Wes Clark scored 25 points and Jeremy Harris had 23 points and seven rebounds as 13th-seeded Buffalo pulled off the biggest upset on the first day of the NCAA Tournament, an 89-68 blowout victory over fourth-seeded Arizona on Thursday in Boise, Idaho.
CJ Massinburg had 19 points and six rebounds, and Nick Perkins scored all of his 13 points in the second half for the Bulls (27-8). Buffalo set a school record for victories and earned its first NCAA Tournament win in its third trip in the past four seasons.
Buffalo, the Mid-American Conference champion, will face fifth-seeded Kentucky in the second round of the South Region on Saturday.
Dusan Ristic had 16 points, Deandre Ayton had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Allonzo Trier had 10 points for the Wildcats (27-8). Arizona, the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament champion, ended the season under a cloud of suspicion as coach Sean Miller denied allegations that he paid $100,000 to make sure Ayton would enroll at Arizona.
In other South Region first-round action:
No. 11 Loyola-Chicago 64, No. 6 Miami 62
Donte Ingram hit a long 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left to give the Ramblers a victory over the Hurricanes at Dallas.
The win was the 11th in a row and 18th in 19 outings for Loyola (29-5). The Ramblers will take on Tennessee in the second round Saturday. The Hurricanes (22-10) had one last attempt after Ingram’s shot but couldn’t complete a long inbounds pass.
Clayton Custer led Loyola with 14 points and Ingram finished with 13. Lonnie Walker IV led Miami with 12 points but had a key turnover with 23.5 seconds left and missed the first of a one-and-one free throw awarded with 9.2 seconds remaining to give Loyola a final opportunity.
No. 3 Tennessee 73, No. 14 Wright State 47
The Volunteers’ winning formula of balance and tough defense was on full display during a win at Dallas.
Lamonte Turner had a game-high 19 points and nine assists off the bench for Tennessee (26-8). Admiral Schofield added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Loudon Love scored 12 points for the Raiders (25-10), and Everett Winchester added 11.
No. 5 Kentucky 78, No. 12 Davidson 73
Kevin Knox scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds to help Kentucky earn a win over Davidson at Boise, Idaho.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and PJ Washington scored 11 for Kentucky, which won the Southeastern Conference championship against Tennessee on Sunday. Kentucky (25-10) advances to the second round where it will face Buffalo.
Jon Axel Gudmundsson drained six 3-pointers and scored 21 points to lead Davidson (21-12).
In Midwest Region first-round action:
No. 1 Kansas 76, Penn 60
Devonte’ Graham finished with 29 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Jayhawks downed the stubborn Quakers at Wichita, Kan.
Lagerald Vick added 14 points for the Jayhawks, while senior guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and sophomore guard Malik Newman scored 10 apiece. Kansas (28-7) will play Seton Hall on Saturday.
Penn led by 10 in the first half and was still within single digits after a bucket by AJ Brodeur made it 62-54 with 6:24 remaining. The Ivy League champion Quakers were hurt, however, by 5-for-14 shooting from the foul line. Brodeur and Caleb Wood each scored 14 points for Penn (24-9).
No. 2 Duke 89, No. 15 Iona 67
Marvin Bagley III dominated in the lane and scored 22 points in his NCAA Tournament debut as the Blue Devils trounced the Gaels at Pittsburgh.
Trevon Duval poured in 19 points, while Grayson Allen and Gary Trent Jr. each finished with 16 points for Duke (27-7), which will meet Rhode Island on Saturday. Coach Mike Krzyzewski extended his record for NCAA Tournament victories to 92.
Roland Griffin had 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting off the bench, TK Edogi posted 11 points and Zach Lewis and Rickey McGill both had 10 points for Iona (20-14). The Gaels lost in the tournament’s first round for the third year in a row.
No. 7 Rhode Island 83, No. 10 Oklahoma 78 (OT)
E.C. Matthews hit two 3-pointers in the final two minutes of overtime as the Rams defeated the Sooners, dismissing the nation’s leading scorer Trae Young at Pittsburgh.
Young, a freshman sensation believed to be headed to the NBA next, scored 28 points for Oklahoma (18-14).
Matthews posted 16 points, Fatts Russell provided 15 points off the bench, Cyril Langevine poured in 12 of his 14 points in the second half and Jared Terrell had 13 points for Rhode Island (26-7).
No. 8 Seton Hall 94, No. 9 North Carolina State 83
Khadeen Carrington had 26 points and Desi Rodriguez added 20 off the bench to lead the Pirates past Wolfpack in Wichita, Kan.
Allerik Freeman had a season-high 36 points and Torin Dorn added 18 points and 12 rebounds for NC State (21-12). The Wolfpack lost for the third time in four games to end their season.
