Whoa! The madness has started to intensify!! As the last spots in the second round began to fill, every game seemed to tick down to the final seconds before a winner was determined. Cinderella also made a few reservations for an extended stay at the dance. So far, each region has seen it's top three seeds advance easily but some of the other lower seeded teams have not fared quite as well. One #4 seed and three #5s, two #8s, three #7s and two #9s seeds have been sent packing. As the tournament progresses brackets across the globe have been crackling, rest assured by the end of this weekend's second round many will be busted! Here is a recap of all of the 1st round games by region: Foxsports.com contributed to this report
WEST -
#1 UCONN vs. #16 CHATT
As expected the #1 UCONN Huskies were able to handle the early effort from the #16 Chattanooga Mocs before finally thumping the Southern Conference champs 103-47. Playing without their head coach John Calhoun, the Huskies were sluggish at the start but quickly pulled things together to get the lopsided win. A.J. Price and Hasheem Thabeet won this for their ailing coach, scoring 20 points apiece to lead top-seeded Huskies to its first postseason win in three years. Coach Calhoun reportedly missed the game because of dehydration. If history is any indication the Huskies could be setting up for another run at the NCAA title, when they won in 1999 and 2004 Calhoun also missed a game due to medical concerns before the Huskies cut down the nets. (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: # 9 Texas A&M
#2 MEMPHIS vs. #15 CS NORTHRIDGE
The #2 Memphis Tigers faced an unexpectedly tough match-up against the #15 Cal State Northridge Matadors. After battling heartbreak and tragedy just to reach the NCAA tournament, the Matadors of Cal State Northridge ran into the greatest game of Roburt Sallie's life. Sallie, averaging 4.5 points all year for Memphis, hit 10 3-pointers and scored 35 as the second-seeded Tigers beat the plucky Matadors 81-70 Thursday, dodging what would have been one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. (Fox Sports)
Second Round Opponent: #10 Maryland
#3 MISSOURI vs. #14 CORNELL
The Missouri Tigers had to fight for their tournament lives in the first half of the first round game against Ivy League champions Cornell, but they found the mark in early on in the second half nailing 12 of it's first 22 shots to pull away 78-59 for the win over Cornell.
Lyons finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds and Carroll, the coach's nephew, had all but two of his 13 points in the second half to help the third-seeded Tigers (29-6) coast in easily after a slow opening 20 minutes. (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #6 Marquette
#4 WASHINGTON vs. #13 MISS ST
The tournament woes got started for the South Eastern Conference (SEC) early with the Washington Huskies defeating the conference tournament champion Mississippi State Bulldogs 71-58. Team captain Jon Brockman had a broken nose and a seat on the bench because of fouls. Isaiah Thomas and Justin Dentmon weren't performing their usual roles as Washington's top two scorers in the biggest game of the season. But inexplicably, everyone forgot about junior forward Quincy Pondexter. Pondexter went on a tear scoring a season-high 23 points and the fourth-seeded Huskies took advantage of Mississippi State's menacing Jarvis Varnado early foul trouble to race past the 13th-seeded Bulldogs on Thursday. (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #5 Purdue
#5 PURDUE vs. #12 NORTHERN IOWA
Fifth-seeded Purdue held off a late charge by 12th-seeded Northern Iowa for a 61-56 victory Thursday in a rugged first-round game, and showed it afterward. E'Twaun Moore had his right shoulder encased in ice and wrapped in plastic after his game-high 17 points. Robbie Hummel, who had both knees similarly sheathed, had nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. "Definitely was a physical game, sort of like a Big Ten game," Moore said, a grin spreading over his face. "The ice is just temporary. We'll be OK." (AP) (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #4 Washington
#6 MARQUETTE vs. #11 UTAH St.
