Games 759-760: First round continues

760 - (16) Iona vs. (1) North Carolina
NCAA Tournament first round
March 22 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
CBS

759 - (14) Georgia State vs. (3) Houston
NCAA Tournament first round
March 23 at BOK Center in Tulsa, OK
TBS

A single-elimination tournament can be quite cruel.

GSU (24-10) had its worst shooting performance at the worst time as Houston ran away in the second half and won 84-55.

The Panthers, in the tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history, hit a season-low 30% from the field and after setting a school-record for three-point field goals, made just six of their 23 attempts from behind the arc against a really good Houston defense.

In their final collegiate games, Devin Mitchell scored 12 points, including a pair of threes, Jeff Thomas had just five points on 2-of-10 shooting, Jordan Tyson grabbed five rebounds in 15 minutes and Sun Belt Tournament MVP Malik Benlevi was never a factor and finished with as many personal fouls (4) as points and rebounds.

In what could've been his final game at the college level, junior D'Marcus Simonds led the way with 18 points. We'll see if Simonds declares for the NBA Draft or returns for his senior season.

Houston's Corey Davis led all scorers with 26 points, including seven 3-pointers. GSU couldn't stop Davis in the first half, and really not much of anything throughout the night. Houston (32-3) shot 51% from the field in each half and had an absurd 51-27 rebounding advantage that felt like 151-27.