NCAA Tournament 2018 First-Round Schedule and Scores Tracker: Recapping Day 1
The month of March may have started more than two weeks ago, but March Madness is officially here. Over the next 96 hours, college basketball's best teams will put it all on the line as they look to advance in the 2018 NCAA tournament. With all of the first round games set, your winning bracket submitted and the channel number for truTV already keyed up on your remote, there's only one thing left to do: watch some March Madness basketball.
Below, we’re recapping every game of the first round, along with a full schedule and TV guide for a look at what’s ahead. Follow along for results and updates on all of the games and click here for a live look at the bracket.
RESULTS
Midwest Region: Rhode Island 83, Oklahoma 78
What better way to kick off March Madness than with an overtime battle? No. 7 Rhode Island took out No. 10 Oklahoma and sensational scorer Trae Young in overtime to advance to the second round. Senior guards E.C. Matthews and Jared Terrell, and freshman Fatts Russell, led the Rams, while Young finished with 28 points on 9-for-18 shooting. Despite a late-season slide, Dan Hurley's team is looking solid.
South Region: Tennessee 73, Wright State 47
The Volunteers handed out Thursday’s first blowout, pasting Horizon League champion Wright State in Tennessee’s tournament debut under third-year coach Rick Barnes. A meeting between two teams that pride themselves on their defense went in favor of the regular season SEC co-champs, who were paced by Admiral Schofield's 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Raiders were held to 32.2% shooting from the field.
West Region: Gonzaga 68, UNC-Greensboro 64
After playing for a national championship last spring, Gonzaga needed to scratch and claw to make it out of the first round, surviving a spirited upset bid from UNC-Greensboro. The upstart Spartans struggled from the field in the first half but kept Gonzaga’s offense off-balance with their aggressive defense, limiting Bulldogs star Killian Tillie to just two points all game. Forward Johnathan Williams picked up the slack with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and freshman guard Zach Norvell Jr. drained a contested three with 21 seconds left that proved to be the difference after UNCG’s last-gasp three rattled out.
Midwest Region: Kansas 76, Penn 60
It still stands: No No. 16 seed has ever defeated a No. 1 seed. Kansas looked to be in trouble early, with Penn leading by as much as 10 in the first, but the Jayhawks closed the half on a 22-5 run and almost never looked back. Big 12 Player of the Year Devonte' Graham powered the Jayhawks with 29 points. The icing on the cake for the Jayhawks? Center Udoka Azubuike logging a few minutes on Thursday after being sidelined with injury, a good sign for the rest of the tournament for Bill Self’s squad.
Midwest Region: Duke 89, Iona 67
Looks like Trevon Duval and Wendell Carter are just fine. All eyes were on the health of two of Duke’s standout freshmen ahead of a first-round matchup with the 15-seed Gaels—Carter played the ACC tournament at less than 100% while nursing a foot injury, and Duval rolled his ankle in the semifinal loss to North Carolina—but Blue Devils fans should be able to rest easy after their performance on Thursday. Duval hit four of five threes to finish with 16 points, and Carter added nine points and eight rebounds to help the Blue Devils pull away towards the end of the first half and cruise to the finish line.
South Region: Loyola-Chicago 64, Miami (FL) 62
The Ramblers of Loyola-Chicago delivered the first upset of the tournament on Thursday, downing No. 6 Miami (FL) 64-62 in thunderous fashion to notch their first win in the NCAA tournament since 1985. Senior guard Donte Ingram hit the dagger—a deep three with .3 seconds remaining—to seal the deal for the Ramblers, who move on the face No. 3 Tennessee in the second round.
West Region: Ohio State 81, South Dakota State 73
There were more than 70 three-pointers attempted in the contest between No. 5 Ohio State and No. 12 South Dakota State, but in the end it was defensive breakdowns that cost the Jackrabbits the upset and sent Chris Holtmann’s team to the second round, where they’ll face No. 4 Gonzaga. The Buckeyes had three players score 20+, as Keita Bates-Diop finished with 24, Kam Williams with 22 and C.J. Jackson with 20.
Midwest Region: Seton Hall 94, NC State 83
The Pirates led wire-to-wire en route to their first NCAA tournament win since 2004, as seniors Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez and Angel Delgado accounted for 59 of their team’s points. With NC State’s interior options struggling, Wolfpack guard Allerik Freeman poured in 36 points to lead all scorers, but Seton Hall refused to lose its composure in the face of the Wolfpack’s press and dictated the final minutes.
