Kentucky players react on the bench at the end Thursday’s game against Saint Peter’s in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Saint Peter’s upset the Wildcats, 85-79 in overtime. Darron Cummings/Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Saint Peter’s acted like it had been there before.
After the 15th-seeded Peacocks bounced storied Kentucky from the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night, they calmly exchanged handshakes with the Wildcats before heading over to the opposite sideline to celebrate with a small contingent of true believers.
The tiny Jesuit school from Jersey City, New Jersey, got 27 points from Daryl Banks III as it took down basketball royalty, beating second-seeded Kentucky 85-79 in overtime and sending countless brackets into the digital wastebasket.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Banks said. “You grow up you watching March Madness, the tournament, so to let that sink in – knowing the game was over – it felt really good.”
The Peacocks became the 10th No. 15 seed to win a first-round game since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 and handed Kentucky its first opening-round loss under Coach John Calipari.
“At the end of the day, every team that made it to the NCAA Tournament deserves to be here. Every team that made it to the NCAA Tournament believes they can advance. It’s about this night,” Saint Peter’s Coach Shaheen Holloway said.
Saint Peter’s, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion, kept it close throughout and Banks’ two free throws with 1:45 left in overtime gave the Peacocks the lead for good. Doug Edert’s layup with 24 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime. He finished with 20 points.
Saint Peter’s (20-11) moves on to face Murray State in Saturday’s second round in the East Region.
Oscar Tshiebwe had 30 points and 16 rebounds for Kentucky (26-8), but his pair of missed free throws early in overtime was costly, and the Wildcats lacked a reliable secondary scorer. TyTy Washington Jr. was held to five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
MURRAY STATE 92, SAN FRANCISCO 87: KJ Williams scored six of his 18 points in overtime after Murray State blew an eight-point lead late in regulation, and the seventh-seeded Racers extended their winning streak to 21 games with a victory over 10th-seeded San Francisco in Indianapolis.
The game was tight, with 18 lead changes and 14 ties. Murray State ultimately took control with Williams’ clutch baskets and Jordan Skipper-Brown’s timely plays in the extra session.
Jamaree Bouyea scored 36 points for USF (24-10), which made its first NCAA appearance since 1998.
BAYLOR 85, NORFOLK STATE 49: Matthew Mayer scored a career-high 22 points that included a dunk and salute just before halftime, and defending national champion Baylor opened the NCAA tournament with a rout over Norfolk State in Fort Worth, Texas.
Freshman standout Jeremy Sochan added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Bears (27-6), the top seed in the East Regional.
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year Joe Bryant had 15 points for 16th-seeded Norfolk State (24-7).
NORTH CAROLINA 95, MARQUETTE 63: Brady Manek scored 28 points, Caleb Love had 21 of his 23 before halftime and eighth-seeded North Carolina routed ninth-seeded Marquette in the NCAA tournament debut for first-year coach Hubert Davis.
Love made six 3-pointers, all in the first 19 minutes, to tie Carolina’s single-game tournament record as the Tar Heels (25-9) built a 28-point lead.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 16 points for the Golden Eagles (19-13).
SAINT MARY’S 82, INDIANA 53: Logan Johnson scored 20 points and fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s took advantage of No. 12 seed Indiana’s grueling recent schedule, rolling to a victory in Portland, Oregon.
Tommy Kuhse added 19 points and six assists for the Gaels (26-7).
Trayce Jackson-Davis had 12 points for Indiana (21-14), which arrived in Portland on Wednesday morning after an all-nighter because of flight delays from Dayton following the First Four.
UCLA 57, AKRON 53: Tyger Campbell rescued UCLA from a potential upset, scoring eight straight points late in the second half, and the fourth-seeded Bruins rallied for a win over No. 13 seed Akron in Portland, Oregon.
With the Bruins down 51-47 with 3 1/2 minutes left, Campbell took control. He hit a corner 3-pointer, knocked down a 15-footer for the lead and added a 25-footer as the shot clock was expiring to put the Bruins ahead 55-51 with 1:17 left.
Even with Campbell’s streak, the Bruins still had to sweat the final moments after a missed free throw and Jamie Jacquez Jr. missing a jumper with 15 seconds left. Akron’s Ali Ali drove to the basket but didn’t have a clean look and was blocked by Cody Riley.
Johnny Juzang knocked down a pair of free throws, and the Bruins moved on to face No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s on Saturday.
WEST
NEW MEXICO STATE 70, UCONN 63: Teddy Allen scored 37 points and New Mexico State won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time almost three decades, upsetting fifth-seeded Connecticut in Buffalo, New York, to become the second No. 12 seed to advance out of the first round.
In their 23rd NCAA appearance, the Aggies (27-6) won for the first time since beating Syracuse in the first round in 1993.
Allen made a rainbow 3 off the dribble with 1:40 to put New Mexico State up 61-58.
