UCLA fend off Akron in NCAA Tournament opener.
The crowd’s attention was drawn to the ceiling of the arena when UCLA took the field for warmups on Thursday night. The jumbotron was filled with people watching No. 2 seed Kentucky lose in overtime to No. 15 Saint Peter’s halfway across the country.
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When Saint Peter’s was declared the winner, the 15,000 people in attendance at the Moda Center erupted in applause. The pinnacle of what makes March Madness so entertaining had unfurled right before their eyes, but it was all virtual.
FINAL: Akron beats Kent State 75-55 and is headed to the NCAA men's basketball tournament for the first time in nine years!! #MACtion #MarchMadness
FULL RECAP: https://t.co/uJ3zDkJO3U pic.twitter.com/4m1xFAraCK
— WKYC 3News (@wkyc) March 13, 2022
Perhaps it was a prediction. The crowd was on the verge of witnessing an upset of another of college basketball’s blue-blood institutions in person.
Fourth-seeded UCLA rallied for a 57-53 victory over 13th-seeded Akron in their NCAA Tournament opening, thanks to Tyger Campbell.
With 2:26 left, Campbell’s initial 3-pointer from the corner pulled UCLA within 51-50, and he added a mid-range jumper and a 25-foot 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to give UCLA a 55-51 lead with 1:17 left.
Despite Campbell’s hot hand, the Bruins had to sweat out the closing seconds after a missed free throw and a missed jumper by Jaquez with 15 seconds left. Ali Ali of Akron went to the basket for a possible game-tying opportunity, but he didn’t get a clear look, and Cody Riley blocked the attempt before Johnny Juzang grabbed the rebound and was fouled.
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