East Region: Villanova 81, Radford 67
Top-seeded Villanova rolled over Radford into the second round on Thursday, as the Wildcats started the game shooting 81% and dominated until the very end. Radford won a First Four game to advance to Pittsburgh but it was tournament favorite who Villanova moved on behind solid performances from projected draft lottery pick Mikal Bridges and leading National Player of the Year candidate Jalen Brunson.
South Region: Kentucky 78, Davidson 73
Despite a scare down the stretch, No. 5 Kentucky avoided an upset against No. 12 Davidson by pulling away behind free throws late. Notably, UK’s streak of 1,047 consecutive games with a three-pointer—which dates back to 1988—ended, as it attempted just six threes and missed them all. But the Wildcats shot 26 of 45 (57.8%) inside the arc and won the battle in the paint to hold off Davidson. Kevin Knox led Kentucky with 25 points.
East Region: Texas Tech 70, Stephen F. Austin 60
No. 3 Texas Tech outlasted No. 14 Stephen F. Austin behind 23 points from senior guard Keenan Evans. The underdog Lumberjacks led by three at halftime and were right in it for most of the night, but the Red Raiders clamped down defensively late to pull away for the 10-point win. Stephen F. Austin went the final five minutes without making a single field goal and committed nine turnovers in the second half.
West Region: Houston 67, San Diego State 65
Rob Gray scored a career-high 39 points, including the game-winner, and added eight rebounds to lead No. 6 Houston over No. 11 San Diego State in a first-round thriller. Gray spun in a lay-up with 1.1 seconds remaining to give the Cougars the lead, and while the Aztecs’ Trey Kell got off a good look at a three-pointer just before the buzzer, the shot didn’t fall, giving Houston a hard-earned win.
South Region: Buffalo 89, Arizona 68
No. 13 Buffalo pulled off the stunner of the first-round so far by routing No. 4 Arizona by 21. The Bulls hung with the Wildcats from the start, leading by two at halftime, before turning it on in a 49-point second half. Deandre Ayton finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in his final game in an Arizona uniform, while Buffalo was led by Wes Clark’s 25 points. As a team, the Bulls shot 50% (15 of 30) from three while the Wildcats made just two of 18.
East Region: Alabama 86, Virginia Tech 83
Freshman Collin Sexton scored 25 to lead No. 9 Alabama over No. 8 Virginia Tech, while John Petty added 20 on 6 of 8 shooting from three. The Crimson Tide overcame 17 turnovers and a 66.7% mark from the free-throw line by shooting 60% from the floor as a team and outrebounding the Hokies by four. Alabama now faces No. 1 Villanova on Saturday.
East Region: Florida 77, St. Bonaventure 62
Florida's offense came to life in the second half, as the Gators scored 50 of their 77 points in the game's final 20 minutes against St. Bonavenutre. Egor Koulechov led all scorers with 20 points, while Jalen Hudson added 16. The Bonnies shot just 19.3% on three-point attempts, including their top three scorers—Jaylen Adams, Matt Mobley and Courtney Stockard—going a combined 1 of 15 from deep.
West Region: Michigan 61, Montana 47
The Big Ten tournament champions got off to a sluggish start, as Montana scored the game's first 10 points. Michigan roared back though, with Charles Matthews leading the way with 20 points. The Wolverines now advance to take on No. 6-seeded Houston in an intriguing Round of 32 battle.
Friday’s schedule
12:15 p.m., CBS
(10) Providence vs. (7) Texas A&M
12:40 p.m., truTV
(15) Cal State–Fullerton vs. (2) Purdue
1:30 p.m., TNT
(13) Marshall vs. (4) Wichita State
2 p.m., TBS
(15) Georgia State vs. (2) Cincinnati
2:45 p.m., CBS
(15) Lipscomb vs. (2) North Carolina
3:10 p.m., truTV
(10) Butler vs. (7) Arkansas
4 p.m., TNT
(12) Murray St. vs. (5) West Virginia
4:30 p.m., TBS
(10) Texas vs. (7) Nevada
6:50 p.m., TNT
(9) Kansas State vs. (8) Creighton
7:10 p.m., CBS
(14) Bucknell vs. (3) Michigan State
7:20 p.m., TBS
(16) N.C. Central/Texas Southern vs. (1) Xavier
7:27 p.m., truTV
(13) Charleston vs. (4) Auburn
9:20 p.m., TNT
(16) UMBC vs. (1) Virginia
9:40 p.m., CBS
(11) Syracuse vs. (6) TCU
9:50 p.m., TBS
(9) Florida St. vs. (8) Missouri
9:55 p.m., truTV
(12) New Mexico State vs. (5) Clemson
