Duke 93 UNC-Wilmington 85
Duke overcame a halftime deficit. UNC-Wilmington had three chances to pull within one point in the final minute of the game. Duke’s Mason Plume scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and five assists.
Butler 71 Texas Tech 61
The Bulldogs advance to the second round for the 2nd consecutive season. Kellen Dunham led all Butler scorers with 23 points for the Bulldogs. He was also 5-9 from beyond the arc.
Connecticut 74 Colorado 67
Colorado led 36-27 at the half, but the Huskies rebounded in the second half. This is the Huskies first NCAA Tournament victory since 2014. Forward Daniel Hamilton netted 17 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
Iowa State 94 Iona 81
Georges Niang led Iowa state with 28 points and shot 11-of-23 from the field. He also grabbed six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Iowa State will play Little Rock in the next round.
Yale 79 Baylor 75
The No. 12 seed Yale upset the No. 5 Baylor Bears. Yale made the most of its first NCAA tournament game since 1962. Free throws hurt Baylor. The bears were just 9-of-15 from the line. Makai Mason led the Bulldogs with a season-high 31 points, shot 9-of-18 from the field. Yale will face Duke in the second round.
Virginia 81 Hampton 45
The No. 1 seed Cavaliers easily dispatched Hampton. Virginia has won their NCAA Tournament opener in each of the last three seasons. Virginia made 12 of its 25 3-point attempts and outscored Hampton 36-6 from beyond the 3-point line. They Will face Butler in the next round.
Kansas 105 Austin Peay 79
The No. 1 overall seed Kansas Jayhawks dominated No. 16 Austin Peay from the tip to the buzzer. The Jayhawks built a 20-point lead and never looked back. National player of the year candidate Perry Ellis posted 21 points in limited playing time. The Jayhawks will face Connecticut in the next round.
Little Rock 85 Purdue 83
Purdue led by 14 points with under five minutes left in regulation. Little Rock was on a mission. It took 2 overtimes, but the No. 12 seed pulled off the upset. Trojan guard Josh Hagins sank 10-of-20 shots for a game-high 31 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Little Rock will play Iowa state in the second round.
Miami (FL) 79 Buffalo 72
Miami Guard Angel Rodriguez netted 24 points while shooting 6-of-15 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Forward Nick Perkins netted 20 points in the loss for Buffalo. Miami will play Arizona in the second round.
North Carolina 83 FGCU 67
UNC had bracket owners worried going into halftime. The Tar Heels came out of halftime with a vengeance. The win maintains the perfect streak of No. 1 seeds defeating No. 16 seeds. UNC Forward Brice Johnson set a Tar Heels tournament record with eight blocks while also scoring 18 points. Roy Williams also won his 66th NCAA Tournament game. He passed Dean smith to move into second place on the all-time list.
Indiana 99 Chattanooga 74
Indiana guard Yoki Ferrell led all scorers with 20 points. He netted a team-high four 3-pointers and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Five Indiana players scored in double digits.
Utah 80 Fresno State 69
Guard Lorenzo Bonam led Utah players with 17 points and was 7-of-10 from the field while going 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Fresno St. guard Marvelle Harris led all scorers with 24 points in the loss. He went 8-of-16 from the field and was 3-of-7 from the 3-point line.
Wichita State 65 Arizona 55
It’s was a great day for No. 11 seeded teams. It was the third win for a.No 11 team. The Arizona Wildcats had had 19 turnovers and hit only 20 shots. Shockers guard Ron Baker added 13 points and led the team with six assists. Wichita State will be Miami (FL) in the 2nd round.
Kentucky 85 Stony Brook 57
Kentucky improved to 46-10 all-time in first-round games. The wildcats also set an NCAA tournament record with 15 blocks in the game. Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis had seven assists, breaking John Wall’s single-season program record of 257. Jamal Murray led Kentucky with 19 points. Kentucky will play Indiana in the next round.
Providence 70 USC 69
Providence won its first NCAA tournament game since 1997. The Friars scored a game-winning layup with 1.5 seconds left. Providence had six potential go-ahead field goal attempts in the 59 seconds. Friars forward Ben Bentil netted 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Providence will play North Carolina in the second round.
Gonzaga 68 Seton Hall 52
The Victory gave Gonzaga an opening-round NCAA victory for the eighth year in a row. Gonzaga had six players with 7 or points. Bulldog forward Domantas Sabonis led all scorers with 21 points and picked up his 21st double-double of the season. Gonzaga will play Utah in the second round.
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