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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Hunter Felt, Beau Dure and Bryan Armen Graham

NCAA tournament: Arizona stunned by Buffalo; Villanova and Kansas win – as it happened

Buffalo’s Jeremy Harris
Buffalo’s Jeremy Harris drives on Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton during Thursday’s first-round game. Photograph: Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports

And so the first day of the NCAA tournament is in the books. How are everyone’s brackets doing? (14 out of 16, here.)

We saw major upsets (No13 Buffalo, No11 Loyola Chicago) and dominant favorites (No1s Villanova and Kansas) and a former US president even throwing his hat in the ring.

And we’ll do it all again tomorrow as the first round concludes with 16 more games. See you then!

FINAL: No14 Montana 47-61 No3 Michigan

The final game of today’s 16-game slate is in the books as third-seeded Michigan overcomes a sluggish start to win 61-47 over a stingy Montana side. The Grizzlies scored the game’s first 10 points, perhaps taking advantage of a Wolverines team who had been inactive since the end of the Big Ten tournament nearly two weeks ago. But Michigan bounced back behind Charles Matthews’ game-high 18 points and will face sixth-seeded Houston in Saturday’s second round.

FINAL: No11 St Bonaventure 62-77 No6 Florida

The sixth-seeded Gators, who have reached the Elite Eight in their past five trips to the tournament, got the best of an exhausted St Bonaventure two days after the Bonnies won their first NCAA tournament game in 48 years.

FINAL: No13 Buffalo 89-68 No4 Arizona

Well, that got out of hand in a hurry. SUNY Buffalo, the No13 seed in the South, wounded Arizona early and dragged them over the finish line in the upset of the tournament so far.

At least one No13 seed has beaten a No4 in 24 of the last 34 tournaments.

Updated

FINAL: No9 Alabama 86-83 No8 Virginia Tech

Alabama – in the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years and second in 12 – has held off a stubborn Virginia Tech squad to advance to the second round, where they will face top-seeded Villanova for a trip to the Sweet 16. Collin Sexton led the way for the Crimson Tide with a game-high 25 points while John Petty added 20 off the bench.

Everything is going right for Buffalo, who have stretched their lead to 72-58 with eight minutes left in regulation. Arizona’s seven-foot stud DeAndre Ayton has been frustrated by Buffalo’s smaller frontcourt and been left to look completely disinterested.

Meanwhile, No9 Alabama are fending off a furious push by No8 Virginia Tech: the Crimson Tide lead 75-72 with 1:56 left.

Updated

No13 Buffalo are giving No4 Arizona all they can handle in Boise. The Bulls’ Wes Clark twisted and contorted his way to the rim to open a 60-52 lead with 12:42 left in regulation, but Arizona’s Parker Jackson-Cartwright answered with a much-needed three-pointer to close it to 60-55 at the under-12 timeout.

Updated

Buffalo aren’t the only double-digit seed making noise during Thursday’s late shift. Montana, the No14 seed in the West regional, are out to a 17-10 lead over No3 Michigan midway through the first half in Wichita.

Elsewhere, No8 Virginia Tech and No9 Alabama are knotted at 52-all with 13:53 left in regulation, while No11 St Bonaventure have fought back to a 21-21 tie with No6 Florida after trailing 20-9 in the first 10 minutes. The Gators have missed their last 11 shots from the floor over more than seven minutes of game time.

Montana v Michigan
Montana guard Ahmaad Rorie drives against Michigan center Jon Teske during Thursday’s first-round game. Photograph: Kelly Ross/USA Today Sports

Updated

We’re on upset alert in Boise. Buffalo, the No13 seed in the South regional, lead 40-38 over fourth-seeded Arizona in a result that could incinerate millions of brackets. Jeremy Harris and Wes Clark are leading the way for the MAC champions with 14 and 13 points respectively, while the Wildcats’ freshman stud DeAndre Ayton, quite possibly college basketball’s best player, has been held to seven points (on 3-for-7 from the floor) and four rebounds.

