Marquette was a hot pick to fall to Davidson out of the East region. When their main weapon, point guard Vander Blue, gets his looks, Buzz Williams' squad usually rolls. When he doesn't, a team like Davidson leads by seven with just over a minute to go.
Blue wasn't to be denied though. After Davidson threw the ball out of bounds trying to break the press, Blue drove to the hoop and had a layup for the game-winner.
Davidson will feel like they lost that one because giving Blue that look, or any look, was criminal. But, in the end, one of the best players in the country took his team to the next round, scoring seven of their last 11. Sometimes, in March, it's that simple.
As for Butler, their 68-56 victory looks solid on paper, and it should have been, but Bucknell was in this game until the last couple of minutes. Butler led 21-14 after a snoozer of a first half. Both teams lit up the scoreboard in the second, and Bucknell took the lead after a 19-2 run. It didn't last. Rotnei Clarke scored 11 of his 17 in the final 8:44 to lead Butler out of a six-point hole as Bucknell went cold. Butler hit their free throws and moved on.
Cal and UNLV faced off in a rematch of their December clash — which ended on Qunitrell Thomas' last-second putback — and this game lived up to the billing. Though there weren't any last-ditch efforts, they fought until the final minute. Cal scored eight straight points on dunks, and UNLV went on an ice cold 0-15 run that included this miss.
Cal missed six three throws at the end, almost allowing UNLV to comeback in the final seconds. Anthony Bennett's efforts weren't enough and Cal walked away the winner, 64-61. Better luck next year.
(h/t: Bleacher Report and SBNation)
