Wagner, Colorado St. advance out of First 4

Wagner kicked off March Madness with the first NCAA Tournament win in program history, getting 21 points from Melvin Council Jr. and holding off a late rally by Howard to win 71-68 in the First Four on Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio.

The Northeast Conference champion Seahawks (17-15) advanced as the No. 16 seed in the West Region and will play top seed North Carolina on Thursday.

Howard trailed by 17 early in the second half but went on a late 14-2 run, closing within 69-68 on Bryce Harris’ layup with 18 seconds left. After Julian Brown hit a pair of free throws for Wagner, Howard attempted three 3s in the last 6 seconds but missed them all.

In Tuesday night’s other First Four game, Joel Scott had 23 points and 11 rebounds as Colorado State blew out Virginia. It was the Rams’ first NCAA Tournament victory in 11 years.

Colorado State advances as a No. 10 seed to play seventh-seeded Texas on Thursday.

Marquette coach Shaka Smart said Wednesday that G Tyler Kolek has been practicing in 5-on-5 drills this week as the 2023 Big East player of the year gets ready to return from an oblique injury. Kolek has missed the Golden Eagles’ last six games, but Smart has expressed confidence the AP All-America second-team selection would be back for the tournament. Marquette, the No. 2 seed in the South Region, faces Western Kentucky (22-11) on Friday.

NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his second straight game when the Bucks visited the NBA-leading Celtics. The two-time league MVP has been dealing with a hamstring issue.

NFL: Lions DB Cameron Sutton was wanted on a Florida domestic violence warrant. Authorities said on social media that the warrant is for domestic battery by strangulation, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.