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North Carolina 95, Marquette 63
Hubert Davis was quick to point out the first NCAA Tournament victory for Caleb Love and other North Carolina players.
The Tar Heels coach was less interested in what it meant to win his tournament debut for a storied program that also is his alma mater.
Brady Manek scored 28 points and Love needed just 19 minutes to tie Carolina’s single-game tournament record of six 3-pointers in a 95-63 rout of Marquette on Thursday, the biggest blowout in a matchup of 8-9 seeds in tournament history.
Gonzaga 93, Georgia State 72
Gonzaga coach Mark Few has seen plenty of No. 16 seeds in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. When he watched video of Georgia State, the longtime Bulldogs’ coach didn’t see a team that fit that profile.
Few turned to be correct. Gonzaga spent 30 minutes struggling to create any separation against the 16th-seeded Panthers before pulling away late for a 93-72 win on Thursday.
“Once we started really breaking them down, I kept telling people that’s not a 16 seed,” Few said after Gonzaga won its 13th straight first-round game in the NCAAs. “I think they showed it tonight. Georgia State gave us quite a fight.”
The Bulldogs eventually had too much size and skill for the Panthers. Drew Timme scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half, making up for a sluggish start by the Zags and a long stretch of the first half when the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed couldn’t make a basket.
Richmond 67, Iowa 63
Jacob Gilyard had an inkling a week ago — well before Richmond had even qualified for the NCAA Tournament — that the Spiders were capable of a first-round upset.
“Probably last Thursday,” the fifth-year guard said, referring to the day Richmond began a four-win run to the Atlantic 10 Tournament title. “We’re a fairly confident group and I think last weekend showed that.”
Spiders coach Chris Mooney had a feeling long before then, he said in the wake of the 12th-seeded Spiders’ 67-63 first-round win over Big Ten champion Iowa on Thursday.
Baylor 85, Norfolk State 49
Matthew Mayer just knew it was a perfect pass he turned into a half-ending breakaway dunk for defending national champion Baylor. He wasn’t really sure what happened before he got the ball.
“I thought it was like a rebound or something, and then all of sudden the ball was just right in front of me,” Mayer said. “I was like, ‘Wow, that was great.'”
Mayer scored a career-high 22 points, including that punctuating half-ending dunk with a salute, as the top-seeded Bears opened the NCAA Tournament with an 85-49 victory over Norfolk State on Thursday.
Memphis 64, Boise State 53
Lessons from a tough start to the season helped Memphis weather a second-half challenge by Boise State on Thursday.
DeAndre Williams had 14 points, Jalen Duren made a crucial basket down the stretch and the ninth-seeded Tigers survived their first-round game against the Broncos with a 64-53 victory in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers (22-10), whose poor start to the season had coach Penny Hardaway dropping expletives in a press conference, are into the second round in the West Region and will play top-seeded Gonzaga on Saturday. The Bulldogs downed No. 16 seed Georgia State, 93-72.
Tennessee 88, Longwood 56
Tennessee used its stout defense to win the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
If the Volunteers shoot as well as they did Thursday in Indianapolis, they could be headed toward an even bigger celebration.
Santiago Vescovi scored 18 points on six 3-pointers, and Tennessee pounded Longwood 88-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, showing exactly why it felt it deserved better than a No. 3 seed.
Michigan 76, Colorado State 64
Freshman Frankie Collins made a starting debut that Michigan fans won’t soon forget.
With starting point guard DeVante’ Jones stuck on campus in the concussion protocol and the Wolverines struggling with turnovers, Collins scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and helped 11th-seeded Michigan overcome a shaky start to beat sixth-seeded Colorado State 75-63 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
“I’ve always been impressed with his skill set and I think his style fits our style of play,” coach Juwan Howard said.
Michigan (18-14), after a turbulent journey to the field of 68, now faces third-seeded Tennessee in the second round of the South Region. The Volunteers turned away 14th-seeded Longwood 88-56.