Buffalo v Arizona
Buffalo guard Jayvon Graves shoots during the first half of Thursday’s game against Arizona in Boise. Photograph: Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports

Updated

No13 seed Buffalo are out to an early 19-12 lead over No4 Arizona in the first of tonight’s late games. Junior guard Jeremy Harris is leading the way for the Mid-American Conference champions with a game-high nine points. Elsewhere, No8 Virginia Tech leads 43-38 over No9 Alabama just before halftime behind Justin Bibbs’ 11 points. The winner there advances to face Villanova, the top seed in the East regional, in Saturday’s second round.

Updated

FINAL: No11 San Diego State 65-67 No6 Houston

Houston survived a white-knuckle finish against the always-tough Aztecs to go through to the second round in the West regional. The frenetic final sequence kicked off when San Diego State’s Devin Watson hit a clutch three-pointer from the top of the key to tie it at 62 apiece with a minute left. Houston’s Rob Gray answered with a three on the next trip down, before Watson came back with another on the ensuing trip for 65-all. That left Houston with a chance for the final shot where Gray slashed and slalomed into the lane for an acrobatic go-ahead lay-up: his career-high 38th and 39th points of the night. The Aztecs were left with 1.1 seconds to pull off a miracle and Trey Cook had a clean look at one after coming down with a perfectly thrown pass, but the shot was off target and Houston could finally exhale having won their first NCAA tournament game since 1984. They’ll face either No3 Michigan or No14 Montana, who face off next, in Saturday’s second-rounder.

Updated

FINAL: No14 Stephen F Austin 60-70 No3 Texas Tech

No14 seed Stephen F Austin, who sprung memorable first-round upsets in the 2014 and 2016 tournaments, nearly did it again tonight in Dallas as they led 30-27 over Big 12 runner-up Texas Tech at halftime and 53-52 with around eight minutes left. But the Lumberjacks’ offense sputtered badly down the stretch – one field goal in the last 10 minutes and none in the last 4:57 – as the third-seeded Red Raiders roared back for the victory. Texas Tech advance to face the winner of the nightcap between No6 Florida and No11 St Bonaventure.

Stephen F Austin
Stephen F Austin guard Kevon Harris looks on after the Lumberjacks’ failed upset bid. Photograph: Kevin Jairaj/USA Today Sports

Updated

FINAL: No12 Davidson 73-78 No5 Kentucky

John Calipari’s Wildcats were expected to get a stiff fight from the No12 seed in the South regional and that’s exactly what happened as Davidson were touch-and-go with the eight-time NCAA champions for most of the night. But after the Atlantic 10 champs narrowed it to 61-59 with three minutes left, Kentucky peeled off 10 straight points – just enough cushion to absorb a last-gasp rally. They advance to face the winner of tonight’s second game in Boise: No4 Arizona v No13 Buffalo. Not since 2008 has Kentucky lost in the first round of the NCAAs.

Interestingly, Kentucky finished 0-for-6 from three-point range to end their record streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer. Not since a loss to Seton Hall on 26 November 1988 – when Bon Jovi’s Bad Medicine was the No1 song in America – had Kentucky last finished a game without a three. That’s a span of 1,047 games.

Updated

And with that, I leave you in the capable hands of Bryan Graham for the Davidson-Kentucky and Stephen F. Austin-Texas Tech thrillers.

Villanova stat of the night ...

Yes, but he also missed a 3-pointer.

FINAL: No16 Radford 61-87 No1 Villanova

Surely Villanova has now replaced Duke as the object of everyone’s scorn. They’re simply too good.

Jalen Brunson had 16 points to lead SIX players in double digits. Another player had nine.

Double upset alert. Stephen F. Austin has come out on fire in the second half. The 14th-seeded Lumberjacks lead Texas Tech 39-33.

That’s on top of this Davidson-Kentucky barnburner.

Meanwhile, Villanova leads Radford by 29 points with 1:50 to play.

Updated

Davidson scored 24 points in the first half. They’ve scored 28 in the first 11 minutes of the second, and it’s tied.

Updated

Davidson 49-50 Kentucky. Make that 0-for-5, and make that a one-point lead.

