CBB: Abilene Christian, Loyola pull off major upsets

14-seed Abilene Christian (24-4) upset 3-seed Texas (19-8) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Wildcats came away with a 53-52 win after coming in as 8-point underdogs. Texas led by five points at halftime but struggled to score for most of the second half. Andrew Jones gave the Longhorns a one-point lead on a wing 3-pointer with 13.8 seconds remaining, only for Matt Coleman to be called for a foul on a rebound with 1.2 seconds to go. Joe Pleasant knocked down a pair of clutch free throws and then stole the inbounds pass to seal the win for Abilene Christian. Pleasant and Coryon Mason led the Wildcats with 11 points each.

Reggie Miller contributed seven points and seven rebounds. Jones scored a game-high 13 points and five assists for the Longhorns. Kai Jones and Jericho Sims combined for 21 points and 14 rebounds in the loss. Matt Coleman had nine points, three rebounds, and two assists in what is likely his final game in Austin. Abilene Christian was able to get the job done because of a noticeable advantage on the glass (36-31 rebounds, 18-5 offensive rebounds), to go along with Texas’ most turnovers (23) since 2012 (23). The Wildcats become just the 22nd team to upset a 3-seed in the Round of 64, and they'll advance to play UCLA on Monday. Texas has their season come to a shocking end after winning the Big 12 Tournament title a week ago.

8-seed Loyola-Chicago (26-4) surprised a lot of people with an upset against 1-seed Illinois (24-7) on Sunday, March 21 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Ramblers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, winning 71-58 behind Cameron Krutwig’s 19 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists on 9/18 shooting from the field. Lucas Williamson, fellow senior, added 14 points and two rebounds. Marquise Kennedy, sophomore out of Chicago, had 10 points and three rebounds off the bench. Kofi Cockburn was outplayed by Krutwig but still matched his productivity with a game-high 21 points and nine boards. Adam Miller had 10 points on 2/4 shooting from 3-point range.

Ayo Dosunmu struggled in what will likely be his last game at Illinois, scoring just nine points and two assists on 40% shooting from the field. The Fighting Illini, who were 7-point favorites prior to tip, trailed the entire 40 minutes. Loyola-Chicago advances to the Sweet 16 for the second time in the last four years, where they’ll take on 12-seed Oregon State on Saturday night. Illinois, similarly to Texas, is eliminated just days after being crowned conference tournament champions. Other games that went on at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night included Creighton’s thrilling 63-62 win over UCSB and Oklahoma's 72-68 victory versus Missouri, while the Oregon game was cancelled after a positive test within VCU's program.

Photo Credit: Mid-Major Madness.