Wolverines, Tar Heels both claim high-scoring contests

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Derrick Walton Jr. scored 26 points and Michigan made 16 3-pointers Friday to hold off Oklahoma State 92-91 in the first round of the Midwest Regional.

The seventh-seeded Wolverines (25-11) set a school record for 3s in an NCAA Tournament game. They have won six straight — five since a frightening plane mishap on the way to last week's Big Ten Tournament.

Juwan Evans scored 23 points to lead the 10th-seeded Cowboys (2013), who finished the season with four consecutive losses.

It looked like that streak might end Friday after Oklahoma State opened the second half on a 12-5 run to take a 52-46 lead.

But Michigan charged back with a relentless 3-point barrage, taking a 62-61 lead on Walton's 3 with 12:26 left making three more 3s in a 14-4 run that made it 76-68.

The Cowboys never led again.

INDIANAPOLIS — Mangok Mathiang scored 18 points and Deng Adel added 16 Friday to help secondseeded Louisville pull away from Jacksonville State 78-63 in the first round of the Midwest Regional.

The Cardinals (25-8) have won five straight opening round games. Louisville was making its first postseason appearance since 2015 after sitting out last year because of a oneyear, school-imposed postseason ban for alleged recruiting violations.

Norbertas Giga scored 30 points for 15th-seeded Jacksonville State (20-15), which was one of a record five teams making their first tourney appearance.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Jaylen Barford hit the go-ahead layup with 57.8 seconds left to help Arkansas hold off Seton Hall 77-71 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Barford had 12 of his 20 points after halftime for the Razorbacks (269), the No. 8 seed in the South Region. That included his layup off Khadeen Carrington's turnover at the other end, pushing Arkansas ahead for good as the Razorbacks scored the game's final seven points.

The 6-foot-3 junior also came through with a pair of free throws with 18.3 seconds left following a whistle in which officials reviewed Desi Rodriguez's foul to stop the clock and changed it to a flagrant foul.

After Barford hit his free throws, Daryl Macon added another to make it a 75-71 game. Carrington missed a 3 at the other end in what amounted to the ninth-seeded Pirates' last gasp.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Justin Jackson broke out of a shooting slump with 21 points to help topseeded North Carolina roll past Texas Southern 103-64 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's South Region.

The Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year had made just 20 of 60 shots (33 percent) and 7 of 31 3pointers (23 percent) in his last four games. But he had 19 points by halftime in this one, helping the Tar Heels (28-7) quickly eliminate any chance of an unprecedented upset.