Quick check of other scores:

Stephen F. Austin 30-27 Texas Tech

San Diego State 29-39 Houston

Radford a little-a lot Villanova

Kentucky is 0-for-4 on 3-pointers, nearly 30 minutes into this game. They still lead by three.

So with two games at the half and another (Radford-Villanova) now a 30-point game, we switch to a suddenly compelling Davidson-Kentucky game, where the Wildcats are within three points of the Wildcats.

(The Kentucky Wildcats are the ones in front. For now. Davidson will have possession after a timeout.)

Halftime: Houston 39-29 San Diego State. Can’t win if you don’t score in this sport, and the Aztecs scored only one point in the last 3:21 of the half, allowing the Cougars to turn a three-point lead into a 10-point cushion.

Halftime: Stephen F. Austin 30-27 Texas Tech. Kevon Harris dribbles near the top of the arc, then takes a step back and calmly drills a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Lumberjacks back in front. This would be the biggest upset of the day if they can keep it up for 20 more minutes.

Kevon Harris (1) grabs a fiercely contested rebound.
Kevon Harris (1) grabs a fiercely contested rebound. Photograph: Kevin Jairaj/USA Today Sports

Houston storms out to an eight-point lead over San Diego State. But the Aztecs respond with five free throws sandwiched around a defensive stop and an offensive rebound, and just like that, it’s three points again.

When can you get elbowed in the face and get called for a defensive foul? When you’re too close to the attacking player. Texas Tech’s Niem Stevenson just learned that lesson in most painful fashion.

Meanwhile, Villanova has doubled up Radford, 58-29. Do we hate them more than we hate Duke now?

Nearly identical scores:

Stephen F. Austin 23-19 Texas Tech
Houston 23-20 San Diego State

The Lumberjacks are starting to hit some shots. But they’re also committing a few silly fouls and letting the Red Raiders get some points at the line. (At least, they would, if Texas Tech could shoot free throws.)

Halftime: Davidson 24-34 Kentucky.

Actually the third most interesting game at the moment. Villanova and Radford are now playing out the formality of the second half. These other two games are intriguing.

The visual ...

But stop the presses (do we do that any more?) ... Stephen F. Austin hit a 3-pointer. It’s 18-17 Lumberjacks.

Texas Tech claims the lead in spectacular fashion.

An alley-oop with a twist. Literally. Keenan Evans lobs the ball from just beyond the 3-point line. Zhaire Smith catches the ball in the air with his back to the rim, then turns around in midair to slam it home.

One of those weird calls in which a team scores while fouling. A Texas Tech player touches the net while the ball bounces on the rim, all while a Stephen F. Austin player commits a foul going for a rebound that has become a moot point.

So, technically, the Lumberjacks have scored from the floor for the first time in quite a while.

Two lower seeds hold the lead ...

No11 San Diego State is up 11-9 over Houston.

And No14 Stephen F. Austin maintains its lead, 13-12 over No3 Texas Tech, even without a field goal in the last 6:33 and counting.

A highlight ...

Meh.

But the Lumberjacks show a transition game after another suffocating defensive stand, racing down the court and drawing a foul. A team is finally in double digits, 7:25 into the game.

Meanwhile, we have FOUR GAMES in action. That’s right, the NCAA quadruple is in effect again.

And as Kentucky pulls away from Davidson, let’s check in on those Lumberjacks ...

Hmmm. This is looking like the basketball equivalent of “parking the bus” in soccer. Stephen F. Austin hits a free throw to double the lead. Now 9-7.

Upset alert. Well, it’s very early, but 14th seed Stephen F. Austin leads No. 3 Texas Tech at the first timeout.

Most of Twitter conflates the college with the wrestling star, but then we have a Monty Python reference ...

Maybe I should’ve stuck with Radford-Villanova ...

Three games in progress ...

Kentucky with a slim lead over Davidson.

Villanova with a massive lead over Radford.

Stephen F. Austin and Houston have gone scoreless through 100 seconds of play.

In 10 minutes, make it four games.

Kentucky is young. Even younger than Duke. The Wildcats have no seniors. Their two juniors combined to play seven minutes this year.