Lazar Hayward scored Marquette's first and last points. Somehow the Golden Eagles snuck past Utah State 58-57 to advance to the second round. Hayward had plenty of big plays in between, too, scoring 26 to lead the Golden Eagles to the win over Utah State in the first round of the West Regional. Hayward, who was averaging 16 points, scored Marquette's first 10 points and was almost perfect from the foul line as the Golden Eagles held off the Aggies fierce comeback attempt in the second half to get the one point victory. (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #3 Missouri
#7 CAL vs. #10 MARYLAND
Gary Williams and the Terrapins threw a wrench into the Bears' 3-pt machine rolling to an 84-70 victory over Cal in the first round on Thursday. Maryland didn't force a lot of turnovers, didn't block a bunch of shots, didn't even create a lot of mistakes. What the Terps did to California was more subtle and more effective: They disrupted the precision Bears' rhythm. It might not sound like much, but against a streak-shooting team like Cal it can and certainly did make all the difference. Grievis Vasquez provided the offense with 27 points and Maryland used its press to shut down the nation's best 3-point shooting team. (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #2 Memphis
# 8 BYU vs. #9 TEXAS A&M
In a rubber match from the 2007-2008 tournament the Texas A&M Aggies again had the Brigham Young (BYU) Cougars number in the first round. Junior forward Bryan Davis drove to the basket, drew a foul and tossed the ball up over his head with his back to the net. Like most of his higher-percentage shots, it went in. With Dallas native Davis leading the way, Texas A&M beat Brigham Young 79-66 on Thursday. Davis scored 21, Donald Sloan had 14 and the ninth-seeded Aggies handed the Cougars their seventh straight opening-round loss, both teams drew the same seeds last March when A&M won 67-62. (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: # 1 UCONN
MIDWEST -
#1 LOUISVILLE vs. #16 MOREHEAD ST
Louisville made tournament history Friday by pulling away from Morehead State in the second half en route to a 74-54 win. The Cardinals 20 point victory was the 100th consecutive victory by a #1 seed over a #16 seed. The NCAA tournament's top team pulled off a few dance moves at midcourt during warmups Friday, then stumbled through a few early missteps in the first half. Then after the break, with clock-like precision the Cardinals deployed the thing that makes them so dangerous, the full-court press. The stifling second half defensive effort helped the Cardinals get the easy win that completed 25 years of perfection by No. 1 seeds. (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #9 Siena
#2 MICHIGAN STATE vs. #15 ROBERT MORRIS
When Michigan State arrived in Minneapolis for the NCAA tournament, Raymar Morgan said he was ready to "show the world what they have been missing for a while." Those who watched the Spartans' dominating victory over Robert Morris in the first round on Friday night got a pretty good glimpse of what Morgan and the rest of the Spartans can do when they are healthy. Morgan scored 16 points and Goran Suton had 11 points and 17 rebounds as Michigan State bullied 15th-seeded Robert Morris in a 77-62 victory in the first round of the Midwest Regional on Friday night. (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #10 USC
#3 KANSAS vs. #14 NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Rock chalked!! Kansas avoids North Dakota State's upset bid with a 84-74 win in Minneapolis. Cole Aldrich's long arms emerged above the lane to snatch the rebound and slam it in, drawing a foul he turned into a three-point play and a nine-point Kansas lead with just less than 2 minutes left. North Dakota State's upset pursuit had the support of the crowd, but the lanky yet powerful Aldrich was too hard to guard in his return home. (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #11 Dayton
#4 WAKE FOREST vs. #13 CLEVELAND STATE
Cleveland rocks!! The Cleveland State Vikings remain unbeaten in first-round NCAA tournament games. They've played two of them, 23 years apart, and notched two upsets. The latest victim: one-time top-ranked Wake Forest. Cleveland State raced to an early 17-point lead and withstood a second-half rally by the Demon Deacons to win 84-69. It was reminiscent of the Vikings' only other tournament appearance in 1986, when they upset Indiana and Bob Knight in the opening round. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #12 Arizona
#5 UTAH vs. #12 ARIZONA
After the No. 12-seeded Wildcats knocked off No. 5 seed Utah, 84-71. Arizona's three stars may have been bruised - but not beaten. Nic Wise held an ice pack to his lip. Chase Budinger had one on his left shin. Jordan Hill's was strapped atop his left ankle. And so much for that notion the Wildcats didn't belong in the NCAA tournament. Wise scored 21 of his 29 points in the second half, Budinger added 20 and the 12th-seeded Wildcats - one of the last teams into the field of 65 - knocked off fifth-seeded Utah 84-71 Friday night in the first round of the Midwest Regional. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent:#13 Cleveland State
#6 WEST VIRGINIA vs. #11 DAYTON
