Already all kinds of Madness

Results from the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday:

EAST REGION ALABAMA 86, VIRGINIA TECH 83

PITTSBURGH — Collin Sexton scored 21 of his team-high 24 points after halftime to lead Alabama over Virginia Tech for the Crimson Tide’s first NCAA Tournament win in a dozen years.

VILLANOVA 87, RADFORD 61

PITTSBURGH — Jalen Brunson scored 16 points and top-seeded Villanova hit 14 3-pointers to rout Radford. The Highlanders posed no threat at becoming the first 16 seed to ever knock off a No. 1 in the tournament.

SOUTH REGION BUFFALO 89, ARIZONA 68

BOISE, Idaho — Wes Clark netted 25 points, Jeremy Harris added 23 and No. 13 seed Buffalo pulled off the biggest upset of the opening round, rolling over No. 4 Arizona.

The smaller Bulls (27-8) used quickness to zip around the Wildcats (27-8), scoring at the rim and on kickout 3-pointers.

Buffalo shredded Arizona’s defence at a 55 per cent clip for the program’s first NCAA Tournament win.

KENTUCKY 78, DAVIDSON 73

BOISE, Idaho — Kentucky didn’t make a 3-pointer for the first time in a game since 1988, but still did enough to top Davidson.

Fifth-seeded Kentucky went 0-for-6 from behind the arc after hitting a 3 in a nation-best streak of 1,047 games.

MIDWEST REGION KANSAS 76, PENN 60

WICHITA, Kan. — Devonte Graham ignited sluggish Kansas midway through the first half, pouring in 29 points and lifting his top-seeded team.

Lagerald Vick added 14 points for the Jayhawks (28-7), who trailed the Ivy League champs 21-11 with about seven minutes left in the first half. Kansas advanced to play Seton Hall.

DUKE 89, IONA 67

PITTSBURGH — Marvin Bagley III dominated in his NCAA Tournament debut, pouring in 22 points to go along with seven rebounds as Duke rolled. The Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year made 10 of 14 shots and grabbed seven rebounds.

WEST REGION GONZAGA 68, GREENSBORO 64

BOISE, Idaho — Zach Norvell Jr. hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 20.8 seconds left to help Gonzaga escape a major scare.

The fourth-seeded Bulldogs (31-4) trailed 64-62 with 1:48 left after squandering a 12-point lead.

Gonzaga, in its 20th straight NCAA tournament, won its first game of March Madness for the 10th year in a row.

Gonzaga will next face No. 5 Ohio State, which advanced by beating South Dakota State 81-73.