Are they rattled? Davidson has tied it up, 17-17.

We have a game. Davidson 8-10 Kentucky after nearly five minutes.

Villanova is rather unsportingly crushing Radford, 34-10.

Davidson and Kentucky are underway. This game will probably trounce Villanova-Radford in the ratings. Villanova now up by 17.

Radford 7-18 Villanova. OK, maybe not. So do we have any momentum yet for hating Villanova instead of Duke?

We’re only halfway through Day 1, and still, everyone’s brackets have red ink.

I’m off to a stellar start, having picked three of the first eight games correctly.

Radford 3-0 Villanova. Yeah, this is going to happen.

FINAL: No9 N.C. State 83-94 No8 Seton Hall

Freeman scores 36 points in his final college game, but he had very little help. The Pirates advance for the first time since 2004.

Just in time for tipoff. Radford wins the tip against Villanova. Will we finally get a 16-over-1 upset?

Seton Hall expects N.C. State to go to Freeman, which they do. They contest the shot. He misses. Rebound to Seton Hall, two more made free throws and it’s a 10-point game in the last minute.

The good news for N.C. State: Allerik Freeman now has a majestic 34 points.

The bad news: It’s an eight-point Seton Hall lead with 1:02 remaining.

It’s not just Bryan who has an issue with my alma mater ...

At what point can we move on to hating Villanova?

Meanwhile, Seton Hall leads by eight with 1:30 left. Just nine minutes until the aforementioned Villanova takes on Radford. I know where it is, but I’m not telling you.

Updated

Allerik Freeman, a senior guard for N.C. State, has 32 points, thanks in part to his six 3-pointers on seven attempts. Maybe get him the ball again? Two minutes left, seven-point game.

N.C. State 75-82 Seton Hall. If you like missed free throws and an ugly missed dunk, you enjoyed the last minute of this game. Now 3:06 remaining.

Here’s how we got here:

N.C. State 66-77 Seton Hall. The Wolfpack cut it to 3, but they’ll probably get no closer than that. The ACC team calls timeout with 5:46 left.

The next games on the agenda (all time ET):

6:50 p.m.: No16 Radford vs. No1 Villanova
7:10 p.m.: No12 Davidson vs. No5 Kentucky
7:20 p.m.: No11 San Diego State vs. No6 Houston
7:27 p.m.: No14 Stephen F. Austin vs. No3 Texas Tech

Davidson is a popular upset pick because the 5-12 game is legendarily tricky and because Stephen Curry played there several years ago and surely left some magic formula in the gym.

Things you didn’t know about the ageless Syracuse coach ...

The women’s curling World Championships start Saturday, so if he wants to have time to check out the action, Syracuse must lose tomorrow to TCU.

The No. 8 vs. No. 9 games are theoretically the most evenly matched, but Seton Hall has led this one throughout. Still, N.C. State are within four with 8:45 to play.

After this game, we’ll hit a lull for a few minutes before building up to another four-game frenzy, so email me at beau.dure.freelance@theguardian.com or just yell at me on Twitter @duresport.

FINAL: No12 South Dakota State 73-81 No5 Ohio State

We’re told this tied a record for 3-point attempts in a tournament game. Ohio State tried 40. South Dakota State tried 31.

Meanwhile, N.C. State has made it a close one against Seton Hall, so let’s all change the channel together, shall we?

Updated

South Dakota State 71-79 Ohio State. 31.3 seconds left. The Jackrabbits had the ball with a chance to tie if they could get a 3-pointer, a stop and another 3-pointer. So, naturally, they raced into the lane for a wild off-balance layup. Ohio State got the rebound and hit two free throws, so the fifth seed looks set to escape the entertaining but erratic 12th seed.

South Dakota State 70-77 Ohio State. Another bad foul on a 3-pointer, and the Buckeyes will take a seven-point lead into the final minute.

And by the way, Bryan, I did hear what you said about Duke, and I should point out I have two degrees from that esteemed institution.

(I’ve also picked them to lose to Rhode Island. March Madness isn’t for freshmen.)