After R.J. Cole (20 points) cut the lead to one for UConn (23-10), Allen drove hard to the basket and scooped it home while drawing a foul. He popped off the floor and ran over to the sideline to flex for the Aggies’ fans before completing the three-point play for a 66-60 lead with 27 seconds left.
ARKANSAS 75, VERMONT 71: Stanley Umude scored 21 points, JD Notae scored all 17 of his in the second half, and No. 4 seed Arkansas held on for a victory over 13th-seeded Vermont in Buffalo, New York.
Jaylin Williams scored 13 points and had 10 rebounds for the Razorbacks (26-8), who a year ago reached the Elite Eight before losing to eventual champion Baylor. Arkansas advanced to face New Mexico State.
Two-time America East player of the year Ryan Davis and Ben Shungu scored 20 points each for the Catamounts (28-6).
Gonzaga forward Drew Timme drives between Georgia State’s Kane Williams, left, and Collin Moore during their first-round game Thursday in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in Portland, Ore. Craig Mitchelldyer/Associated Press
GONZAGA 93, GEORGIA STATE 72: Drew Timme scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half and top overall seed Gonzaga struggled to shake No. 16 seed Georgia State for 30 minutes before pulling away late for a 93-72 win in Portland, Oregon.
The tournament’s No. 1 team for the second straight season, the Bulldogs (27-3) were sluggish early and couldn’t make a basket for a long stretch of the first half. Even when Gonzaga’s offense kicked into gear after halftime, the Panthers didn’t fold.
The eventual overwhelming surge from the Bulldogs finally arrived with about 10 minutes to go. Gonzaga went on a 24-1 run, turning a four-point game into the blowout that was expected. The Bulldogs will face the West Region’s No. 9 seed, Memphis, in the second round on Saturday.
Timme was the catalyst, topping 30 points for the fifth time in his career while also grabbing 13 rebounds. Chet Holmgren, a 7-foot freshman, added 19 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks.
Corey Allen led Georgia State (18-10) with 16 points, and Jalen Thomas and Kane Williams each scored 12. The Panthers trailed by two at halftime despite shooting 29% and were down 62-58 with 10 1/2 minutes left.
Gonzaga Coach Mark Few warned that Georgia State didn’t fit the typical profile of a No. 16 seed. The Sun Belt Conference tournament champion entered with a 10-game winning streak and had one loss since Jan. 27.
Even when Timme scored 10 points in the first six minutes of the second half, the Panthers hung around thanks to the shooting of Justin Roberts, Williams and Allen.
Eventually, foul trouble caught up with Georgia State. Gonzaga’s decisive run started when Kaleb Scott committed his fifth foul with 10:26 left – one of three interior players to foul out for the Panthers.
MEMPHIS 64, BOISE STATE 53: DeAndre Williams had 14 points, Jalen Duren made a crucial basket down the stretch and No. 9 seed Memphis held off a second-half rally by eighth-seeded Boise State in Portland, Oregon.
The Tigers (22-10), whose poor start to the season had Coach Penny Hardaway dropping expletives in a press conference, are into the second round in the West Region and will play top-seeded Gonzaga or Georgia State on Saturday.
Duren finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers, who were 9-8 after 17 games but went on a late-season charge to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The Tigers have won 13 of their last 15 games.
Abu Kigab had 20 points to lead Boise State (27-8), the Mountain West regular-season and tournament champion. The Broncos were making their first appearance in the tournament since 2015.
MIDWEST
RICHMOND 67, IOWA 63: Jacob Gilyard scored 24 points, Tyler Burton added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 12 seed Richmond leaned on its experience to defeat Big Ten tournament champ Iowa at Buffalo, New York.
Nathan Cayo also had 15 points, including a couple of big baskets down the stretch, as the Atlantic 10 tournament champ Spiders (24-12) improved their NCAA tourney record against fifth-seeded teams to 4-0. They will face Providence on Saturday.
Keegan Murray scored 21 points and Patrick McCaffery added 18 for the Hawkeyes (26-10), who were unable to carry over the momentum of winning four times in four days at the Big Ten tournament last weekend.
PROVIDENCE 66, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 57: Al Durham had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Jared Bynum made three big free throws with 29.9 seconds left as fourth-seeded Providence(26-5) snapped the longest winning streak in college basketball by beating No. 13 South Dakota State (30-6) at Buffalo, New York.
It was a typical grind for the Big East regular-season champions. The Friars’ turnaround season after going 13-13 in 2020-21 now includes 16 victories by single-digits.
The Jackrabbits came in on a 21-game winning streak.
The Friars were up three in the final minute when Bynum took a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. The shot missed, but Douglas Wilson was whistled for a foul.
SDSU Coach Eric Henderson put his head in his hands in frustration and then argued the call after watching it on the big screen.
Bynum knocked down all three shots to give Providence a six-point lead. Bynum finished with 12 points and Noah Horchler had 13 for the Providence.
