NCAA Tournament First Round Recap

The first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday featured several close contests, upsets, and historic victories across various regions, setting an exciting tone for March Madness.

High Point Secures Upset Over Wisconsin

No. 12 seed High Point achieved an 83-82 victory over No. 5 seed Wisconsin, marking a significant upset. Chase Johnston scored the decisive fast-break layup with 11.7 seconds remaining, notably his first two-point basket of the season. Johnston finished with 14 points, including four three-pointers. Rob Martin contributed 23 points and 10 assists for High Point.

Wisconsin's scoring leaders were Nick Boyd with 27 points and John Blackwell with 22 points and 10 rebounds. High Point secured the win after Owen Aquino blocked a driving layup by Boyd and Terry Anderson stole a late pass.

This marked High Point's first-ever March Madness win, following their second consecutive Big South title.

Coach Flynn Clayman commented on the necessity for power conference schools to schedule mid-major programs during the regular season.

Duke Avoids Major Upset Against Siena

No. 1 overall seed Duke narrowly defeated No. 16 seed Siena 71-65, avoiding a historic upset. The Blue Devils rallied from a 13-point deficit in the final five minutes of the East Region matchup.

Cameron Boozer led Duke with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Gavin Doty scored 21 points for Siena, who maintained a lead into the final eight minutes before Duke went on an 11-0 run.

This game avoided another instance of a 16-seed defeating a 1-seed, a rare occurrence in tournament history.

Nebraska Achieves First Tournament Win

No. 4 seed Nebraska secured its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, defeating No. 13 seed Troy 76-47 in the South Region. Pryce Sandfort led Nebraska with 23 points, including seven three-pointers, helping the Cornhuskers break their 0-8 tournament record.

Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence each added 13 points, while Rienk Mast recorded 11 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Victor Valdes scored 14 points for Troy.

Pryce Sandfort's 23 points, including seven three-pointers, helped the Cornhuskers break their 0-8 tournament record.

TCU Beats Ohio State in Close Contest

No. 9 seed TCU defeated No. 8 seed Ohio State 66-64 in a tight contest. Xavier Edmonds scored the go-ahead layup with 4.3 seconds left, assisted by David Punch.

Micah Robinson led TCU with 18 points, with Edmonds and Punch each contributing 16 points. Punch also secured 13 rebounds. Ohio State's final half-court attempt missed.

Xavier Edmonds scored the go-ahead layup with 4.3 seconds left to secure the victory for TCU.

Louisville Holds Off South Florida

No. 6 seed Louisville secured an 83-79 victory over No. 11 seed South Florida, marking their first NCAA Tournament win since the 2017 season. Isaac McKneely scored 23 points, Ryan Conwell had 18 points, and Sananda Fru added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Louisville played without starting point guard Mikel Brown Jr. and nearly lost a 22-point lead in the second half. Joseph Pinion led South Florida with 27 points.

Louisville's victory marks their first NCAA Tournament win since the 2017 season.

Vanderbilt Rallies Past McNeese State

No. 5 seed Vanderbilt rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit to defeat No. 12 seed McNeese State 78-68. Tyler Tanner led the Commodores with 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

Tanner's performance helped secure Vanderbilt's first tournament victory since 2012.

Duke Miles scored 13 points for Vanderbilt.

Michigan State Dominates North Dakota State

No. 3 seed Michigan State routed No. 14 seed North Dakota State 92-67 in a commanding performance. Carson Cooper achieved a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds. Coen Carr added 17 points, and Jeremy Fears Jr. recorded 11 assists.

This win marks Michigan State's 22nd appearance in the second round under coach Tom Izzo.