For much of its first-round game, No. 3 seed Xavier looked like it was sleepwalking against Kennesaw State, a No. 14 seed that was stopping nearly every Musketeer player.
But control in this sport is relentlessly fluid, and Xavier took it with a furious rally to come back against the Owls, eventually holding them off for a 72-67 win that avoided yet another bracket surprise in the first round of the men’s N.C.A.A. tournament. (Baylor, another No. 3 seed, dodged another by trouncing the University of California, Santa Barbara after being down by 1 at halftime.)
The Owls led by 13 with just under 10 minutes to play before Xavier finally woke up. The Musketeers scored the next 15 points — part of a run in which Kennesaw State went roughly 8 minutes without a field goal.
That set up the frantic back-and-forth, with the teams exchanging leads down the stretch until Xavier slipped ahead for good on a Colby Jones free throw. Kennesaw had several chances late, but Spencer Rodgers stepped on the sideline while corraling an inbounds pass, preventing him from attempting a game-tying heave.
A scare for Xavier, to be sure, but not an early exit. — Oskar Garcia
South Carolina dominates in its opening game.
South Carolina made a clear opening salvo early in its first-round game Friday against No. 16 Norfolk State: The No. 1-seeded Gamecocks allowed only 7 points in the first quarter while posting 20 points of their own.
South Carolina comfortably advanced to the second round of the women’s N.C.A.A. tournament, 72-40, as it began its run for a second consecutive national championship. On Sunday, it will face No. 8 South Florida, which beat No. 9 Marquette, 67-65, in overtime on Friday.
The Gamecocks struggled at times to convert solid possessions to points, committing 12 turnovers and missing 16 of their 41 free-throw attempts. But their clear dominance and ease on their home court were too much for the Spartans, who were making their first N.C.A.A. tournament appearance in 21 years.
Still, the Spartans didn’t back down. Kierra Wheeler, a sophomore forward, finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds and often found herself going toe-to-toe with one of the best players in the game: Aliyah Boston, a senior forward and the Gamecock’s centerpiece, who finished the game with 7 points and 9 rebounds.
Pittsburgh is the latest play-in team to reach the round of 32.
The First Four was no problem for Pittsburgh. Neither was the first round.
No. 11-seeded Pitt on Friday became the 11th team relegated to the play-in games of the men’s N.C.A.A. tournament to win its next contest, with a thorough dismantling of Iowa State.
On Tuesday, Pitt played a close First Four game against fellow No. 11 seed Mississippi State, trading leads in the last minute. But in Friday’s first round, the Panthers raced out to a 22-2 lead en route to the 59-41 win. Pitt held the Cyclones to just 23.3 percent shooting, including 2 of 21 on 3-point attempts.
In the second round, Pitt will face No. 3 seed Xavier, which narrowly avoided an upset against No. 14 Kennesaw State.
Could the Panthers have an even deeper run in store? They have a few role models in the recent history of First Four teams.
Of the 10 previous First Four teams that went on to first-round wins since the field expanded in 2011, five won their games in the round of 32 as well. And two of those teams made it to the Final Four, both as No. 11 seeds: Virginia Commonwealth in 2011, which fell to the eighth-seeded Butler, and U.C.L.A. in 2021, which lost to No. 1 seed Gonzaga. — Sara Ziegler
Michigan ends U.N.LV.’s 22-game winning streak.
BATON ROUGE, La. — After studying U.N.L.V., Michigan’s players felt confident enough to call out a couple of the Rebels’ offensive plays during Friday’s game.
“We were dead wrong,” the graduate forward Emily Kiser said.
Still, the Wolverines forced U.N.L.V. into uncharacteristic turnovers and stifled the star center Desi-Rae Young in a 71-59 win on Friday. Sixth-seeded Michigan will face the winner of No. 14 Hawaii and No. 3 Louisiana State, the host for these first- and second-round games, on Sunday.
U.N.L.V.’s 22-game winning streak ended with a second consecutive loss in the first round of the women’s N.C.A.A. tournament. Young did not score her first field goal until there were 8 minutes 15 seconds left in the second half; she finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds.
The Rebels, one of the best teams in Division I at limiting turnovers, nearly matched their season average in the first half.
On the offensive end, the Wolverines knew the Rebels’ press-and-zone style would open up opportunities for corner 3-pointers and gaps for Kiser to work in the middle of the floor, guard Maddie Nolan said. Kiser had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds while adding 6 assists, and the fifth-year guard Leigha Brown had 17 points and 7 assists.
U.N.L.V. battled back after an early run by Michigan, but after a 3-pointer by Alyssa Brown cut the deficit to 5 midway through the third quarter, the Rebels went scoreless for the next 4:33, allowing Michigan to rebuild a double-digit lead. Nolan had 18 points and shot 4 of 6 from 3-point range, including a 3 during the 12-0 run in the third quarter that allowed the Wolverines to gain separation.
“I think she saved us a couple of times,” Kiser said. “When that score starts to get closer and closer, a 3 is huge, I think, just a huge momentum change.” — Evan Easterling
Matchups to Watch
The women’s N.C.A.A. basketball tournament finally gets going, while we’re on our second day of first-round action for the men. Follow along with the bracket and live scores, and check out our picks for the Friday games we don’t want to miss (all times Eastern):
Women’s Tournament
No. 8 Southern California vs. No. 9 South Dakota State
8 p.m., ESPN News
South Dakota State missed the tournament last year but had become a fixture before then; this is its 11th trip in 18 years since joining Division I. The Jackrabbits hold wins over Louisville and Kansas State this year and ended the season with a 21-game winning streak. Southern California is back in the field for the first time since 2014. Forward Rayah Marshall is averaging a double-double, with 12.6 points and 11.4 rebounds. The teams have played each other twice before, but not since 2006.
Men’s Tournament
No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Providence
7:10 p.m., CBS
Kentucky lost in the first round last year to 15-seed St. Peter’s, one of the biggest upsets in tournament. Are the Wildcats vulnerable to an upset again? Kentucky finished its season with a loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament game. Providence tallied a nine-game winning streak during the season and notched double-overtime wins against both Marquette and Creighton. Modelers are giving Providence a better chance than public brackets, according to The Upshot’s bracket tool.
No. 5 Miami vs. No. 12 Drake
7:25 p.m., TBS
Though Miami took the Atlantic Coast Conference’s regular-season crown with a 15-5 record in conference play, the Hurricanes’ blemishes included losses to Georgia Tech and Florida State. Miami may be without forward Norchad Omier, who injured his ankle in the A.C.C. tournament. Drake won 13 of its final 14 games and is led by guard Tucker DeVries, who averages 19 points a game. — Shivani Gonzalez