Baylor Scheierman led the Jackrabbits with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
CREIGHTON 72, SAN DIEGO STATE 69: Trey Alexander converted a go-ahead, three-point play late in overtime, and ninth-seeded Creighton rallied for a victory over eighth-seeded San Diego State in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Bluejays (23-11) hadn’t led since the first five minutes of the game when Alexander, who also had the tying bucket late in regulation, drove right and was fouled on the layup. The free throw put Creighton ahead 71-69 with 1:08 remaining.
Alexander scored 18 points, and Ryan Kalkbrenner had 16 points and 10 rebounds before leaving with an apparent left leg injury in overtime.
Chad Baker-Mazara scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half for the Aztecs (23-9).
KANSAS 83, TEXAS SOUTHERN 56: Top-seeded Kansas opened its 50th NCAA Tournament the way it has so many times in the past, with a lopsided victory.
Remy Martin had 15 points and Christian Braun 14 to pace five Jayhawks (29-6) scoring in double figures.
Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Texas Southern (19-13), which won a First Four game two nights earlier, had its only lead against the Big 12 champs after Bryson Etienne made its first shot of the game.
Michigan guard Frankie Collins drives past Colorado State’s Chandler Jacobs during the second half of Michigan’s 75-63 win Thursday in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in Indianapolis. Michael Conroy/Associated Press
SOUTH
MICHIGAN 75, COLORADO STATE 63: Freshman Frankie Collins provided the spark Michigan needed in a turbulent year, helping the 11th-seeded Wolverines rally from a 15-point deficit to beat sixth-seeded Colorado State 75-63 in Indianapolis.
Collins, pressed into the starting lineup because starting point guard DeVante’ Jones was out with a concussion, had season highs of 14 points, six rebounds and 31 minutes. He came in averaging less than 10 minutes per game.
Big man Hunter Dickinson led Michigan with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Eli Brooks had 16 points and Caleb Houstan added 13 for the Wolverines (18-14), who will face third-seeded Tennessee in the second round of the South Region on Saturday.
The Wolverines, highly touted at the beginning of the season, squeaked into the tournament thanks largely to their stout schedule. Howard was suspended for five games down the stretch for hitting a Wisconsin assistant in the face during a postgame handshake line, and Michigan hasn’t won two straight games in more than a month.
Dischon Thomas scored 15 points on 5-of-7 3-point shooting for Colorado State (25-6), and Mountain West Conference player of the year David Roddy had 13 points and six rebounds.
But the Rams could not take advantage of the highest seed in school history, the momentum from nine wins in their previous 11 games or the big, early lead.
Michigan turned the ball over nine times in the first 12 1/2 minutes to fall behind 28-13, but things turned around when Howard reinserted Collins. He finished six of seven from the field and had just one turnover.
Collins scored seven straight points to cut the deficit to eight and Michigan closed within 36-29 at halftime.
Collins continued the charge early in the second half, capping a 6-0 spurt with a steal and dunk to make it 38-35. And when Houston made back-to-back 3s midway through the second half, Michigan led 53-49.
The Wolverines never trailed again, closing it out at the free-throw line.
TENNESSEE 88, LONGWOOD 56: Santiago Vescovi scored 18 points and Tennessee pounded Longwood, showing exactly why the Volunteers felt they deserved better than a No. 3 seed.
Tennessee (27-7) shot 60% from the field and had four players score in double figures. The runaway victory came just four days after the school won the Southeastern Conference tournament for the first time in 43 years.
No. 14 seed Longwood, the Big South champs from the tiny town of Farmville, Virginia, was led by Justin Hill with 13 points in the school’s first NCAA tourney appearance.
EAST
BAYLOR 85, NORFOLK STATE 49: Matthew Mayer scored a career-high 22 points that included a dunk and salute just before halftime, and defending national champion Baylor opened the NCAA Tournament with a rout over Norfolk State in Fort Worth, Texas.
Freshman standout Jeremy Sochan added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Bears (27-6), the top seed in the East Regional who had to travel less than 100 miles from their Waco campus. They will play North Carolina in the second round on Saturday.
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year Joe Bryant had 15 points for 16th-seeded Norfolk State (24-7), which was playing 10 years and a day after pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. The Spartans were a No. 15 seed and 21 1/2-point underdog when they beat Missouri, 86-84.
NORTH CAROLINA 95, MARQUETTE 63: Brady Manek scored 28 points, Caleb Love had 21 of his 23 before halftime and eighth-seeded North Carolina routed ninth-seeded Marquette 95-63 in the NCAA Tournament debut for first-year coach Hubert Davis.
Love made six 3-pointers, all in the first 19 minutes, to tie Carolina’s single-game tournament record as the Tar Heels (25-9) built a 28-point lead.
Manek, who also had 11 rebounds, finished with five 3s as he and Love combined to go 11 of 24 from long range.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 16 points for the Golden Eagles (19-13), who lost their third consecutive first-round game.
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