There is no matchup in the NCAA Tournament that is more popular for upset picks than the 5-12, where just about every year at least one 12-seed advances to the second round and takes plenty of brackets down in the process.
On Thursday, we got two such games as both Iowa and UConn were taken down by their 12-seeded opponents, with Richmond edging out Iowa in the afternoon window before New Mexico State went just about wire-to-wire on the Huskies. It was a hideous start for both teams in Buffalo, as UConn led 6-5 at the under-12 media timeout, but eventually, the Aggies started to find their footing and took control of the game, leading 32-22 at the halftime break.
In the second half, they extend that lead out to as many as 14, as Teddy Allen etched his name in March Madness lore with a herculean effort to lead the Aggies. Allen scored 37 of New Mexico State’s 69 points in what ended up being a 69-63 win, going 10-of-24 from the floor and creating some tough buckets as he had a sensational night against the Huskies.
12-seed Aggies with a double-digit lead at the half
Teddy Allen has 14 to lead all scorers #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/PCEW0PLvuV
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022
On the other side, UConn’s RJ Cole started to cook a little bit, finishing the night with 20 points, as the Huskies mounted a run to cut into the New Mexico State lead, getting it down to one on this three-pointer with under seven minutes to play and eventually tying it up at 52-52 with just over five minutes on the clock.
R.J. Cole with the triple to cut it to one
Tight finish coming in Buffalo @UConnMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/CckTWwSAYh
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022
However, they simply didn’t have answers for Allen, who made some tough buckets and attacked the UConn defense to get himself to the line throughout the close of the game, scoring the final 14 points of the game for the Aggies to close out the win, headlined by a go-ahead three with the game tied at 58-58 with under two minutes to play, and an and-1 bucket to go up six with 30 seconds to play.
Teddy Allen from deep for the lead
He has 28 and counting!@nmstatembb #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/tQ0NS70f7F
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022
TEDDY ALLEN.
CLUTCH GENE#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/GF0hhedY9J
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022
The Aggies will face the winner of Arkansas-Vermont on Saturday, as they make their first trip to the second round since 1993. For UConn, it’s a gutting way to go out on a night where they simply could not get their offense going, shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three-point range.
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