The madness officially begins today with a slate of 16 games in the men’s NCAA Tournament first round and two more First Four games in the women’s field tonight.
The first slate of games has delivered with upsets. No. 11 Michigan, favored in the Vegas odds, “upset” Colorado State by overcoming a 15-point deficit for its own comfortable victory, 75-63. No. 12 seed Richmond knocked off trendy Final Four pick Iowa 67-63.
No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga began its quest for an elusive championship in its first-round matchup against No. 16 Georgia State (currently airing on TNT).
Another No. 1 seed, the Baylor Bears, dominated Norfolk State in an East Region matchup, 85-49. The defending NCAA champions set a program record for margin of victory (36). And in the Midwest Region, the Jayhawks play in the day’s latest typoff as they entertain Texas Southern, which won its First Four game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
No. 9 Memphis and No. 8 Boise State are currently battling in the West Region.
On the women’s side, Longwood battles Mount Saint Mary’s in a battle for the No. 16 seed (7 pm) while Missouri State takes on Florida State for the No. 11 seed.
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Richmond upsets Iowa
Iowa entered the NCAA Tournament as one of the hottest teamshaving just won the Big Ten Tournament and nine of its last 10 games.
No. 12-seeded Richmond was unfazed, stunning the Hawkeyes 67-63 to become this NCAA Tournament’s first true Cinderella.
Richmond, winners of the Atlantic 10 tournament, had no shot at making the NCAAs as an at-large bid despite hanging around the bubble through February and March. On Thursday, the Spiders (24-12) proved they belonged on the big stage with a gutsy and determined performance against one of the better teams in the mighty Big Ten Conference.
Jacob Gilyard, a 5-9 senior sparkplug point guard, helped spearhead the upset with 24 points and six assists in the win. Richmond forward Tyler Burton came up clutch from the free-throw line (9-for-10) to finish with 18 points. Senior Nathan Cayo (15 points) had a pair of crucial baskets in the final 1:30 to help the Spiders pull away.
Iowa’s All-American forward Keegan Murray, who averages 23.6 points a game, couldn’t find an offensive rhythm in this game – finishing with 21 points and scoring most of the baskets late. A major no-call in the final minute off Kris Murray’s three-pointer sealed the Hawkeyes’ fate.
Richmond will face Providence in the second round Saturday.
–Scott Gleeson
Gonzaga tested against Georgia State in first half
After the first 20 minutes, Gonzaga held onto a 35-33 advantage. The Bulldogs are just 2-for-11 from three, while the Panthers grabbed seven offensive rebounds to keep it close.
Chet Holmgren, possibly the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft, has nine rebounds and five points with four blocks for Gonzaga.
Tennessee trounces Longwood
So Long-wood.
Fresh off its SEC tournament championship, No. 3 Tennessee dominated No. 14 Longwood end to end in an 88-56 victory. Five Volunteers scored in double-digits and the team made 14 of 24 3-pointers.
Many thought the Volunteers served a two-seed, and it’s easy to see why. They remain a threat in the South Region. Tennessee will face 11-seeded Michigan on Saturday in the second round.
Baylor dominates Norfolk St.; Iowa down at half
Matthew Mayer finished with a career-high 22 points (4-for7 from 3-point range) to lead all scorers as No. 1 seed Baylor throttled Norfolk State 85-49. It was the largest margin of victory in a tournament for Baylor and the 24 assists are a team-high in a March Madness contest.
Meanwhile, drama brews in the Midwest Region. Fifth-seeded Iowa, a popular “sleeper” Final Four pick, enters halftime of its first-round matchup against No. 12 Richmond down 29-28.
Memphis fends off Boise State
Boise State fought back from a 19-point deficit and had Memphis on its heels in the closing minutes but couldn’t put it all together for a huge comeback. The Tigers lost momentum late in the game but did just enough to escape Boise State 64-53 in the NCAA Tournament’s first round in Portland, Oregon.
A crucial defensive play by veteran point guard Alex Lomax prompted a steal and lay-in for Jalen Duren with 47 seconds left. That proved to be the play of the game for the Tigers, stopping the Broncos’ momentum.
Memphis draws a second-round matchup with the winner of No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 16 Georgia State.
Coach Leon Rice’s team, the regular-season champion in the Mountain West, started slow and trailed 38-19 at halftime. But Boise State kept clawing back play by play before the crowd in Portland sensed a potential March Madness moment. That moment never materialized.
Abu Kigab paced Boise State with 20 points in the loss and Memphis overcame 15 turnovers in the win.
The Mountain West hasn’t won a tournament game since 2018 and the conference is off to an 0-3 start this March – and it’s not even Happy Hour of the first round.
