The first four games of the NCAA Tournament in 2021 had four teams pulling together with double-digit deficits. The most sensational game of the evening belonged to the state of Michigan and UCLA when the Bruins roared back from a halftime deficit of 11 points to win 86-80 in overtime.
Appalachian State hosted the night’s biggest rally of the night to take a second lead after trailing by 19 in the first half. But the Mountaineers eventually fell short and lost 54-53 to Norfolk State. The Mountaineers made just 6 out of 36 attempts from three points in the loss when Norfolk State advanced on Saturday to play number one overall seeded Gonzaga in a first round.
Nr. 16-seed Texas Southern and no. 11-seed Drake each progressed from the First Four by holding on to their own big return. Drake’s 53-52 victory over Wichita State was particularly dramatic as the Bulldogs survived to win when Alterique Gilbert’s last second three-point attempt at the buzzer for Wichita State fell short.
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In the first game of the evening, Texas Southern advanced to play the number one seeded Michigan on Saturday based on a 60-52 victory over Mount St. Mary’s after the Tigers were 30-20 behind at halftime. The win is the first NCAA Tournament coaching victory for Texas Southern third-year coach Johnny Jones, a veteran in the industry who previously coached North Texas and LSU in the Big Dance.
First Four schedule, scores
- (16) Texas Southern 60, Mount St. Mary’s 52 – Summary
- (11) Drake 53, (11) Wichita State 52 – Summary
- (16) Norfolk State 54, (16) Appalachian State 53 – Summary
- (11) UCLA 86, (11) Michigan State 80 – Summary