas advanced, however, another little guy with a double-digit seed took a powerhouse program into overtime. 

Oral Roberts, a tiny school in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the No. 15 seed in the South Region, was supposed to be the first stepping stone on Ohio State's quest to a title. Instead, they became the ninth No. 15 seed in history to knock off a No. 2 seed, and the first team Middle Tennessee State in 2016 (defeated Michigan State). The Golden Eagles won their first NCAA tournament game since 1974 in thrilling fashion Friday afternoon with a 75-72 overtime victory at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. 

The Buckeyes made only five of the 23 three-pointers they attempted. They missed half of their free throws. They turned the ball over 16 times. 

"We're top 25 in the country at not turning it over, and Ohio State is 336th in the country at causing turnovers. So we knew that we were coming into a game where there wasn't going to be a whole lot of pressure," Oral Roberts coach Paul Mills said in his postgame Zoom press conference. "We do a good job taking care of the ball. That's not their strength. They do a number of things really, really well, obviously, but their strength isn't that they're going to pressure you."

You may not have known Mills' name before Friday, or the name of the former Baylor assistant's star guard, Max Abmas. But all of basketball knows their names now. 

The point guard dropped 29 points on the Buckeyes. He was the leading scorer in Division I prior to the game, so Ohio State knew he would be difficult to contain, but Big Ten teams are expected to contain mid-major conference opponents in the first round. Abmas also grabbed five rebounds, dished three assists and played all 45 minutes of the game. 

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young called Abmas "a problem."

Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann agreed. His sophomore guard CJ Walker had the unfortunate task of guarding him. 

"It was a tough matchup for him defensively because of how we had the switch," Holtmann said in his postgame Zoom press conference. "It was a tough matchup for us, tough matchup for him. He had to expend a lot of energy at the other end. They're really good, and their two players are really good in those pick-and-roll spots."

Kevin Obanor had a double-double with 30 points and 11 rebounds. He also played 45 minutes for the Golden Eagles. 

The celebration on the court was more subdued than it was in living rooms across America. Who doesn't love a good upset in March? Maybe not the legion of Ohio State fans, but they have their prosperity. And Oral Roberts played like it has some too, But the team is more focused on the next game against No. 7 Florida than celebrating its historic victory. 

"I thought we would win. I mean, our guys thought we would win," Mills said. "The reality is, you have to turn around and you're about to play another one. So a celebration better be pretty quick because, if you spend all your time looking back at your marriage day videos, you're probably not going to have a very good marriage. There's other things to get done."

A little while later, No 12 Oregon State eliminated No 5. Tennessee in the Midwest Region. The surprise winners of the Pac-12 Conference tournament won their first NCAA tournament game since 1982. Elsewhere in the same bracket, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the 101-year-old nun that serves as an unofficial mascot of sorts for Loyola-Chicago, was able to attend the No. 8 Ramblers' win over No. 9 Georgia Tech. 

In the nightcap, No. 13 North Texas won their first NCAA tournament game, downing No. 4 Purdue in overtime.

These all served as reminders of why we love sports, why it's so easy to become invested in a tournament full of unknown college kids and why the men's and women's tournaments feel so special. 

Maybe this year we aren't watching the tournament in sports bars or spending hours watching games from sports books in casinos, and students aren't planning caravans to follow their classmates around the country on their hopeful journeys to the Final Four. But if you weren't feeling the nostalgia before Friday's slate of games, you likely are now. 

March Madness, we missed you, and there's nothing like that first big upset of the year to remind us of what we missed.

South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley said the discrepancies between how the NCAA has treated its male and female basketball players at their respective tournaments this year has been "disheartening" and called for "NCAA leadership to reevaluate the value they place on women."

Staley released the following statement on Twitter Friday:

One of the discrepancies between the men and the women at this year's tournaments has been the COVID-19 testing, as UConn head coach Geno Auriemma described Friday:

Jordan Mendoza of USA Today reported that the FDA notes antigen tests have a greater chance of failing to detect an active infection, while Memorial Healthcare has classified the PCR test as the "gold standard" given that it "actually detects RNA (or genetic material) that is specific to the virus and can detect the virus within days of infection, even those who have no symptoms."

