In a day filled with lower seed wins, none ring as louder as UMBC stunning Virginia, the first ever win by a #16 seed against a #1 seed, in what probably is the biggest upset in college basketball history, and in all of North American sports over the years; certainly in postseason play.
#16 UMBC 74 #1 Virginia 54: There are no words to describe how big of a shock this result is. The first of its kind, and who knows when we’ll see it again. Jairus Lyles scorched the Cavaliers with 28 points as the Retrievers shot 50% from beyond the arc. The first ever #16 seed in the round of 32, they’ll face Kansas State next.
#16 Texas Southern 83 #1 Xavier 102: No problems for this #1 seed, led by the trio of Macura, Bluiett and Kanter, combining to score 79 points. They play Florida State next.
#15 Georgia State 53 #2 Cincinnati 68: The Bearcats now have control of the South region, but they did struggle against the Panthers. In the end, the talent of Jarron Cumberland, with 27 points and 11 boards, pulled them through. Nevada are up next.
#15 Lipscomb 66 #2 North Carolina 84: No problems for the Tar Heels, as all starting players finished in double figures, including Kenny Williams with a team high 18 points. The defending national champions face Texas A&M next.
#15 CS Fullerton 48 #2 Purdue 74: Easy win for the Boilermakers, but they lost center Isaac Haas to an elbow injury, which means he’s out of the tournament, and won’t join them as they face Butler in the round of 32.
#14 Bucknell 78 #3 Michigan State 82: Not the most promising of starts for Tom Izzo and his guys, who couldn’t stop the Bison’s shooting (55% from beyond the arc). Joshua Langford with 22 points led the Spartans to the round of 32, where they’ll meet Syracuse.
#13 Charleston 58 #4 Auburn 62: The Tigers didn’t go through smoothly, but they’re in the round of 32 for the first time since 2003. And it was ugly: 35.6% from the field, 46.9% from the line, 12 turnovers. They don’t care. It’s a Tiger derby next, facing Clemson.
#13 Marshall 81 #4 Wichita State 75: The Shockers got shocked by the Thundering Herd, who are now going to play in the round of 32 for the first time in program history. Against how? In-state rivals West Virginia.
#12 New Mexico State 68 #5 Clemson 79: Quite a few people expected an upset, but the Tigers got big nights from Shelton Mitchell and Gabe DeVoe to pull them through, combining to score 45 points. Like Auburn, their rivals and next opponents, it’s been a while since Clemson won a first round game. They’ll play the first round of 32 matchup since 1997.
#12 Murray State 68 #5 West Virginia 85: No upset here, with the Mountaineers hectic style doing the work, along with 21 points by Jevon Carter. Next up? A home-state rivalry against Marshall.
#11 Syracuse 57 #6 TCU 52: Syracuse fill in the annual spot of First Four team moving on to the round of 32, with choking defense that allowed only 3 three-pointers by the Horned Frogs. Marek Dolezaj led the Orange with 17 points, en route to playing Michigan State next.
#10 Texas 83 #7 Nevada 87: One of the best games in the first round ended per tradition – with Texas taking an early exit. The Wolf Pack make the round of 32 for the first time since 2007. Kendall Stephens led a 6-man rotation with 21 points, with Cincinnati their next opponent.
#10 Providence 69 #7 Texas A&M 73: The Aggies managed to pull through a tough battle thanks to a dominant performance on the glass and 18 points from Admon Gilder. North Carolina are next.
#10 Butler 79 #7 Arkansas 62: Not much of an upset, but the one-sidedness of it was a surprise. The Bulldogs held Arkansas to 35.7% from the field, while Kelan Martin (27 points) and Kamar Baldwin (24 points) carved their defense. Purdue, another school from Indiana, comes next.
#9 Kansas State 69 #8 Creighton 59: Impressive from the Wildcats, leaning on Barry Brown and Mike McGuirl to move onto the next round, with the road suddenly a lot clearer, as they face UMBC next and not Virginia.
#9 Florida State 67 #8 Missouri 54: The Seminoles made Missouri look bad, holding the Tigers to under 33% from the field, while the bench did most of the damage, led by Mfiondu Kabengele (14 points). Xavier are up next.