Defending champs advance as NCAA Tournament tips off
The defending national champions are moving on in the NCAA Tournament.
Phil Booth scored 20 points, fellow senior Eric Paschell added 14 and No. 6 seed Villanova held off Saint Mary’s 61-57 in the first round of the South Region.
Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts each had 13 points for Saint Mary’s (22-12), which never trailed by more than eight.
GONZAGA 87, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 49
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — One year after dreamers and underdog lovers rejoiced at topseeded Virginia’s first-of-its-kind, first-round loss, the Gonzaga Bulldogs crushed any thought of a repeat with a wire-to-wire thumping of Fairleigh Dickinson in the West Region.
Rui Hachimura led the Zags (31-3) with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Gonzaga led by 10 after the first 4:12, by 20 after 10:25 and by the score of 53-17 at halftime.
By the time Gonzaga turned it over when Josh Perkins tried flipping a no-look pass backward to Killian Tillie, coach Mark Few looked barely awake, sitting in his chair, cheek cupped in his hand. The Bulldogs led 70-34.
MURRAY STATE 83, MARQUETTE 64
Ja Morant recorded the ninth triple-double in the NCAA Tournament since 1987 as No. 12 Murray State trounced fifth-seeded Marquette in the first round of the West Region.
Murray State continued a trend of a No. 12 seed winning at least one game in all but three tournaments since 2001 — including last year’s — but this looked nothing like an upset. Morant had 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds .
FLORIDA 70, NEVADA 61
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Kevarrius Hayes scored 16 points, Jalen Hudson added 15 and 10th-seeded Florida beat Nevada in the West Region in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after squandering most of an 18point lead.
The Gators (20-1) won their tournament opener for the third straight year and became the third double-digit seed to win on Thursday.
KENTUCKY 79, ABILENE CHRISTIAN 44
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Keldon Johnson scored 25 points in a huge mismatch that was over by halftime, and second-seeded Kentucky romped in the Midwest Regional over NCAA Tournament newcomer Abilene Christian.
The Wildcats shot 60 per cent in the opening period, held Abilene Christian to 5 of 26 from the field and went to the locker room with a 3913 lead.
MARYLAND 79, BELMONT 77
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Maryland’s Darryl Morsell made a crucial defensive stop as Belmont went for a last-second upset in the NCAA Tournament, allowing the Terrapins to escape in the East Regional.
The mid-major powerhouse from Nashville, Tennessee couldn’t knock off the No. 6-seeded Terrapins (23-10) from the Big Ten, despite a 35point performance by Dylan Windler.
MINNESOTA 86, LOUISVILLE 76
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Minnesota won its first NCAA Tournament game in six years behind 24 points from freshman Gale Kalscheur as the 10th-seeded Gophers rolled past No. 7 Louisville in the opening round of the East Region.
Cunningham led Louisville (20-14) with 22 points, and Steven Enoch had 14.
AUBURN 78, NEW MEXICO STATE 77
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — After a teammate passed up an open layup that could have tied the game, New Mexico State’s Terrell Brown was fouled behind the arc and missed two of three free throws as the Aggies dropped a heartbreaker to fifth-seeded Auburn in the Midwest Region.
With Auburn’s J’von McCormick grabbing his throat as Harris toed the line, Brown missed the first, made the second, then watched the third one rim out.
MICHIGAN STATE 76, BRADLEY 65
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Cassius Winston scored 26 points and second-seeded Michigan State held off Bradley in the East Region.
Xavier Tillman had 16 points with 11 boards for the Spartans (29-6), who’ll face Big Ten rival, 10th-seeded Minnesota, on Saturday in search of their first trip to the Sweet Sixteen in four years. Michigan State throttled the Gophers 7955 in East Lansing back on Feb. 9.
FLORIDA STATE 76, VERMONT 69
Mfiondu Kabengele had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Florida State held off a barrage of 3-pointers from 13th-seeded Vermont in the opening round of the West Regional.
Terance Mann added 19 points for the fourthseeded Seminoles (28-7), who were tied with the Catamounts at halftime but pulled away late.
LSU 79, YALE 74
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Skylar Mays hit four free throws in the final 15 seconds to help embattled LSU slip past 14th-seeded Yale.
Mays scored 19 points but sealed the game from the foul line, and the Tigers (27-6) needed each one of his free throws.
KANSAS 87, NORTHEASTERN 54
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Dedric Lawson had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and fourth-seeded Kansas dominated inside in a rout over Northeastern in the Midwest Region.
The fourth-seeded Jayhawks (26-9) had a notable size advantage inside and used it, outscoring the Huskies 50-16 in the paint while grabbing 17 more rebounds.