NCAA Tournament: No. 2 Duke falls to South Carolina 88-81

A Duke player tries to make a slam dunk.

(Image credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

published 20 March 2017

In a stunning upset, No. 7 South Carolina defeated No. 2 Duke 88-81 Sunday, in the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The victorious Gamecocks were led by Sindarius Thornwell, who had 24 points, six rebounds, and five assists. This is the first time since the Blue Devils lost to Mercer in 2014 that the team has not made it past the first weekend of tournament play. South Carolina will face No. 3 Baylor in the Sweet 16.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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