South Dakota State 70-74 Ohio State. Well, that’s a momentum-killer. The Jackrabbits reel off 10 in a row, then let Kam Williams score four on one possession. He netted the free throw after an ill-advised foul as he sank a 3-pointer.

Updated

Thanks Bryan. We have two games in progress at the moment -- Seton Hall is pulling away from N.C. State in the second half, and South Dakota State has ... wait for this free throw ... erased a deficit and is now tied with Ohio State 70-70.

South Dakota State 66-70 Ohio State. Not so fast. The Jackrabbits have just cut the deficit to four points on back-to-back three-pointers from Brandon Key and – who else? - Mike Daum. And with that, I’ll hand it off to the esteemed Beau Dure for the next few hours.

Updated

South Dakota State 60-70 Ohio State. The Jackrabbits are getting a lion-sized effort from talismanic power forward Mike Daum (a game-high 23 points), but the Buckeyes have slowly pulled away in the second half and just opened up a double-digit lead with Kam Williams’ lay-up with 4:40 left in regulation.

It’s been some day for graduates of Simeon Career Academy. Gonzaga’s Zach Norvell hits the biggest shot of the game for the Bulldogs and Loyola Chicago’s Donte Ingram hits the biggest shot of the tournament to lift the Ramblers to the upset. The pair were team-mates at the famed Chicago Public League powerhouse whose alumni include Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker, Nick Anderson and Bobby Simmons.

Donte Ingram
Donte Ingram of the Loyola Ramblers celebrates hit game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Photograph: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

FINAL: No11 Loyola Chicago 64-62 No6 Miami (Fl)

March Madness is here. The first major upset and first buzzer-beater of this year’s tournament came just moments ago in Dallas as Donte Ingram, the MVP of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, hit a go-ahead three pointer as time expired to lift Loyola Chicago to a dramatic 64-62 victory over the sixth-seeded Hurricanes. The officials placed 0.3 seconds left on the clock after a video review, but when Miami’s desperation heave was broken up the Ramblers could celebrate.

Loyola Chicago 60-60 Miami (Fl). Clayton Cluster, the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, has just canned a three-pointer to tie the game at 60 apiece with 1:17 left in regulation. A barn-burner afoot in Dallas.

FINAL: No15 Iona 67-89 No2 Duke

It’s a final in Pittsburgh as the Blue Devils go through behind a game-high 22 points from Marvin Bradley III. That sets the stage for a delicious 2-7 clash on Saturday between Duke and Rhode Island.

South Dakota State 43-43 Ohio State. Reed Tellinghuisen bangs a game-tying three pointer for the Jackrabbits and No12 seed South Dakota State will head to the locker room on level terms with the favored Buckeyes.

Loyola Chicago 45-47 Miami (Fl). The Ramblers of Loyola Chicago, the No11 seed in the South regional and Missouri Valley Conference champions, were a trendy upset pick against the sixth-seeded Hurricanes and they’re very much living up to advance billing with under 10 minutes to go. Clayton Custer’s lay-up moments ago cut Miami’s lead to two points.

South Dakota State 29-34 Ohio State. The fifth-seeded Buckeyes are on top but Jackrabbits star Mike Daum has just canned a three-pointer to close it to five points with 5:52 left in the first half. Daum, who has a game-high 15 points so far, is more than the tournament’s best nickname (‘The Dauminator’): he may be the best NBA prospect you’ve never heard of.

Iona 41-62 Duke. We’re less than two minutes into the second half and the second-seeded Blue Devils have already tacked on to their 14-point halftime lead over the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions. Wendell Carter Jr’s basket just now off a Grayson Allen assist marked Duke’s 10th consecutive made field goal.

Loyola Chicago 28-28 Miami (Fl). And Miami have things tied up into halftime and we have… no basketball at this moment. So I guess this is a good time to hand things over to Bryan Graham who will take you through the next few hours of NCAA tournament action.

Loyola Chicago 26-24 Miami (Fl). And we just have one game going here. And only for a moment. Miami cut it to a two point game with 90 seconds to go.