–Scott Gleeson
Big half-time leads; tennessee subway
In what appeared to have all the ingredients of a spicy matchup, No. 9 Memphis is trouncing No. 8 Boise State 38-19 at halftime. Meanwhile, No. 1 seed Baylor is taking care of business over 16-seed Norfolk State, 43-27.
No. 3 Tennessee and No. 14 Longwood have tipped off.
Providence handles South Dakota State
A trendy upset pick, as the “expert” brackets trickled out, was No. 13 South Dakota State over Providence. The No. 4 Friars – the Big East regular season champions – took care of business over the Jackrabbits, though, winning 66-57 in Buffalo. They’ll face the winner of Iowa-Richmond in the Midwest Region’s second round.
The Jackrabbits’ 21-game win streak came to an end and their season ended with a 30-5 record. Providence’s defense held the Jackrabbits to 29 points below their season average in scoring.
“I thought our players were determined … our will to win,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said after the game. “We always heard about ‘how good they (South Dakota) were, how good they were.’”
No. 11 Michigan upsets No. 6 Colorado State
It didn’t take long for the first upset of March Madness. The Wolverines topped Colorado State 75-63 after a slow start that saw them trail by 15 points. They scored 46 points in the second half to pull away. Next up for Michigan: Tennessee or Longwood.
Jalen Rose pumped about Michigan
As Michigan battles Colorado State in a first-round matchup, someone is having fun.
That’s former Wolverine, NBA player and “Fab Five” star Jalen Rose getting hyped in the stands.
Popular upset pick trails at half
The 13-4 matchup is usually ripe for an upset, and the public settled on South Dakota State over Big East champ Providence this year. But the Friars lead the Jackrabbits 31-23 at halftime (truTV).
Memphis vs. Boise State a ‘most watchable’ matchup
According to our unofficial “watchability rankings,” the upcoming Memphis-Boise State 8-seed vs. 9-seed game (1:45 p.m. ET, TNT) is at the top of the list.
Michigan without top point guard in opener vs. Colorado State
Michigan’s top point guard DeVante’ Jones did not travel with the team to Indianapolis due to a concussion. Jones averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season. Eli Brooks, Frankie Collins and Kobe Bufkin are expected to assume a majority of the ball-handling duties.
-Detroit Free Press
Dark horses and overrated teams
When filling out your bracket, keep in mind there are bound to be many upsets, so don’t forget to pay attention to these teams, such as Iowa, which is a trendy pick to make the Final Four. Also, look out for UCLA, which is trying to repeat its Final Four magic from a year ago. The Bruins are starting to get healthy at the right time and could be trouble an issue for teams that overlook them.
While there are sleepers in the field, there are also teams that either have no business in the tournament or could find their way back home before the first weekend is gone.
Teams like Houston, Texas, Iowa State, Saint Mary’s and Ohio State earned at-large bids while navigating their regular-season schedule, but haven’t shown why you should pencil them in when it comes to advancing through the tournament.
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Dick Vitale vs. Cancer
College basketball Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale usually is pumped up for this time of year, but after being diagnosed with cancer and recovering from surgery on his vocal cords to treat lymphoma, Vitale hasn’t been able to speak and show his enthusiasm for the game he loves.
“Not being able to communicate has me crying my eyes out,” Vitale, 82, told USA TODAY Sports through text messages. “I love speaking with people – at lunch or dinner, with my wife and family, and especially with people in public when they come up to me for a conversation.”
Vitale was set to have an evaluation to check his voice on March 16 – the day before the first round of the men’s NCAA Tournament.
Bill Self tops list of highest-paid in college basketball
Kansas coach Bill Self has guided the Jayhawks to success on the court and is handsomely rewarded for his effort to the turn of being one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball. Self is making $10.2 million this season as the Jayhawks have another team capable of making a title run.
Each of the top five coaches who earn the most have won at least one national championship.
On the women’s side, South Carolina’s Dawn Staley sets the standard as she is making nearly $3 million per season.
Notre Dame outlasts Rutgers in double overtime
Notre Dame forward Paul Atkinson Jr.’s made a putback layup with 1.4 seconds remaining in the second overtime lifting the Fighting Irish to to 89-87 win in the final First Four game in Dayton. The Irish now travel to San Diego in a West Region contest to face No. 6 seed Alabama.
Indiana’s plane issues
After Indiana beat Wyoming in a First Four matchup, the Hoosiers had issues leaving Dayton. The team didn’t leave the city until 4 am. because it had to switch plans because the one that was waiting for them was too small to accommodate everyone.
The plane ended up landing five hours later in Portland, giving Indiana less than 36 hours before they took on Saint Mary’s in Thursday’s NCAA tournament first round.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism