2022 NCAA Men’s Tournament Top Moments: Arizona holds on

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The final day of the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is underway.

Tipping things off Sunday, No. 5 Houston put on a defensive showcase vs. No. 4 Illinois in Pittsburgh, while No. 2 Villanova staved off No. 7 Ohio State’s late comeback attempt. Following that, No. 2 Duke squeaked by No. 7 Michigan State in a battle of legendary coaches.

Then, the tournament was hit with another upset, as No. 10 Miami took down 2-seed Auburn.

To close out the night No. 1 Arizona and No. 9 TCU delivered an instant classic, with Arizona outlasting TCU in overtime to advance to the Sweet 16.

Here are the top moments from Sunday’s Round of 32 games.

No. 1 Arizona 85, No. 9 TCU 80, OT

Hot start

Baylor was the first No. 1 seed to fall victim to an upset this weekend, and judging by TCU’s start, Arizona was going to have to fight to avoid the same fate.

No mercy

Whatever frustrations Eddie Lampkin might have had, he took them out on the rim to tie the game.

At the half, Arizona held a narrow 39-36 lead over TCU.

Upset alert?

The Horned Frogs had no plans to go away and regained the lead early in the second half.

Raise the roof

Bennedict Mathurin had other plans in mind, reminding the Horned Frogs why he is the best player on one of the best teams in America.

Back and forth we go

Midway through the second half, it appeared as if Arizona finally was beginning to impose its will on TCU, taking an eight-point lead and holding all the momentum.

But TCU didn’t back down, responding with a run of its own to stay right with the Wildcats.

Free basketball

Trailing by three points with under a minute left, Mathurin came through when it mattered the most for Arizona, draining a 3-pointer to tie the game.

Arizona would get a stop on the ensuing TCU possession, almost winning the game in regulation, but the Wildcats weren’t able to get a shot off in time and the game headed to overtime.

In the end, Arizona and Mathurin would prove to be too much for TCU, with the sophomore guard scoring a season-high 30 points to lead Arizona into the Sweet 16.

No. 3 Purdue 81, No. 6 Texas 71

Something about March

Maybe teams should start being rewarded with more than two points if they start a game with an alley-oop. It’s becoming a common occurrence in this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Ivey’s league

Jaden Ivey is usually the most athletic player on the floor, and that was the case early against Texas, evidenced by this chase-down block.

Heating up

Purdue created a comfortable lead midway through the first half thanks to some hot shooting from downtown.

Clawing back

Purdue might have jumped out to a double-digit lead, but Texas wasn’t going to just lay down. The Longhorns battled back to cut the Purdue lead to six, trailing 36-30 at halftime.

Can’t measure heart

Whatever Dylan Disu lacked in height against Zach Edey, he made up for with heart on these two blocks.

Disu turned right around and made an impact on the offensive end as well.

You can’t teach that

Some things Ivey does on the court just can’t be taught. You either have it or you don’t.

Coming through in the clutch

As always, the Purdue offense is running through Ivey down the stretch, and that has proven to be a winning formula all season.

One more for good measure.

Ivey’s heroic efforts propelled Purdue to the win, pushing the Boilermakers into the second weekend.

No. 2 Duke 85, No. 7 Michigan State 76

Blocks galore

Michigan State kept it close early on, and that was sparked largely by their staunch defense, which included four blocks in the first 10 minutes.

Raining 3s

The Spartans kept things close thanks to some hot shooting from long range.

Packing a punch

This wouldn’t be the first time that somebody with the name Tyson showed signs of fight in a big moment — look at Tyson Walker catch fire for the Spartans in the second half.

Michigan State battled and tried for the upset bid, but in the end it was too much Duke. Coach K and the Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet 16.

After the game, Coach K was all smiles when discussing the win and even commenting on a chest bump between him and his sophomore point guard Jeremy Roach.

No. 10 Miami (FL) 79, No. 2 Auburn 61

Right off the bat

The Hurricanes started the game in style, with the first two points of the game coming on an alley-oop.

Look out below

Traffic doesn’t exist for Devan Cambridge, he can just fly over the top of it.

POSTER ALERT!

Isaiah Wong is only 6-3, but he finished this dunk over the 6-10 Jabari Smith.

This play helped Miami carry a 33-32 lead into the half over Auburn.

Get out and run

The second half was more of the same for the Hurricanes. They continued to get out in transition and finish above the rim.

Shutting the door

Miami proved to be too much for Auburn in the second half, overwhelming the Tigers with its defense and efficient offense.

Miami cruised to a 79-61 win, giving the ACC three teams in the Sweet 16 field. In the process, Jim Larrañaga saved the world from having to see Charles Barkley topless.

No. 5 Houston 68, No. 4 Illinois 53

Levitate!

The Cougars’ aggressive style paid dividends early, and they were able to turn defense to offense on multiple possessions to start the game.

On one of their defensive gems, Jamal Shead leapt in front of an inbounds pass, and found a streaking Taze Moore, who floated to the rack for an easy deuce.

Not today!

Remember that stingy Cougars defense?

It really is about that life, as is Reggie Chaney, who sent this one into the stands.

At the horn

Houston got out to a 23-13 advantage in the game’s early stages, but the Fighting Illini fought back valiantly, closing the gap by sinking five of their last six shots in the first half, which included this cold-blooded pull-up 3 from Trent Frazier to beat the buzzer.

Houston led 30-26 at the half.

Game of inches

Defense, defense, and more defense from the Cougs.

How about this magnificent save from Fabian White Jr. to Moore? The heroic play was critical in helping Houston stretch its lead to double-digits, as it sealed its third consecutive trip to the Sweet Sixteen.

And coach Kelvin Sampson was loving every bit of it.

No. 2 Villanova 71, No. 7 Ohio State 61

Logo 3!

How far is too far for Ohio State’s Meechie Johnson Jr.? The world may never know.

See one, raise one

He won the Big East’s Player of the Year award for a reason. Collin Gillespie has ice in his veins, and he flashed his clutch gene with a pivotal 3-pointer to preserve the Wildcats’ lead late in the second half.

Battle-tested

These are the moments that Jay Wright has prepared his team for, and ‘Nova’s late-game moxie helped carry it over the hump, despite a barrage of charges from the Buckeyes.

Eric Dixon cut the wind from his opponent’s sails with 1:35 to play, knocking down the game-sealing 3 to send the Wildcats to their third consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance.

No. 11 Iowa State 54, No. 3 Wisconsin 49

Rising to the occasion

George Conditt cleaned up on the glass, and it led to him throwing down a huge dunk to give Iowa State an early lead.

Too soft

Chris Vogt isn’t letting opponents score at the rim if they aren’t going iup stronger than this.

Stealing momentum

Want to carry all the momentum into halftime? Hit a huge buzzer-beater to take the lead as the clock expires, that’ll do the trick.

Finishing touches

Iowa State rode its defense to the finish line, outlasting Wisconsin and advancing to the Sweet 16.

No. 3 Texas Tech 59, No. 11 Notre Dame 53

No help needed

Three defenders and zero problems for Notre Dame guard Blake Wesley when it comes to scoring.

Signs of life

If Notre Dame was going to go down, it was going to do down swinging. The Fighting Irish constantly responded to each run by Texas Tech.

Taking the lead

Notre Dame’s grit and determination eventually helped it pull ahead and take the lead in the second half.

Stops down the stretch

After Notre Dame made its run to take the lead, it was Texas Tech’s turn. The Red Raiders used their defense to get back in front, ultimately taking the lead for good and winning 59-53 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years.