Updated

FINAL: No16 Penn 60-76 No1 Kansas

And a Number1 seed has still yet to fall to a Number 16 seed. I feel like this last hour has been something of a tease. Oh well.

It’s halftime and Duke are up 53-39 over Iona. So you’re telling me there’s a chance.

Penn 56-69 Kansas. And it’s looking like we’re not going to see the first upset from a No16. Things look pretty nice for Kansas who are up by 13 points with less than four minutes to go and they definitely look like they’re in complete control here. The Quakers are just playing this out but congrats to them for making the Jayhawks uh, well, quake there for a long stretch of time.

Bad news for Duke haters. They’ve got a 40-25 lead over Iona with 5:51 left in the first half. Meanwhile Loyola Chicago has a 18-15 lead over Miami, 7:40 left in the half.

Penn 51-60 Kansas. Meanwhile, Kansas looks in control in the second half of their game with Penn, with a 9 point lead with 7:31 remaining.

FINAL: No13 UNCG 65-68 No4 Gonzaga

Josh Perkins ties the game for Gonzaga. On the other end, freshman Zach Norvell hits a three! And an offensive foul on UNCG looks like it will pretty much put an end to their upset bid but Gonzaga misses both free throws. UNCG go for the three-pointer that would tie the game but it just doesn’t go down. Gonzaga make one out of two free throws and that manages to seal the deal.

UNCG 64-62 Gonzaga. 1:39 remaining. UNCG with the lead! On their first put-back points of the half! Upset brewing?

Double barrel action!

Okay, UNCG and Gonzaga are tied 60-60 with 3:22 to go. Meanwhile, Kansas are only up 50-45 over Penn with 12:33 to go. Could the Jayhawks be in danger?

UNCG 56-57 Gonzaga. UNCG cut it to a single point. We’re definitely in Potential Upset Territory here. 5:40 to go.

And hey, we’re back to four-games-going-at-once! No11 Loyola Chicago is tipping off against No6 Miami (Florida).

Oh hey, it’s Iona-Duke! They’re already 5-5 with lithe more than a minute into the game.

Action has resumed in the Impossible Dream Battle between Penn and Kansas and… things remain interesting. Penn are keeping it close. Kansas have a 42-35 lead with 16:52 to go. So both games have a seven point difference at the moment, when Gonzaga up 57-50 with 7:54 left. That’s unusual (and short-lived, UNCG immediately scores twice to cut it to 57-54.)

UNCG 42-47 Gonzaga. Old (well, older) school basketball on display here between the Spartans and the Bulldogs, with either team only making three three-pointers apiece. Definitely more physical than Oklahoma/Rhode Island. It’s definitely cool to see so many different types of basketball on display throughout the day.

UNCG cut Gonzaga’s lead to 5 points with 11:46 to go.

At some point shortly, we’ll have No14 Iona vs No2 Duke tipping off, with the winner going on to face Rhode Island. That game has been delayed a tad bit thanks to that whole overtime thing.

Gonzaga have a 44-36 lead over UNCG, who are starting to put in a little fight here. We have 14:00 to go.

Order has been restored. Kanas have a 33-26 lead over Penn at the half, but still that’s a fairly tight halftime score for a No16/No1 matchup. Worth monitoring. Our only live game at the moment features Gonzaga with a 26-28 lead over UNCG with 17:19 remaining in the second half.

Updated

FINAL: No14 Wright St 47-73 No3 Tennessee

We apparently missed absolutely nothing here, drama-wise. The Volunteers with a statement win.

Updated

FINAL (OT): No10 Oklahoma 78-83 No7 Rhode Island

Everybody’s trying to hit the big three in this overtime and nobody seems to be hitting it until E.C. Matthews nails his to give Rhode Island a 74-72 lead, part of a 12-2 run, and they don’t look back. Trae Young’s college career is probably done.

Updated

Meanwhile, Tennessee retains a comfortable 54-35 lead over Wright State with 7:13 left.

Gonzaga has a 32-23 lead over UNCG at the half.

