Upsets continue in NCAA tournaments as BYU and Oregon spring surprises

There were upsets in both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments on Monday as BYU and Oregon won their games.

Paisley Harding, with 28 points, was the star for the No 11 seed Cougars as they ended the hopes of Rutgers in a 69-66 victory.

Arella Guirantes had 30 points for Rutgers and was in tears as she assessed the loss. “It hurts,” she said. “But I know everything happens for a reason. I’m going to take my time to be sad about it, but I know there’s more for me.”

In the men’s tournament, Chris Duarte scored 23 points and Oregon showed no signs of rust after a long layoff, beating No 2 seed Iowa 95-80 to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five NCAA tournaments.

The seventh-seed Ducks were put in an unprecedented spot, advancing to the West Region’s second round without playing a game. Virginia Commonwealth’s multiple positive Covid-19 tests took care of that, leaving Oregon with a nine-day break since losing in the Pac-12 Tournament title game.

For Iowa, Luka Garza capped his stellar college career with 36 points and nine rebounds before receiving a nice ovation from the limited crowd allowed in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

source: theguardian.com