Dayton is haunted by Bob Huggins no longer. Chris Wright scored a career-high 27 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the 11th-seeded Flyers to a 68-60 win over sixth-seeded West Virginia on Friday in the Midwest Regional, their first victory in the NCAA tournament in 19 years. Charles Little added 18 points for once-mighty Flyers (27-7), which had been 1-13 against Huggins' teams dating to his days storming up and down the Cincinnati sideline. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #3 Kansas
#7 BOSTON COLLEGE vs. #10 USC
In Southern California, good looks mean a lot. Well, Taj Gibson was a perfect 10 for the Trojans, and way out of Boston College's league. Gibson had 24 points on 10-for-10 shooting from the field, sending the 10th-seeded Trojans to a 72-55 victory over Boston College in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday night. Adding six rebounds, five assists and three blocks, Gibson epitomized USC's fast-breaking, take-it-to-the-hoop, athletic style. (Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #2 Michigan State
**LOCKDAWG's "GAME OF THE TOURNEY PICK**#8 OHIO STATE vs. #9 SIENA
OMG!! Just when you thought Cinderella had decided to skip the dance, enter the "Saints" from Siena. The total effort from both teams was magical and provided tourney fans with the best game thus far. It seemed that no matter what Ohio State tried it was not enough to stop the diminutive Ronald Moore. He hit a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left in the second overtime - from the identical spot he made one at the end of the first OT - as the Saints beat eighth-seeded Ohio State 74-72 on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Moore's two clutch jumpers advanced ninth-seeded Siena (27-7) into Sunday's second round. All night they kept the faith against a gritty Buckeyes team and for their miraclous efforts they will meet Louisville, the tournament's top team. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #1 Louisville
EAST -
#1 PITTSBURGH vs. #16 EAST TENN STATE
Pittsburgh intends make history in this year's NCAA tournament. The Panthers almost did in their first game. Pitt prevailed in the end by 10 points over ETSU in the first round but it wasn't easy. Playing as a No. 1 seed for the first time but hardly looking the part, Pitt overcame a sloppy performance and a frightful 40 minutes from No. 16 seed East Tennessee State to advance with a 72-62 win on Friday in the East Regional.(Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #8 Oklahoma State
#2 DUKE vs. #15 BINGHAMTON
Duke completely dominates Binghamton in the first round. Jon Scheyer and Duke weren't about to let another one of college basketball's little guys scare them again. Scheyer scored 15 points to lead six players in double figures, and the Blue Devils made Binghamton's first appearance in the NCAA tournament a quick one by routing the Bearcats 86-62 Thursday night in the first round of the East Regional.(Fox Sports)
Second round opponent: #7 Texas
#3 VILLANOVA vs. #14 AMERICAN
'Nova escapes against American in Philly for an 80-67 win. The winngest senior class in Villanova history was about 10 minutes away from an early exit. Then they started to play Villanova basketball. It's basic definition, attack the boards, drive to the basket, get to the foul line. With Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham perfecting that strategy, American's upset threat was thwarted.(Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #6 UCLA
#4 XAVIER vs. #13 PORTLAND STATE
Xavier countered Portland State's usual barrage of 3-pointers with a much more efficient attack. The Musketeers shot 54 percent from the field and were 8-for-19 from 3-point range while rolling past Portland State 77-59 Friday in the opening round of the East Regional. C.J. Anderson led the Musketeers' well-balanced scoring with 14 points, followed by 13 apiece by Derrick Brown, B.J. Raymond and Dante Jackson. Xavier also had just seven turnovers and flustered the Big Sky Conference champion Vikings into a cold stretch in the second half that turned the game into a rout. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #12 Wisconsin
#5 FLORIDA STATE vs. #12 WISCONSIN
Trevon Hughes had no problem getting his nose dirty, especially with a payoff like this. After spending all night doing the grunt work on defense, the Wisconsin guard got to play a more glamorous role at the end. He got to take the crazy, spinning, highlight-reel bank shot with 2 seconds left in overtime and the season on the line. The shot went in over a bunch of Florida State's outstretched arms and the Badgers won, 61-59 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #4 Xavier
#6 UCLA vs. #11 VCU
UCLA survives avoiding VCU's upset bid and pulling off a 65-64 win in Philly. Darren Collison had no doubt Eric Maynor would take the last shot. All he had to do was make sure it didn't go in. Collison refused to yield in the final seconds, pressuring Maynor into missing a 17-footer at the buzzer to give UCLA a 65-64 victory over VCU on Thursday night in the opening round of the East Regional. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #3 Villanova
#7 TEXAS vs. #10 MINN
Texas cruises advancing to the second round with a win over Minnesota. A.J. Abrams' 3-point shooting was a key reason Texas got within a game of the Final Four last season. Now the Longhorns are moving on again thanks to the senior's latest long-range shooting flurry in the NCAA tournament. Abrams hit eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points to help Texas beat Minnesota 76-62 in the first round of the East Regional on Thursday, helping the Longhorns win their NCAA opener for the fourth straight season. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #2 Duke