Penn has a 19-11 lead over Kansas with 8:32 remaining in the first. Will we see our first upset by a No16 in tournament history? (No but it’s fun that they have an early lead.)

Updated

Oklahoma and Rhode Island go to overtime

Oklahoma 69-69 Rhode Island. Oklahoma give the ball back to Rhode Island, who… miss. And Trea Young gets fouled with a chance to tie things up on the line. Which he does. Rhode Island has a chance to hit the last shot, two chances actually, and THEY CAN’T GET IT IN. We’re heading to overtime.

Rhode Island 69-67 Oklahoma. Young cuts it to two points with 2:10 and then nails a three for the lead. However, a three-point play gives the lead right back to Rhode Island. Oklahoma have the ball and are down by two with less than a minute left.

Oklahoma is keeping close, but Rhode Island has stayed on top 66-62 with 3:45 left to go. It’s going down to the wire.

I am already sick of these Charles Barkley/Samuel L. Jackson/Spike Lee CapitalOne commercials. It’s going to be a long march through, uh, March.

Not a great second half from Trae Young, He scores his first point of the second half on the free throw line with 6:43 to go. Rhode Island have a 59-53 lead.

And we’re almost in keeping-the-plates spinning portion of the evening, with No16 Penn about to tip off against No1 Kansas.

Oh hey, they’re finally out of halftime, Tennessee has a 40-27 lead over Wright State. Pretty healthy, but not entirely insurmountable with 17:18 to go in their game. Gonzaga have a 17-13 lead over UNCG with 8:03 to go.

And wisely so, back-to-back three pointers give Rhode Island a 55-50 lead!

Oklahoma is up 50-47 on Rhode Island with 10:36 to go in the game while UNCG and Gonzaga are all tied up at 8-8 with 13:30 to go in the first half.

I’m gonna stick with Oklahoma/Rhode Island for the moment I think.

The tournament is really all about second halves, however and we’ve got an interesting one here with Oklahoma and Rhode Island all tied up with 15:00 to go.

This is always one of the greatest days on the sports calendar. Or really just on the calendar in general. There’s always the chance for an upset, buzzer beater, furious comeback or just plain old wackiness when you have games going all day, sometimes four at a time. Hopefully we’ll have a few of those over the course of the next few hours. Don’t want the other guys to have all the fun today.

Alright things are really starting now, with Game Number 3, No. 13 UNC-Greensboro vs. No. 4 Gonzaga, tipping off. This is UNC-Greensboro’s first tournament appearance since 2001. It’s halftime at Wright State/Tennessee, with Tennessee enjoying a 34-23 lead.

The shock-o-meter is edging up towards “mild” with Oklahoma leading Rhode Island 35-31 at the half. Not that it would be a HUGE shock, given that Oklahoma have the magnificent Trae Young.

Some had picked Tennessee to struggle to live up to their No3 seeding but they’re doing OK so far. They have a healthy 17-8 lead over Wright State with around 10 minutes left in the first.

And we’re off, with Oklahoma taking on Rhode Island in out first game. No10 seed Oklahoma are 24-21 up in the early stages. They have guard Trae Young, who leads the nation with averages of 27.4 points and 8.8 assists. If Oklahoma lose this one that could Young’s college career done as a freshman - he’s projected to go in the first round if he decides to enter the NBA draft.

Hunter will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s our writers on who they think will win the tournament:

Villanova over North Carolina. Why not a repeat of 2016? However, this time the Wildcats won’t wait to win on a buzzer-beater. Instead, they will coast through the second half and establish a new dynasty on the Main Line and send Wright to the Hall of Fame. Les Carpenter

Villanova over Gonzaga. Jay Wright has quietly strung together a five-year run at Villanova that any program in history would happily take: 159 wins, four Big East regular season titles, three conference tournament titles and a national title. Cutting down the nets again this year will give his program the national respects it deserves. DJ Gallo

Villanova over Virginia. Make it two national titles in three years for Wright, whose tiny Catholic school powerhouse on Philadelphia’s Main Line will make the jump to dynasty status after cutting down the nets in San Antonio. Bryan Graham

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