Lehigh shocks Duke in first round
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Lehigh Mountain Hawks said they weren't afraid of mighty Duke. Maybe no one believed them at the time, but the Patriot League champions proved they were serious.
C.J. McCollum scored 30 points as Lehigh upset Duke, 75-70, in the second round of the South Regional to become the second No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 during a wild Friday in the NCAA Tournament.
"It means a lot as a team, a family and as the Patriot League in general," McCollum said.
Lehigh forward John Adams said it was a matter of believing in each other.
"We saw on the selection show we had Duke and we thought we could match up very well against them," Adams said.
The Mountain Hawks (27-7) are the sixth No. 15 seed to pull off the trick. Norfolk State edged Missouri, 86-84, in the West Regional earlier Friday.
Duke (27-7) dropped its first tournament game for only the second time in the past 16 years, and this one occurred just 55 miles from its campus. The Blue Devils also lost their opener against 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth in 2007.
Duke had no answer for the speedy McCollum, the two-time Patriot League player of the year and the nation's fifth-leading scorer.
"They had the best player on the court tonight in McCollum," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He's been their player of the year, and he's really one of the outstanding players in the country. You could see why tonight."
It didn't help that the Blue Devils shot 6-for-26 from three-point range.
"I've been in it for 37 years and it takes you to incredible highs," Krzyzewski said. "And it also takes you to incredible lows. And tonight's one of those lows. But it wasn't just our doing, they played that well. And again, my hat's off to them."
Xavier 67, Notre Dame 63: Reserve Tu Holloway scored 25 points to lead Xavier (21-12). Trailing by two points and shooting a one-and-one from the line with 2.8 seconds left, Notre Dame (21-12) was called for a lane violation that nullified a made free throw and helped seal the win for Xavier.
