The second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament continued on Friday and featured upsets, close games and expected victories--the usual for March Madness.
Perhaps the most exciting game on Friday was No. 8 George Mason rallying to defeat No. 9 Villanova. The Patriots were down six points at halftime, but outscored the Wildcats by 10 points in the second half to pull off the 61-57 victory. Luke Hancock hit a pivotal three with 20 seconds left to put the Patriots in the lead and Mike Morrison added a dunk to make the lead just a bit wider.
No. 8 Michigan destroyed No. 9 Tennessee with a 30-point victory, 75-45. The Wolverines Zack Novak scored 14 points and pulled down 10 boards. With Tennessee's season over, head coach Bruce Pearl's future with the program must be decided.
No. 10 Florida State upset No. 7 Texas A&M, 57-50, for its first win the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Derwin Kitchen scored 15 points for the Seminoles, grabbed seven boards and stole the ball twice.
No. 5 Arizona fended off No. 12 Memphis, 77-75, when Derrick Williams blocked the game-tying Memphis shot with only seconds left in the game. Williams finished the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
No. 11 Marquette sent No. 6 Xavier home following their 66-55 victory. Marquette did it by keeping Tu Holloway, the Musketeer's leading scorer at 20.2 points, to only five points and a combined 34 points by Darius Johnson-Odom and Jimmy Butler.
Duke, Kansas and Ohio State, all No. 1s, advanced to the next round. North Carolina (2 seed), Notre Dame (2), Purdue (3), and Texas (4) all advanced. In late game action, No. 9 Illinois defeated No. 8 UNLV.
And make sure you visit SB Nation each morning for an updated printable 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket. That way, if you want to predict the games each day because your bracket has already been ruined, SB Nation has you covered.