It was the Teddy “Buckets” Allen show as New Mexico State delivered a 70–63 upset of Connecticut in first round action of the men’s NCAA tournament on Thursday.
Allen made a steal shortly after the Aggies took a 63–60 lead against UConn with less than a minute to play in the game. Allen took the ball and went coast-to-coast, converting on a layup and a nailed a free throw after he was fouled on a three-point play opportunity.
The Aggies took a 66–60 lead with 28 seconds to play. The Huskies added a three pointer to cut the deficit to three points but a pair of free throws from Allen—who finished with 37 points including 13-of-13 from the free throw line—sealed the victory against UConn.
New Mexico State's win marked the second time that a No. 12 defeated a No. 5 seed on Thursday. No. 12 Richmond defeated No. 5 Iowa, 67–63, earlier on Thursday.
UConn entered the tournament with a 15–1 against 12 or lower seeds in the tournament. R.J. Cole led the Huskies in scoring, pouring in 20 points, followed by Adama Sanogo with 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Aggies took down Grand Canyon and Abilene Christian in the WAC conference tournament to secure an automatic bid and their 26th trip to the NCAA tournament.
New Mexico State will now face the winner of Thursday’s West Region game between No. 4 Arkansas and No. 13 Vermont.
