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March Madness 2024 Highlights: Live Tracking Top Plays for Sunday's Round 2 Results

Paul Kasabian

The second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament continued Sunday with eight Sweet Sixteen berths on the line.

Saturday's action featured a few instant classics, including No. 11 North Carolina State holding off No. 14 Oakland in overtime and No. 3 Creighton outlasting No. 11 Oregon in double OT.

Oakland was one of the tournament's notable Cinderellas after taking down Kentucky. While the Golden Grizzlies' run is over, a few other underdog teams still remained heading into Sunday, including No. 13 Yale, No. 12 Grand Canyon and No. 12 James Madison.

Of course, some championship favorites are still in the field, including reigning national champion UConn and No. 1 seed Houston.

They were all in action in Sunday's eight-game slate. Here's a look at all the day's top plays and highlights.

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No. 5 San Diego State 85, No. 13 Yale 57

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First Half

Yale may have been one of the Cinderella stories of the first round, but San Diego State left little doubt about the result of Sunday's game with a dominant first half.

The Aztecs jumped out to an overwhelming 45-21 halftime lead with Jaedon LeDee leading the way with 17 points and seven rebounds by intermission. The Bulldogs had no answer for the big man on the blocks, and San Diego State had plenty of highlights on both ends of the floor in the early going:

Second Half

There was little drama after halftime with the game well in hand, and LeDee continued to dominate:

Yale at least continued to play hard:

It wasn't nearly enough, though, as LeDee posted 26 points and nine rebounds to help his team finish the blowout win.

No. 1 Houston 100, No. 9 Texas A&M 95 (OT)

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First Half

Top-seeded Houston built a 43-38 halftime advantage thanks in large part to the early offensive contributions from Jamal Shead and four three-pointers from Emanuel Sharp.

Yet Texas A&M was hanging tough in a back-and-forth first half that included some impressive finishing around the rim:

Second Half

Both teams found their touch from deep in the early going of the second half:

Shead elevated over everyone for an incredible highlight:

Still, Texas A&M wouldn't just go away:

Yet it seemed like the Cougars had an answer every time the Aggies made a run.

Sharp fittingly provided one of those answers with another three as the No. 1 seed looked to be putting the finishing touches on the win:

However, Texas A&M had one more push in the final two minutes:

And what a push it was, as Andersson Garcia drilled a three at the buzzer to force overtime following a chaotic sequence:

Overtime

With L.J. Cryer and Sharp fouled out, Shead had to do everything for the Cougars in extra time:

Even Shead fouled out in the final seconds, but Ryan Elvin came in ice cold off the bench and connected on a clutch free throw to put Houston up two scores near the end.

It was a memorable moment for an unsung hero after Sharp (30 points and seven three-pointers), Shead (21 points, 10 assists and five rebounds) and Cryer (20 points and four assists) led the way for so long.

No. 1 UConn 75, No. 9 Northwestern 58

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First Half

The reigning-champion UConn Huskies looked as dominant as ever while jumping out to a commanding 40-18 halftime lead against Northwestern.

Donovan Clingan had a double-double (12 points and 11 rebounds) by halftime and was part of an impressive early defensive effort:

Cam Spencer also mixed in some highlights:

Second Half

The second half was essentially a formality, but Clingan continued to play well:

UConn continued to keep Northwestern at bay:

Clingan wasn't the only member of the Huskies with a double-double, as Tristen Newton tallied 20 points and 10 assists as one of three starters in double figures.

Northwestern cut into the lead some in the second half, but the outcome was never in doubt.

No. 4 Alabama 72, No. 12 Grand Canyon 61

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First Half

Alabama jumped out to a 38-30 halftime lead behind 13 points each from Rylan Griffen and Mark Sears.

But the Crimson Tide also turned heads with their defensive effort:

Tyon Grant-Foster did what he could to keep Grand Canyon within striking distance with 12 points by intermission.

