Friday afternoon wasn't as crazy as Thursday in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, but there were still a lot of intriguing games as we parse down the NCAA bracket. There were two thrilling finishes in particular, with George Mason University and the University of Arizona moving on in tight wins. There was also potentially the end of the road for Bruce Pearl and the return of a game-changer in Duke's Kyrie Irving.
Here's a quick recap of all the action from Friday afternoon:
West No. 4 Texas 85, No. 13 Oakland 81: Texas held a big lead for most of the game, but Oakland rallied and made it interesting in the closing seconds. Tristan Thompson improved his NBA Draft stock with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
West No. 8 Michigan 75, No. 9 Tennessee 45: In what could be Bruce Pearl's swan song, the Wolverines embarrassed the Volunteers in the second half for the largest margin of victory ever in an 8-9 game. Michigan also became the first team to win by that much without making a single free throw.
Southwest No. 2 Notre Dame 69, No. 15 Akron 56: It was ugly, but Notre Dame held off the pesky Zips to move on to the next round. Ben Hansbrough had 15 for Notre Dame.
East No. 8 George Mason 61, No. 9 Villanova 57: For much more on this game, head here.
West No. 5 Arizona 79, No. 12 Memphis 77: A wild game, fittingly, ended with Arizona turning it over in the closing seconds, only for Derrick Williams to seal the game with a blocked shot.
West No. 1 Duke 87, No. 16 Hampton 45: Kyrie Irving returned from a toe injury, and still led Duke in scoring. For more on this game, head here.
Southwest No. 10 Florida State 57, No. 7 Texas A&M 50: The Seminoles advanced even though star Chris Singleton sat out.
Other March Madness resources: Our updated printable 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket ... the full March Madness schedule .. Our NCAA Tournament hub with complete coverage of all the action.