#8 TENN vs. #9 OKLA STATE
Cowboys escape knocking out Tennessee in the first round of the East Regional. Looking at the thicket of bodies clogging the middle of the floor, Oklahoma State's Byron Eaton wasn't sure how he'd create his final shot. So, he kept dribbling. Stunningly, after 40 minutes of give-no-ground basketball, everything opened up right in front of him. The Cowboys' barrel-chested point guard found a clear path to the basket for a three-point play with 7.2 seconds left on the clock and the win. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #1 Pittsburgh
SOUTH -
#1 UNC vs. #16 RADFORD
UNC rolls routing Radford and improving to 26-1 all-time in NCAA games played in its home state. Tyler Hansbrough heard the roar of the crowd and knew he had just become the leading scorer in Atlantic Coast Conference history. His response? Just run down court and get back on defense. "I thought about waving," he said, "but I just wanted to stay focused on the game." Whether he liked it or not, Hansbrough's latest record overshadowed North Carolina's 101-58 win over Radford to open the NCAA tournament on Thursday. Second round opponent: LSU
#2 OKLAHOMA vs. #15 MORGAN STATE
An inadvertent blow to the jaw last month left Blake Griffin with a concussion and sent Oklahoma stumbling into the NCAA tournament. In the first round of the South Regional, Griffin got flipped over the back of a Morgan State player and landed hard on the court in an ugly incident that earned the other guy an ejection. But Griffin bounced right back, finished off 28-point, 13-rebound performance, then assured everyone he was fine after the Sooners' 82-54 victory Thursday night. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #10 Michigan
#3 SYRACUSE vs. #14 SFA
The Orange crush the Lumberjacks recording an easy 59-44 victory. Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris stood in the Syracuse locker room before tip-off, imploring teammates to dash Stephen F. Austin's upset hopes before they could even begin. As usual, the Orange listened to their leaders - then went out and won their first NCAA tournament game in exactly five years. Flynn scored 16 points, Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku each added 12 and third-seeded Syracuse cruised past NCAA first-timer Stephen F.(Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #6 Arizona State
#4 GONZAGA vs. #13 AKRON
The Bulldogs, loaded with what they feel is their most talented team in years, seemed set up for a third-straight first-round flop. But Josh Heytvelt and Gonzaga already knew they could win artistically. Now the Zags know they can win an alley fight, too. Rugged Akron was shoving its way to a huge upset over stylish Gonzaga, up by six in the second half before the 'Zags found a way to rally back 77-64 to win over Akron in the South Regional. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #12 Western Kentucky
#5 ILLINOS vs. #12 WEST KENTUCKY
Whether they were relieved, tired or expecting it all along, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers didn't wildly celebrate their latest NCAA tournament upset. A.J. Slaughter was the most demonstrative, pumping his fist a few times after 12th-seeded Western Kentucky held off a late charge to beat fifth-seeded Illinois 76-72 on Thursday night in the South Regional. "I just kind of had a sigh of relief when it ended, because we made it closer than it should have been," Slaughter said. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #4 Gonzaga
#6 ASU vs. #11 TEMPLE
ASU grounds Owls beating Temple, 66-57, and advancing to the second round. On the eve of Arizona State's first NCAA tournament game since 2003, James Harden had teammates laughing when he teased point guard Derek Glasser about being reluctant to shoot. So when Harden had trouble getting going Friday against Temple, guess who came to the rescue? Glasser scored a career-high 22 points, and the Sun Devils overcame a second consecutive subpar performance by Harden to win 66-57.(Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #3 Syracuse
#7 CLEMSON vs. #10 MICHIGAN
GO BIG BLUE!! Michigan survives knocking off Clemson in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Michigan was supposed to be the team with the jitters. The Wolverines hadn't been to the NCAA tournament in over a decade, had to sweat out Selection Sunday just to find out if they'd get in. Turns out they weren't so nervous after all. Michigan stymied Clemson with its zone defense and survived a late scare in its first NCAA tournament game in 11 years, beating the Tigers 62-59 in the first round of South Regional on Thursday night. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #2 Oklahoma
#8 LSU vs. #9 BUTLER
Marcus Thornton wasn't around for LSU's last NCAA tournament appearance, stuck instead at a junior college while those other homegrown Tigers reached the Final Four. He finally got his chance on the sport's grandest stage, and played like he plans on hanging around for a while - especially when upset-minded Butler threatened to end things. Thornton scored 30 points while coming through with one critical basket after another for hot-shooting LSU, which held off a late rally to beat the Bulldogs 75-71 on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA tournament. (Fox Sports) Second round opponent: #1 UNC
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