Second Half

Halftime did nothing to cool off the Crimson Tide:

Yet Grand Canyon didn't go away even as both teams exchanged incredible defensive plays while the pace accelerated:

Sticking around turned into tying the game and eventually taking the lead as Grant-Foster continued to cause problems for the Alabama defense:

But Alabama answered right back:

The Crimson Tide eventually took over down the stretch with their ball movement proving too much for the underdogs:

Grant-Foster ended up with 29 points for Grand Canyon, but he was the only one in double figures on his side. Sears posted 26 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals in a dominant all-around performance.

No. 6 Clemson 72, No. 3 Baylor 64

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First Half

Clemson guard Chase Hunter hit a clutch three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Tigers a 35-25 halftime lead over Baylor:

Hunter finished the first half with a game-high 11 points thanks in part to a trio of threes, including this one here for a 28-22 edge with just under four minutes left:

As a team, Clemson made 6-of-11 threes before halftime.

Baylor's top highlight was courtesy of center Yves Missi, who authored this putback slam to cut the Clemson lead to 25-22:

However, Clemson closed on a 10-3 run to go up 10 at the break.

Second Half

RJ Godfrey and PJ Hall helped the Tigers maintain their lead with dunks:

Yet Ja'Kobe Walter and RayJ Dennis made sure the Bears stayed within striking distance:

Baylor continued to cut away at what was once a commanding lead:

Dennis got it done on both ends:

However, the comeback efforts stalled on the free-throw line. Walter had a chance to tie it in the final minute but missed two straight from the charity stripe, while Godfrey and Joseph Girard III iced the game for Clemson with their own free throws.

Hunter ended up leading the way for Clemson with 20 points and six assists, which helped overcome 27 points, six rebounds and three steals from Dennis.

No. 4 Duke 93, No. 12 James Madison 55

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First Half

Blue Devils guard Jared McCain nearly outscored James Madison by himself in the first half, scoring 22 points to the Dukes' 25.

Duke led 47-25 at the break and got it done on the defensive end as well with five steals and two blocks, one courtesy of Mark Mitchell:

Second Half

Duke kept pouring it on in the second half, outscoring JMU 46-30 en route to the 38-point win. McCain ended up with 30 points (8-of-11 from three):

JMU did have its moments, like when Noah Friedel stuffed Mitchell:

But Duke was too strong on both ends. Mitchell's steal and lob to Sean Stewart put the bow on this one:

No. 1 Purdue 106, No. 8 Utah State 67

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First Half

After dropping 30 points and 21 rebounds in the first round, the Zach Edey show continued for Purdue in Round 2. The big man posted 21 points and 11 boards in the first half alone.

The rest of the Boilermakers got in on the action, though.

The bank was notably open for Lance Jones, whose late three gave Purdue a 49-33 lead at the break:

Second Half

Purdue continued to pour it on in the second half, scoring 57 points. This Trey Kaufman-Renn dunk gave the Boilermakers a 56-33 advantage:

Edey continued doing damage down low:

The onslaught continued in the second half as Myles Colvin hit a three to put Purdue up 41:

By the time the game was over, Edey joined some elite company, and this Purdue team set a school NCAA tournament record:

No. 2 Marquette 81, No. 10 Colorado 77

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First Half

Kam Jones led Marquette with 16 points at the break thanks in part to four three-pointers, three of which can be seen below. The last one gave Marquette a 45-34 halftime edge.

Chase Ross also scored six off the bench, including this transition bucket:

Second Half

Colorado wouldn't go away, starting the second half on a 10-2 run capped by a KJ Simpson three-pointer:

Colorado later took a 55-54 lead, but Marquette stormed right back and took a 62-57 lead thanks to this David Joplin slam:

From there, CU and Marquette traded blows. This layup from Tristan da Silva tied the game at 64:

Marquette pulled ahead again, but Colorado tied it again courtesy of a da Silva three with four minutes remaining:

However, Marquette was too tough down the stretch, while Colorado missed some wide-open threes. Ross and Tyler Kolek got it done for the Golden Eagles.

   

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