It’s formally March Madness time. After the First 4 video games on Tuesday and Wednesday, the primary full day of the NCAA tournament kicks off on Thursday with 16 males’s video games unfold out over 12 hours. Creighton and Louisville obtained issues began within the first recreation of the day, whereas Texas Tech and UNC Wilmington will wrap up the opening day of motion late tonight.
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Ultimate: Auburn 83, Alabama State 63
After a primary half scare, Auburn buckled down for the second half, constructing a snug 20-point lead and maintaining it there. The No. 1 general seed overcame a scrappy Alabama State group for the win, led by a 23-point efficiency from guard Miles Kelly, who knocked down seven three-pointers.
The Cowboys simply drilled a 3-pointer to maintain Clemson at bay halfway by the second half. We’re nearly executed right here…
BYU ends first half on a 12-2 run
After a good begin to the sport, the Cougars are immediately in command of this one at halftime. They’ve taken an 11-point lead over VCU into the locker room at Ball Enviornment whereas taking pictures 50% from the sphere. Egor Demin leads all scorers with 11 factors after going 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
Gonzaga will get off to a red-hot begin vs. Georgia, pulling forward to 27-3 lead
No. 8 Gonzaga got here out swinging towards No. 9 Georgia for a matchup of Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs. Gonzaga shortly pulled forward, going 13-0 earlier than Georgia even scored a degree.
Is that this recreation formally out of attain for Alabama State?
After Alabama State’s run spooked Auburn within the first half, the Tigers have clawed again to comfy 21-point lead over the Hornets. A win is looking of attain for Alabama State, with Auburn outscoring the Hornets and beating them on the boards as properly.
If Alabama State can launch a comeback, it is going to be on the heels of Auburn’s turnovers. The Hornets have seven steals on the Tigers, whereas Auburn solely has two. It is a small measure, however any probability of an upset will include Alabama State making the most of Auburn’s errors.
McNeese State extends lead over Clemson after halftime
Issues aren’t going any higher for Clemson early within the second half. McNeese State’s off to a 9-3 run after halftime and has prolonged its edge to 40-16. This can be a drubbing. Laborious to see Clemson mounting a rally right here.
BYU-VCU locked up early
The Cougars and the Rams are locked up in a battle early in Colorado. The 2 faculties are tied up 22-22 halfway by the primary half. BYU is on the lookout for its first NCAA event win in additional than a decade, whereas VCU is again within the event for the fourth time within the final seven years.
Auburn pulls forward of Alabama State to begin the second half
After letting Alabama State get too shut within the first half, Auburn is getting extra comfy within the second. The Tigers kicked off the half by pulling forward to a 14-point lead over the Hornets. The run was helped by a four-point play from freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford, who sunk a contested three and hit the and-on proper after.
Auburn later pulled the result in 54-36.
McNeese State’s Brandon Murray outscores Clemson within the first half
McNeese State reserve Brandon Murray has 14 factors at halftime. Clemson as a group has 13 because the Cowboys lead 31-13 at halftime. Not nice, Tigers.
No. 5 Clemson is in hassle
Clemson in hassle right here. It is sitting on 11 factors with 3:16 left within the first half as No. 12 seed McNeese State is rolling early. The Cowboys lead, 25-11 and have restricted the Tigers to 4-of-19 (21.1%) taking pictures from the sphere, together with a 1-of-11 (9.1%) effort from 3-point distance.
Bettor has $310K using on Auburn to win
Choosing a No. 1 seed to easily win its Spherical 1 recreation is traditionally one of many most secure bets you can also make, as solely two prime seeds have ever misplaced outright within the first spherical.
One Florida bettor at Laborious Rock is banking on that historical past, as he positioned a large $310,000 wager earlier than the sport on the Auburn Tigers moneyline at -20000 odds to beat No. 16 Alabama State.
The guess would solely win $1,550 for the bettor.
Auburn leads 41-31 at halftime after closing the primary half on a 9-0 run, however that bettor must be sweating greater than anticipated.
Ultimate: Houston 78, SIU Edwardsville 40
There was no 16-1 upset in Wichita. Not even shut.
