The NCAA Tournament field is officially down to 64 teams after First Four action in Dayton concluded Wednesday with a down-to-the-wire contest that saw Notre Dame escape in double overtime with an 89-87 win over Rutgers. The Fighting Irish with the win clinched the No. 11 seed in the vaunted West Region of the bracket, where it advances to face No. 6 seed Alabama on Friday in the First Round.
Notre Dame was led by 26 points from Paul Atkinson, who fittingly delivered the dagger with a go-ahead shot in the second overtime just before time expired. Rutgers defensive star Caleb McConnell led the way for the Scarlet Knights with 23 points and 11 boards, and Ron Harper Jr., who hit a number of clutch shots in the game, added 22 points.
Wednesday's first game -- what was the penultimate First Four game of the tourney -- between Bryant and Wright State was won by the latter after Tanner Holden scorched Bryant's defense to the tune of 37 points. It was Wright State's first NCAA Tournament win in program history. The Raiders, a No. 16 seed, will face No. 1 seed Arizona in the South Region on Friday.
The basketball gods will waste no time eliminating more teams from the field beginning early on Thursday. First Round action begins just after noon on CBS between No. 6 seed Colorado State and Michigan. It concludes late Friday night before Second Round action on Saturday and Sunday.
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First Four scores
Wednesday, March 16