The differences didn't stop there. Oregon women's basketball player Sedona Prince and Stanford University sports performance coach Ali Kershner shared images of the difference between the men's substantial weightlifting facilities and the women's small rack of dumbells:

There were also discrepancies in the food served to the men and women and the size of the swag bags given out to the athletes: 

And the NCAA's child care offerings were found to be lacking:

The organizing body has come under heavy scrutiny for its treatment of the women's basketball players at this year's tournament:

"We have intentionally organized basketball under one umbrella, with the goal of consistency and collaboration. When we fall short of these expectations, that's on me," NCAA vice president for basketball Dan Gavitt told reporters Friday. "I apologize to women's basketball student-athletes, to the coaches, to the women's basketball committee for dropping the ball, frankly, on the weight room issue in San Antonio. We'll get it fixed as soon as possible."

A number of prominent figures in the NCAA have apologized for the disparity in amenities provided to teams in the men's and women's basketball tournaments.

Per Connor Bran of NCAA.org, Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president for women's basketball, opened a news conference Friday by addressing the situation.

"As a former women's basketball student-athlete, it's always been my priority to make this event the best possible experience for everyone involved," Holzman said. "We fell short this year in what we've been doing to prepare in the past 60 days for 64 teams to be here in San Antonio."

Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball, also spoke about the disparities:

"We have intentionally organized basketball under one umbrella [at the NCAA] to ensure consistency and collaboration. When we fall short on these expectations, it's on me. I apologize to women's basketball student-athletes, coaches and the women's basketball committee for dropping the ball on the weight rooms in San Antonio."

The NCAA came under fire Thursday after multiple people, including Stanford associate Olympic sports performance coach Ali Kershner and Oregon forward Sedona Prince, showed the differences in amenities for women's teams compared to men's teams:

Earlier in the day, Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post shared an email sent by Suzette McQueen, chair of the NCAA committee on women's athletics, to NCAA President Mark Emmert that called on the organization to "immediately rectify the situation by providing equitable training facilities and services."

Alex Azzi of NBC Sports reported other disparities between the two tournaments, including the food quality and participants' swag bags.

Holzman initially responded to the situation in a statement Thursday that said: "We acknowledge that some of the amenities teams would typically have access to have not been as available inside the controlled environment. In part, this is due to the limited space."

The statement also noted the NCAA was "actively working to enhance existing resources at practice courts, including additional weight training equipment."

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA is holding the men's and women's tournaments in single areas to reduce the amount of travel. The men's event, which began Thursday with the First Four games, is being held in and around Indianapolis.

The women's tournament is being held in San Antonio, Austin and San Marcos, Texas. First-round games will begin Sunday.

If your bracket got busted when 15th-seeded Oral Roberts defeated No. 2 Ohio State in overtime on Friday, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young feels your pain: 

After the game, Young praised Oral Roberts star Max Abmas, who dropped 29 points on 10-of-24 shooting in the win. He hit five of his 10 attempts from three and went four-of-six from the line, adding five rebounds for the Golden Eagles in their first tournament win since 1974. 

Abmas was the nation's leading scorer entering Friday, averaging 24.4 points per game. 

Oral Roberts will go for another upset on Sunday against No. 7 Florida in the second round.

It turns out that a No. 15 seed's beating a No. 2 seed in the Round of 64 does a lot of damage to NCAA tournament brackets.

Per NCAA.com, Oral Roberts' 75-72 overtime victory Friday against Ohio State in the 2021 men's tournament left only 0.42 percent of brackets perfect in the Bracket Challenge Game.

The site didn't specify how many brackets were filled out, but it did note only 4.25 percent of entries picked the Golden Eagles to knock off the Buckeyes.

Prior to Oral Roberts' win, Friday was chalk-heavy. The four games that tipped off in the early afternoon window all went in favor of the higher seeds, though Colgate did give Arkansas problems in the second half before the Razorbacks pulled away.

Ohio State ended the regular season with four straight losses but looked like it figured things out when it made a run to the final of the Big Ten tournament before losing to Illinois in overtime.