Houston rolled to a 52-24 halftime lead and did not let off the gasoline after halftime because it cruised to a 78-40 win. Houston restricted SIUE to at least one made discipline objective over a 17-plus minute span from late within the first half by many of the second as SIUE had little reply for Houston’s smothering protection.
L.J. Cryer had 15 factors and 4 assists for Houston, whereas Milos Uzan posted 16 factors, three rebounds and three assists. Houston restricted SIUE to 30.6% taking pictures from the sphere and a 2-of-24 (8.3%) effort from 3-point distance.
Houston ought to get a harder check within the second spherical from the winner between No. 8 seed Gonzaga and No. 9 seed Georgia.
Auburn leads Alabama State, 41-31, at halftime
Auburn heads into the locker room with the lead, however the Tigers look shaken by Alabama State’s surprising battle.
The Hornets went on a 14-4 run late within the first half, getting inside one level of Auburn’s lead earlier than the Tigers have been in a position to draw back. Will Alabama State be capable to harness that momentum once more within the second half?
No. 12 McNeese State up early on No. 5 Clemson
McNeese State is seeking to pull of the primary large upset of the event. The Twelfth-seeded Cowboys reeled off an early 8-0 run and take an 18-8 lead right into a timeout with 8:58 left within the first half. The ACC is susceptible to dropping its second group in two video games performed after Louisville fell to Creighton within the first recreation of the event.
Alabama State will get inside one level, however Auburn pulls away once more
After a sequence of missed three-pointers, Alabama State shortly obtained again in it. A layup by Amarr Knox obtained the Hornets inside one level of Auburn. Quickly after, Knox had an opportunity to take the lead with a pair of free throws, however missed each photographs.
Auburn’s Johni Broome then pulled away once more with a layup. Though he missed the free throw try on an and-one, teammate Miles Kelly obtained the rebound and sunk a three-pointer to provide the Tigers a two-score lead once more, 37-31.
Vibes verify on Auburn: Not so nice!
The lingering query about Auburn coming into the NCAA event was what to make of its poor end to the season.
Would dropping three out of 4 mild a fireplace underneath the Tigers? Or wouldn’t it sap their beforehand hovering confidence?
When requested on Saturday his degree of concern about how the Tigers have been enjoying, a scowling Bruce Pearl scoffed on the query. “We misplaced to Alabama, Tennessee, at Texas A&M,” he stated earlier than getting sarcastic. “Yeah, we’re panicked.”
Pearl can downplay all of it he needs, however to date the vibes aren’t nice. The Auburn coach needed to name timeout with six minutes left within the first half on Thursday after Sixteenth-seeded Alabama State ripped off 9 factors in a row to get inside 4 of the Tigers.
A giant run will get Alabama State inside 4 factors of Auburn
Auburn pulled out to a different ten-point lead, however a large run from Alabama State has the 16-seed inside 4 factors of the No. 1 general group.
The Hornets went on a 9-0 run towards the Tigers, capping it off with a steal and a layup after two straight offensive rebounds. Auburn could be in hassle.
Ultimate: Wisconsin 85, Montana 66
Regardless of some early struggles, Wisconsin obtained its act collectively within the second half, simply advancing previous Montana 85-66.
It regarded like Wisconsin could be in for some powerful sledding early, because the No. 3 seed could not appear to drag away from No. 14 Montana. Poor taking pictures from past the arc led to Wisconsin coming into the half up by simply eight factors vs. Montana.
The Badgers lastly obtained issues going within the second half. Whereas the group’s three-point taking pictures did not present a lot enchancment — Wisconsin completed 7-23 from past the arc — a number of gamers stepped up. 5 Badgers completed the competition with double-digit factors, with sophomore John Blackwell main the way in which with a 19-point effort.
With the win, Wisconsin will play the winner of VCU vs. BYU within the second spherical.
Houston nonetheless cruising
Houston’s play very similar to a No. 1 seed ought to. With 12-plus minutes remaining, the Cougars are doubling SIU Edwardsville up. It is 61-30 with 12:14 remaining.
Auburn’s Miles Kelly getting off to a sizzling begin
Auburn goes up early on Alabama State, getting a ten-point lead with the assistance of senior guard Miles Kelly. Midway by the primary half, Kelly already has 12 factors after sinking 4 three-pointers.
