March Madness is in full swing!
After a thrilling first day of hoops on Thursday, the Round of 64 wrapped up on Friday. Kicking off the day, ninth-seeded Baylor squeaked out a win over eighth-seeded Mississippi State and will now take on No. 1 seed Duke on Sunday. The Blue Devils got National Player of the Year co-favorite Cooper Flagg back in the lineup for Friday's game after he missed the last two contests due to an ankle injury.
Two-seeded Alabama advanced, while another No. 2 seed, Michigan State, will also continue its tournament run after a strong second half against No. 15 seed Bryant. On the upset front, No. 12 Colorado State took down No. 5 Memphis.
Meanwhile, UConn is trying to make history this spring. The eighth-seeded Huskies held off ninth-seeded Oklahoma, as they seek to become the first team to win three straight national titles in over 50 years.
Here are all the top moments from Friday's games!
FIRST HALF
The Ducks flew out to a 16-point lead on the back of swarming defense and high-octane offense. Jackson Shelstad pulled up for a 3-pointer off a Liberty turnover to make it 16-2 and that was the story for pretty much the entire game.
Shelstad put up 15 of his game-high 17 points in the first half as the Ducks rolled.
SECOND HALF
Jase Richardson helped the Spartans extend their lead as MSU, one of the deepest teams this season, exerted its will in the second half. The Spartans outscored the Bulldogs 54-34 after halftime and had five players score in double figures, led by Coen Carr with 18.
FIRST HALF
Jase Richardson had a nice drive and finish, but Bryant was sticking around. The Bulldogs went up 5-0 and hung with the Spartans for the first half, trailing 33-28 at halftime.
SECOND HALF
Will Riley started the night 0-of-3, but scored 18 second-half points to lift Illinois to an 86-73 win over Xavier. The basket looked like an ocean for Riley on this step-back 3-pointer.
FIRST HALF
Big man Tomislav Ivisic showcased his range in the first half, knocking down three 3-pointers and leading Illinois with 13 points.
SECOND HALF
UConn's experience proved worthy as it staved off Oklahoma. Two-time champion Alex Karaban scored six points in the final four minutes, including this 3-pointer to help the Huskies close it out.
Oklahoma was giving the defending champions a run for their money, though. Freshman guard Jeremiah Fears was carving up the Huskies' defense with his scoring and facilitating chops, as he found Mohamed Wague on a pick-and-roll. Wague's put-back layup two possessions later gave the Sooners a 47-46 lead.
FIRST HALF
Jeremiah Fears showed what makes him such a tantalizing prospect as he finished this sweet layup.
FIRST HALF
The Wildcats were off and running on a 9-0 run to start the game. Caleb Love drove for the deuce to give Arizona a double-digit lead, and the Wildcats were in cruise control the rest of the way.
FIRST HALF
Troy gave Kentucky a scare early, but the Wildcats closed the first half on a 10-3 run that set the tone for the rest of the night.
SECOND HALF
New Mexico regained control in the second half after Tru Washington's corner jumper.
FIRST HALF
Kam Jones drove through the lane for the tough euro-step layup to beat the first-half buzzer.
SECOND HALF
Alijah Martin emphasized Florida's dominant first-round win with a ferocious slam.
FIRST HALF
Ja'Kobi Gillespie executed an and-1 midway through the first half for the Terrapins, who led 26-12 at the third TV timeout. Julian Reese had 10 of Maryland's first 26 points. The Terrapins led 42-28 at halftime and shot 51.5% from the field in the first half.
Still, Tyon Grant-Foster had a game-high 16 points at the break for Grand Canyon, but it wasn't enough to spark a comeback, and Maryland won with ease.
SECOND HALF
VJ Edgecombe, who finished with 16 points, gave Baylor a 10-point lead with his second 3-pointer midway through the second half, and the Bears later led 67-60 at the final TV timeout. While the Bulldogs got to within one point in the final minute, the Bears held on.
FIRST HALF
It was a back-and-forth first half, which saw the Bears out in front at the second TV timeout, 23-21. That said, it was Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard with a game-high 12 points at the aforementioned mark. Baylor led 37-32 at the half.
SECOND HALF
After trailing for the bulk of the game, Saint Mary's took the lead on a 3-pointer from Augustas Marciulionis late in the game. It later held on to win in the closing seconds. The Gaels had four of their five starters score in double figures.
FIRST HALF
Jason Edwards had 11 of Vanderbilt's first 24 points. The Commodores led 24-16 with 4:24 remaining in the first half and later took a 29-22 lead into the halftime break. Saint Mary's had six turnovers in the first half.
SECOND HALF
North Carolina trailed Ole Miss by 21 early in the second half. Then, with 5:07 remaining, the Tar Heels cut that lead to four points when Jalen Washington jammed in two points, which was part of an 11-0 run. North Carolina got to within two points with 1:09 remaining, but Sean Pedulla drained a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession for Ole Miss, which helped it pull away and escape with the victory. The Tar Heels never scored again after trimming the lead to two.
FIRST HALF
Ole Miss began the game on a 14-4 run, thanks to eight points and two 3-pointers from Dre Davis — who finished the first half with 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field, while making a trio of 3-pointers. The Rebels, who hit a combined seven 3-pointers in the half, led 44-26 at halftime.
SECOND HALF
Colorado State took a 10-point lead with 8:38 remaining in the game when Kyan Evans — who finished with a game-high 23 points — knocked down his sixth 3-pointer. The Rams finished with 11 combined 3-pointers in the upset.
FIRST HALF
The Rams got out to a 12-7 lead at the first TV timeout, with all five of their starters scoring, capped off by Jaylen Crocker-Johnson making a layup in the fastbreak. However, it was Memphis with a 36-31 halftime lead, thanks to a game-high 15 points from Dain Dainja and 12 points from Colby Rogers.
SECOND HALF
Iowa State got out to a 6-0 lead, but then Lipscomb came to life. Joe Anderson knocked down a 3-pointer, giving the Bisons a 16-15 lead early in the first half. However, the Cyclones ended the half on a 25-8 run and continued to roll in the second. Milan Momcilovic finished with a game-high 20 points for Iowa State, while Curtis Jones had 17 points.
SECOND HALF
Alley-oops are cool. Know what's cooler? Alley-oops from beyond halfcourt, which Kam Woods and Amarion Dickerson — who finished with a game-high 25 points — pulled off for Robert Morris. Shortly after the highlight-reel bucket, Alabama led just 64-62 with 7:44 remaining in the game. In the end, though, the Crimson Tide prevailed.
FIRST HALF
It took 13 seconds for the Crimson Tide to draw first blood, as Clifford Omoruyi executed the alley-oop. He had a game-high 15 points at halftime, but Alabama held a mere 40-36 lead.
SECOND HALF
In what was his first game back from an ankle sprain, Cooper Flagg was sharp. The freshman phenom totaled 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 22 minutes en route to an easy win for the Blue Devils.
FIRST HALF
The Blue Devils got out to a thundering start, taking a 13-4 lead into the first TV timeout. Tyrese Proctor led the way with six of Duke's first 13 points. Later, Flagg rose up and slammed the ball down for an emphatic two points.
Proctor had a game-high 13 points in the first half, Flagg had nine points, and Duke led 54-28.