Seton Hall (22-11) survived in large part because the Wolfpack struggled from the free-throw stripe, where they shot just 59.3 percent, 16 of 27. The Pirates made 31 of 39 foul shots, 79.5 percent.
In West Region first-round action:
No. 3 Michigan 61, No. 14 Montana 47
Charles Matthews had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wolverines to a victory over the Grizzlies in Wichita, Kan.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman added 11 points and Duncan Robinson chipped in seven for Michigan (29-7). The Wolverines will face Houston in the second round on Saturday.
Michael Oguine and Ahmaad Rorie scored 15 points apiece for Montana, which was making its first tournament appearance since 2013. The Grizzlies (26-8) were limited to 32.1 percent field-goal shooting, including 3 of 15 attempts from 3-point range.
No. 4 Gonzaga 68, No. 13 UNC Greensboro 64
Johnathan Williams had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Zach Norvell Jr. scored 15 points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 20.8 seconds left, as the Bulldogs escaped with a victory over the Spartans in Boise, Idaho.
Josh Perkins had 16 points and the Bulldogs (31-4) extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 15 games despite shooting just 42.4 percent from the field. Gonzaga will face seeded Ohio State in the second round on Saturday.
Francis Alonso and Demetrius Troy had 16 points apiece for UNC Greensboro (27-8). The Spartans had won six in a row and 11 of 12.
No. 5 Ohio State 81, No. 12 South Dakota State 73
Keita Bates-Diop had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Kam Williams scored a season-high 22 points, including seven in a row in the final 96 seconds, as the Buckeyes held off the Jackrabbits in Boise, Idaho.
Williams hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 remaining and converted the free throw when fouled on the play to break a tie at 70. After the subsequent South Dakota State miss, he converted all three free throws when fouled on a 3-point attempt with 55 seconds left for a 77-70 lead.
C.J. Jackson had 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Ohio State (25-8), which lost all of a 13-point second-half lead before Williams’ clutch play near the end. Mike Daum had 27 points and six rebounds for South Dakota State (28-7).
No. 6 Houston 67, No. 11 San Diego State 65
Rob Gray drove through the Aztecs’ defense for a layup with less two seconds remaining, capping a 39-point performance and giving the Cougars a victory in Wichita, Kan.
Houston (27-7) won for the 11th time in 13 games. San Diego State (22-11) rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to draw even on two occasions in the final 1:08.
Gray was the only Cougar to score in double figures. Jalen McDaniels led San Diego State with 18 points.
In East Region first-round action:
No. 1 Villanova 87, No. 16 Radford 61
Jalen Brunson scored 16 points, and the Wildcats had little trouble dispatching the Highlanders in Pittsburgh.
Mikal Bridges added 13 points and Eric Paschall had 11 for Villanova, which will face Alabama in the second round on Saturday. The Wildcats (31-4) hit 14 three-pointers, a program record for an NCAA Tournament game.
Donald Hicks led Radford (22-12) with 13 points while Carlik Jones added 11.
No. 3 Texas Tech 70, No. 14 Stephen F. Austin 60
Keenan Evans scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half to help the Red Raiders escape with a victory over the Lumberjacks in Dallas.
Zhaire Smith recorded 10 points and eight rebounds as the third-seeded Red Raiders (25-9) closed with a 15-3 run. Evans made all 10 of his free-throw attempts and also contributed six rebounds and five assists. Texas Tech will face Florida in Saturday’s second round.
Ivan Canete scored 17 points and Shannon Bogues added 14 for Stephen F. Austin (28-7).
No. 6 Florida 77, No. 11 St. Bonaventure 62
Egor Koulechov recorded 20 points and six rebounds, and the Gators dominated the final 23 minutes en route to a victory over the Bonnies at Dallas.
Jalen Hudson added 16 points and Chris Chiozza registered 11 assists for the Gators (21-12). Florida outscored St. Bonaventure 41-18 in a stretch of more than 16 minutes that began late in the first half.
Courtney Stockard scored 14 points and senior guard Idris Taqqee collected 13 rebounds for the Bonnies (26-8).
No. 9 Alabama 86, No. 8 Virginia Tech 83
John Petty hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points as the Crimson Tide held off the Hokies in Pittsburgh.
Collin Sexton overcame five turnovers to finish with a team-high 25 points, including a fadeaway jumper with 1:33 left that gave Alabama a 77-72 lead. The Crimson Tide (20-15) made 60 percent of their shots from the field.
Justin Robinson scored 19 points for the Hokies (21-12), fouling out on a charge call with 48.0 seconds left that wiped out a bucket that would have pulled Virginia Tech within two points. Justin Bibbs added 17 and Nickeil Alexander-Walker netted 15.