USC defeats SMU in a buzzer-beater, marking one of few NCAA first round upsets

USC at NCAA Round 1 game Friday
(Image credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament came to an end Friday with few upsets or surprises. An exception was the game between No. 11 USC and No. 6 SMU. USC rallied from a 15-point deficit at halftime to win by 1 point in a buzzer-beater, 66-65.

Though No. 7 South Carolina and No. 10 Marquette were close for most of the game, South Carolina pulled out a win, 93-73. No. 3 UCLA sailed to a win over No. 14 Kent State, 97-80, and No. 2 Kentucky rallied after a tight first half to defeat No. 15 Northern Kentucky, 79-70. No. 9 Michigan State beat No. 8 Miami (Fla.), 78-58; No. 10 Wichita State bested No. 7 Dayton, 64-58; and No. 7 Michigan defeated No. 10 Oklahoma State by 1 point, 92-91.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us