The first four games of the 2021 NCAA Tournament featured four teams recovering from double-digit deficits, with three of them closing the deal for impressive wins to advance to the first round games on Saturday. The most visible game of the night belonged to Michigan State and UCLA, with the Bruins recovering from an 11-point handicap in the interval to win 86-80 in overtime.
The Appalachian State held the biggest rally of the night to take the lead in the second half, after losing by 19 in the first half. But the Mountaineers ended up losing 54-53 to the state of Norfolk. The Mountaineers made only 6 of 36 attempts with a 3-point gap in defeat, while Norfolk State advanced to face Gonzaga, number 1 in the overall standings, in the first round on Saturday.
Texas Southern number 16 and Drake number 11 advanced each of the First Four, staying on after their own big twists. Drake’s 53-52 victory over Wichita State was particularly dramatic, as the Bulldogs survived to win when Alterique Gilbert’s 3-point attempt in the last second failed the bell for Wichita State.
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In the first game of the night, Texas Southern advanced to face Michigan’s No. 1 on Saturday due to a 60-52 victory over Mount St. Mary’s after the Tigers lost 30-20 at halftime. The win is the first NCAA tournament coach win for Texas Southern third-year coach Johnny Jones, an industry veteran who was already in Big Dance as a coach for North Texas and LSU.
First Four Program, scores
- (16) Texas Southern 60, Mount St. Mary’s 52 – Review
- (11) Drake 53, (11) Wichita State 52 – Recap
- (16) Norfolk State 54, (16) Appalachian State 53 – Recap
- (11) UCLA 86, (11) Michigan State 80 – Review