NCAA Tournament: Recapping all the highlights from day one of March Madness

Thursday marked the official real opening day of the NCAA Tournament, as 16 games featuring 32 teams took place around the United States.

Wisconsin was one of those 32, as the Badgers handled business vs. Montana, advancing in the East Region with an 85-66 victory. Five different players scored in double figures.

The win moves Wisconsin into a second round meeting vs. BYU, who took care of VCU. That game will take place Saturday in Denver.

Purdue joined the Badgers in the second round after getting by High Point, 75-63. Some viewed that as a potential upset to watch, but the size and strength of the Boilermakers was too much.

In the late games, both UCLA and Michigan won but in very different fashion. The Bruins dominated Utah State, 72-47, while the Wolverines - winners of the Big Ten Conference Tournament - survived a spirited rally by UC San Diego, 68-65.

All the action tips off on Friday at 11:15 a.m. CST with Baylor vs. Mississippi State.

Here are some of the key headlines from the opening day of the NCAA Tournament (Note: this post will be updated throughout the round):

Down goes Clemson, Louisville

The ACC did not have the type of year the league is accustomed to, and it showed on Thursday. Clemson, who tied for second with Louisville, fell to McNeese in a 5-12 upset, 69-67. The Cardinals, meanwhile, also lost, getting blown out by Creighton, 89-76.

Following a first half that saw them score just 13 points, the Tigers made a run on McNeese, who is coached by former Clemson assistant Will Wade. But it was too little, too late.

Louisville surrendered 49 points in the first half to the Bluejays, who just kept on scoring over the final 20 minutes of play.

Only Duke and North Carolina, who earned a First Four win, remain from the ACC.

Maybe Gonzaga wasn’t an 8-seed

From a computer standpoint, Gonzaga was far from an eight-seed. But that is where the Zags were placed and that is where they lined up.

Well, that was too bad for Georgia, the Gonzaga rolled to an 89-68 victory behind 24 points by Khalif Battle. The Zags shot 60 percent from the 3-point line and 55 percent from the field, leading by 21 at the break.

Gonzaga was ranked ninth in the latest KenPom ratings and eighth in the NET rankings with 10 combined Quad 1 and Quad 2 victories.

No. 1 Auburn, Houston cruise into second round

Top-seeds Auburn and Houston had little trouble, as the Tigers crushed Alabama State, 83-63, and the Cougars handled SIU Edwardsville, 78-40.

Following a bit of a slow start, Auburn got rolling behind a 23-point performance from Miles Kelly. Johni Broome scored 14 with 11 rebounds while the Tigers overcame an 18-for-32 performance at the free throw line.

Houston scored 52 in the first 20 minutes as Milos Uzan had 16 and L.J. Cryer 15.

NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS

First Round

(Thursday, March 20)

Wisconsin 85, Montana 66
Purdue 75, High Point 63
BYU 80, VCU 71
Creighton 89, Louisville 75
Gonzaga 89, Georgia 68
Houston 78, SIU Edwardsville 40
Auburn 83, Alabama State 63
McNeese 69, Clemson 67
Tennessee 77, Wofford 62
Arkansas 79, Kansas 72
Texas A&M 80, Yale 71
Drake 67, Missouri 57
UCLA 72, Utah State 47
St. John's 83, Omaha 53
Michigan 68, UC San Diego 65
Texas Tech 82, UNC Wilmington 72