Rather than build on that momentum, the Buckeyes committed 15 turnovers and shot 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from three to lose in the first weekend of the tournament for the third straight time under head coach Chris Holtmann.

Oral Roberts became the ninth No. 15 seed to win its opening game. It was the first to accomplish the feat since Middle Tennessee upset Michigan State in 2016.

At least one bettor in Nevada is surely wondering why Ohio State men's basketball head coach Chris Holtmann didn't draw up more plays for E.J. Liddell during Friday's 75-72 loss to Oral Roberts.

Allan Bell of CBS SportsLine noted a bettor in Nevada placed a $100,000 bet on the Buckeyes to win the national championship. The bet, which was made at William Hill US, would have paid out $2 million.

So much for that.

The 15th-seeded Golden Eagles stunned the Big Ten representative behind 30 points from Kevin Obanor and 29 points from Max Abmas. It also didn't help on Ohio State's side that Liddell went 10-of-15 from the field but was largely reduced to a spectator in the final minutes as Duane Washington Jr. shot an ugly 7-of-21 from the floor while forcing poor looks.

Buckeyes fans will surely feel the pain from this shocking loss for a long time but probably not as long as the bettor who could have made millions.

The first upset of this year's NCAA men's tournament is in the books after No. 15 Oral Roberts knocked out No. 2 Ohio State with a 75-72 overtime victory in first-round play Friday.

The Buckeyes looked like they would hold on for the win with a 64-60 advantage with 2:34 left to play, but Kevin Obanor sank four straight from the free-throw line to force overtime. In the extra period, a pair of free throws from the junior with 13 seconds left sealed the win. 

This marks the first upset for a No. 15 seed over a No. 2 seed since 2016, when Middle Tennessee led Michigan State for the entirety of a 90-81 victory. In 2019, No. 15 Colgate had a near-upset against No. 2 Tennessee but fell 77-70. 

It is also the first victory for Oral Roberts in the NCAA tournament since 1974, when the Golden Eagles reached the Elite Eight. 

Obanor ended the day with a game-high 30 points, hitting nine of his 21 attempts from the field and going a perfect 7-of-7 from the line.

His teammate, Max Abmas, who leads the nation in points per game, dropped 29 points, hitting 10-of-24 from the field while going an impressive 50 percent (5-of-10) from deep for the Golden Eagles, who are now 17-10. 

E.J. Liddell posted a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Buckeyes, who bowed out with a final record of 21-10. 

Both teams were neck-and-neck throughout the afternoon, with the Buckeyes never leading by more than eight and Oral Roberts once holding a seven-point lead. The difference came down to the free-throw line, where the Ohio State only hit nine of its 18 attempts compared to 14-of-18 for Oral Roberts.

Ohio State had vital misses from the line at the wire, and Duane Washington Jr. struggled offensively down the stretch. After making a jumper with 3:15 remaining in regulation, Washington missed three two-point attempts, three shots from beyond the arc and a pair of free throws, scoring just three more points on a jump shot and a free throw in overtime. 

Oral Roberts is now moving on to face the No. 7-seeded Florida Gators, which defeated No. 10 Virginia Tech in first-round play Friday.

Ohio State will look ahead to next season, when 4-star recruit Malaki Branham and 3-star power forward Kalen Etzler will join a group that could lose Liddell to the 2021 NBA draft.     

There may not be packed arenas at the NCAA tournament in Indiana, but there's no shortage of VIPs in the crowd this year. 

On Friday, two of college basketball's biggest fans finally got a chance to meet and made an attempt to break the internet. Loyola University Chicago's Sister Jean and Butler Blue IV got to hang out at Hinkle Fieldhouse ahead of the No. 8 Ramblers' opening game against No. 9 Georgia Tech.

At 101 years old—and fully vaccinated—Sister Jean Schmidt was cleared to travel with Loyola and continue her duties as team chaplain three days before the tournament tipped off. 

After making the trip to Indianapolis, she had another famous college basketball star waiting for her. Hopefully, this is just the start of a beautiful friendship.