Another double-digit seed has pulled off an upset in the NCAA men’s tournament. This time it was Colorado State taking down Memphis 78-70 Friday in their first-round game in Memphis.
Most of the first half was back-and-forth, with the Tigers going to the break ahead 36-31. But the Rams, who made the field by winning their last 10 games including the Mountain West tournament, got hot out of the break. They used an 16-4 run midway through the second half to take the lead they’d hold onto the rest of the way.
Nique Clifford has been the star for Colorado State, but the senior guard didn’t have his best day shooting. Luckily, he got some help from sophomore guard Kyan Evans, who made six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 23 points.
Memphis was carried by Dain Dainja and Colby Rogers in the first half with 27 combined points, but neither player was able to sustain the success in the second half and the rest of the team struggled. The Tigers shot under 35% in the second half.
It was clear Memphis missed its star guard Tyrese Hunter, who didn’t play after he suffered a left foot injury last week in the American Athletic Conference tournament. He averaged 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for Memphis and was a lethal 3-point shooter. Memphis was 4-for-13 from 3-point land on Friday, only the third time this season the Tigers failed to make at least five 3-pointers.
The win continued Colorado State’s impressive run in March with now 11 consecutive victories. It also marked the second-straight year the Rams won an NCAA Tournament game, the first time in school history. The Rams will also advance to the second round for the first time since 2013.
For Memphis, the struggles to get out of the first weekend continue under Penny Hardaway. The Tigers are 1-3 in March Madness under Hardaway and haven’t been to the Sweet 16 since 2009, and the No. 5 seed this year was the best since that 2008-09 campaign. It also was the first time Memphis lost to a double-digit seeded team since 2003.
Colorado State is the fourth team seed No. 10 or higher to win in the first round following victories by No. 12 McNeese State, No. 11 Drake and No. 10 Arkansas on Thursday.