Tyrese Proctor had 19 points and freshman star Cooper Flagg returned from an ankle injury as No. 1 seed Duke beat Mount St. Mary’s 93-49 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Flagg had 14 points and seven boards for the East Region’s top seed. He missed the past two games due to a sprained ankle. Arlandus Keyes scored 15 points for the Mountaineers. Mount St. Mary’s was the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion and had beaten American in the First Four.
Baylor 75
Mississippi State 72
Robert Wright scored 19 points, V.J. Edgecombe added 16 and No. 9 seed Baylor squeaked past No. 8 seed Mississippi State 75-72 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Langston Love added 15 points and Norchad Omier had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Bears, who led by 11 points midway through the second half but had to hold off the Bulldogs in the final seconds — and even tenths of seconds. Josh Hubbard had 26 points to lead the Bulldogs, who were seeking their first March Madness victory since 2008. Next up for Baylor in the East Region top-seeded Duke.
Alabama 90
Robert Morris 81
All-America guard Mark Sears scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half and second-seeded Alabama pulled away late to escape 15th-seeded Robert Morris 90-81 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Colonials gave the Crimson Tide all they could handle and even took their first lead at 65-64 on a layup by Josh Omojafo to bring the Rocket Arena crowd to its feet. Alabama responded behind Sears. The graduate student had seven points during an 11-2 surge that finally gave the Crimson Tide some breathing room against the Horizon League champions. Alabama will face Saint Mary’s in the second round.
Iowa State 82
Lipscomb 55
Milan Momcilovic scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half, and third-seeded Iowa State routed Lipscomb 82-55 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Curtis Jones had 17 points as Iowa State bounced back nicely after dropping four of seven going into the tourney. Joshua Jefferson finished with 10 points and eight assists.
Colorado State 78
Memphis 70
Kyan Evans made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 23 points to lead No. 12 seed Colorado State past fifth-seeded Memphis 78-70 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Rams extended their winning streak to 11 games and advanced to face fourth-seeded Maryland on Sunday. This 12-over-5 result was no shocker, with Colorado State a 2 1/2-point favorite according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Coach Penny Hardaway’s Tigers were not at full strength, with veteran guard and third-leading scorer Tyrese Hunter sidelined by a left foot injury.
Saint Mary’s 59
Vanderbilt 56
Saint Mary’s guard Jordan Ross keyed a second-half rally while star Augustas Marciulionis dealt with foul trouble, and the seventh-seeded Gaels fended off 10th-seeded Vanderbilt 59-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Commodores led by 12 points when Marciulionis exited with his fourth foul early in the second half. Ross scored 10 points with Marciulionis on the bench to help the Gaels pull even, and Marciulionis hit a couple of clutch shots down the stretch to set up a meeting with No. 2 seed Alabama on Sunday. Jason Edwards led Vanderbilt with 18 points.
Ole Miss 71
North Carolina 64
Sean Pedulla made a critical 3-pointer with 52.8 seconds left, and Mississippi topped North Carolina 71-64 in the NCAA Tournament after the Rebels squandered most of a 22-point lead in the second half. Ole Miss, the No. 6 seed in the South Region, will chase its first Sweet 16 berth since 2001 when it faces No. 3 seed Iowa State on Sunday. The Rebels are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. They hadn’t won an NCAA tourney game since beating BYU 94-90 in the First Four in 2015, and they hadn’t advanced beyond the round of 64 since 2013.
Maryland 81
Grand Canyon 49
Julian Reese had 18 points and nine rebounds, and fourth-seeded Maryland pounded No. 13 seed Grand Canyon 81-49 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 16 points for the Terrapins, who will play No. 12 Colorado State on Sunday in the second round of the West Region. Derik Queen finished with 12 points and 15 boards, becoming the first Maryland freshman with a double-double in the tournament since Jalen Smith in 2019. Tyon Grant-Foster led Grand Canyon with 23 points.
Florida 95
Norfolk State 69
First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points and Florida defeated Norfolk State 95-69, ensuring all four No. 1 seeds made it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament unscathed. Alijah Martin added 17 points for the Southeastern Conference champions, who built a 32-point lead in the first half en route to their seventh straight win.
Kentucky 76
Troy 57
The No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats took down No. 14 Troy behind Otega Oweh’s 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Brandon Garrison, Koby Brea, and Andrew Karr all scored 13 points.
