2024 March Madness Tournament West Region Day Three Results
The Round of 32 began Saturday with a West region game, as the second-seeded Arizona Wildcats faced off against the seventh-seeded Dayton Flyers. After Dayton scored the first bucket of the game, the Wildcats matched and did not trail for the remainder of the game, winning by a score of 78-68. Arizona led by as many as 17 with just a few minutes left in the first half, but the Flyers went on a monumental 10-0 run to head into the break down just seven points and within striking distance. They cut it to just four points five minutes into the second half, but the Wildcats clamped down and were able to regain control of the game.
Arizona senior guard Caleb Love led the way for the Wildcats with 19 points and five assists, while guard Pelle Larsson dropped 13 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Four Wildcats reached double-figures in scoring, and they were able to shoot 8/18 (44%) as a team from the three-point line. The Flyers heavily relied on their star big man DaRon Holmes II for offensive output, and he delivered with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double. The Wildcats move on as the first team to the Sweet 16, and they will have a matchup against the winner of Baylor and Clemson.
The West’s top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels kicked off next against the ninth-seeded Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans came into the matchup 0-5 all-time against the Tar Heels in the NCAA tournament, and they added to that figure with a defeat by a score of 85-69. Michigan State came out of the gates hot, going up 26-14 midway through the first half. The Tar Heels, with their backs against the wall, showed why they are a top-seeded team, going on a 26-5 run to end the half up by nine points.
North Carolina senior guard RJ Davis paced the Tar Heels with 20 points on 7/15 from the field. Center Armando Bacot missed out on recording his sixth straight double-double in the NCAA tournament, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds. The Spartans were led by guard Tyson Walker who dropped 24 points, and forward Malik Hall who chipped in 17 points and nine rebounds. The Tar Heels secure a trip to the Sweet 16, where they will play the winner of Alabama and Grand Canyon.
