Friday’s NCAA men’s tournament takeaways: SEC’s struggles have commissioner eating his words

The conclusion of the second day of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, much like day one, had its fair share of thrills and upset wins to set up an exciting Round of 32. Here are some takeaways from Friday’s action. 

1. SEC team’s first-round struggles have commissioner eating his words  

No. 4-seeded Auburn capped off a lackluster first round for SEC teams, falling in a stunner, 78-76, to No. 13 Yale. Of the eight teams from the conference to qualify, only three will advance to the Round of 32 in No. 2 Tennessee, No. 4 Alabama and No. 9 Texas A&M. Meanwhile, of the five teams eliminated, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 6 South Carolina, No. 7 Florida and No. 8 Mississippi State were all the higher seed. 

The disappointing first-round performance comes roughly a week after SEC commissioner Greg Sankey called for eliminating automatic bids. In the 2024 tournament alone, several qualifiers from smaller leagues have advanced, including No. 14 Oakland and No. 13 Yale, who did so against SEC teams. 

2. Indecision late in OT loss to No. 9 Northwestern will haunt No. 8 Florida Atlantic  

While the sting from the shocking loss isn’t likely to subside anytime soon, the final seconds of Friday’s first-round matchup may haunt the Owls even longer. After Northwestern had tied the score 58-58 with 8.1 seconds remaining, FAU had a chance at the final look in regulation. However, instead of talking things over and drawing up a play, head coach Dusty May opted to keep the team’s final timeout in his pocket. Then, guard Johnell Davis dribbled up the floor with little urgency before taking a deep, contested three-pointer that fell well short, forcing overtime. 

Northwestern rode the momentum in OT, outscoring FAU 19-7 in the extra session to punch its ticket to the second round with a 77-65 win. Meanwhile, only a year removed from an improbable run to the Final Four, the Owls’ season is over in the blink of an eye, proving once again how volatile “March Madness” can be.  

3. Pac-12 is going out with a bang

While most of the SEC and Mountain West conference representatives fell short in the opening round, the Pac-12 thrived. Following No. 10 Colorado’s win over No. 7 Florida, the conference clinched an undefeated 4-0 mark. Meanwhile, two of the four wins were upsets. The Gators join No. 7 Washington State, No. Arizona and No. 1 Oregon in the Round of 32. 

Of the remaining Pac-12 teams, Arizona will likely be the only team favored in the second round. However, they’re showing some serious fights in the conference’s final season. 

4. Clemson’s win over New Mexico denies historic NCAA Tournament history

No. 6 Clemson may have busted a few brackets around the country after a 77-56 first-round victory over No. 11 New Mexico, a popular upset pick. But, they also avoided dubious history. 

If the Tigers had lost, it would’ve marked only the second time in tournament history that all four No. 11 seeds advanced. The one and only time each team won a first-round matchup came in 1989. Instead, Clemson lives to play another day, drawing a tough second-round matchup with No. 3 Baylor on Saturday. 

5. San Diego State continues to be the Mountain West standout 

A record six Mountain West teams qualified for this year’s NCAA Tournament, but San Diego State, as it has for the past few years, remains the class of the conference. On Friday, the Aztecs survived a scare from No. 12 UAB, winning 69-65 to advance to the second round. Before Utah State’s first-round matchup against TCU, San Diego State was the only team from the conference moving on. Nevada and Colorado, both No. 10 seeds, were eliminated, along with Boise State, who fell short of a bid among the First Four. Since 2019, the rest of the Mountain West is just 1-13 in March.