March Madness is here!
While the men's 2025 NCAA Basketball Tournament began with the First Four on Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday kicked off a string of four of the most exciting days on the sports calendar. The Round of 64 began Thursday and will wrap up Friday, with the winners of those games playing in the Round of 32 on Saturday and Sunday.
In one of the most anticipated games of the Round of 64, 10th-seeded Arkansas narrowly took down seventh-seeded Kansas in a back-and-forth thriller. The Razorbacks will take on second-seeded St. John's on Saturday.
Ninth-seeded Creighton began the day by defeating eighth-seeded Louisville and will now face No. 1 overall seed Auburn, who beat 16th-seeded Alabama State fresh off its play-in win on Tuesday. Houston was the other No. 1 seed in action Thursday, as the Cougars dominated SIUE.
Elsewhere, third-seeded Wisconsin and fourth-seeded Purdue both advanced with a win, while No. 12-seeded McNeese State upset fifth-seeded Clemson. Another No. 5 seed, Michigan, was able to survive a scare from No. 12-seeded UC San Diego.
Here are Thursday's highlights!
SECOND HALF
The Seahawks took the lead just over five minutes into the second half on a Nolan Hodge 3-pointer. But the Red Raiders were able to bounce back, eventually winning by double digits.
FIRST HALF
Elijah Hawkins hit the nasty step-back 3-pointer and Texas Tech was humming early. But UNC Wilmington threatened to make a late-night upset, closing the margin to 38-34 at halftime.
SECOND HALF
Tyler McGhie scored a game-high 25 points as the Tritons and Wolverines traded leads down the stretch. But Michigan used its size in the final moments, with Vladislav Goldin pulling down an offensive board and sinking two free throws with 20 seconds left. That gave the Wolverines a 68-65 lead, which was also the final score after UCSD missed the potential game-tying shot.
It was an overall thrilling second half. The Tritons pulled it within one possession after going on a 17-6 run coming out of halftime.
FIRST HALF
Michigan jumped out in front early, thanks to a strong 8-0 run that immediately put the Wolverines in the driver's seat. Goldin took advantage of the shorter UC San Diego lineup early, as the Wolverines led the Tritons 41-27 at halftime.
SECOND HALF
Who said St. John's can't shoot? RJ Luis Jr. hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game, putting the Red Storm in complete control. If there's anything you can bet on with confidence, it's St. John's in the second half. The Red Storm doubled-up the Mavericks (50-25) after halftime for the 30-point win.
FIRST HALF
St. John's did not impose its defensive brand of basketball in the first half, allowing Omaha to stick around. Mavericks forward Marquel Sutton led all scorers with 10 points at halftime.
Omaha came out hot, starting things off with a 7-0 run and holding St. John's scoreless for nearly four minutes. Then, the Red Storm fired back with a 7-0 run of their own.
SECOND HALF
The Bruins dominated on both sides in a blowout win.
They extending their lead to 59-36 after this 3-point shot from Kobe Johnson. Despite sustaining an injury to his ankle a few plays earlier, Johnson fought through the pain, found himself open in the corner and UCLA's ball movement concluded with his corner triple.
FIRST HALF
UCLA had all the early momentum in Thursday's tilt, keeping a slight edge over Utah State as things got underway.
FIRST HALF
The Bulldogs had all the early momentum in this one, quickly building a strong lead over the Tigers. That said, Drake headed into the locker room with a slight advantage over Missouri, and it was able to keep it until the very end.
SECOND HALF
It was a back-and-forth battle between these two squads as things continued, with Texas A&M having the slight edge.
FIRST HALF
Aggies guard Wade Taylor was the early catalyst for Texas A&M, which was firing on all cylinders right out of the gate.
SECOND HALF
Thursday's tilt was an absolute thriller, as both teams traded big-time buckets as the clock wound down. In the end, Arkansas had a little more left in the tank, coming away with a narrow win.
FIRST HALF
Arkansas ended a 9-2 Kansas run with a statement bucket early in the first frame, keeping things competitive from the very start. The Jayhawks weren't discouraged, however, coming up with big baskets of their own and clutch defense.
SECOND HALF
Tennessee was a force to be reckoned with in this one, running away with a 15-point first-round victory.
SECOND HALF
The Cowboys picked up where they left off in the second half, leading 40-18 at the first TV timeout of the half. After McNeese State led by double figures most of the way, Clemson got to within three points in the final minute, but the Cowboys just hung on for the upset victory. Brandon Murray had a team-high 21 points for the Cowboys.
FIRST HALF
McNeese State got out to a dominant start on defense, holding Clemson to just eight points through the first 12:09 of the first half. The Cowboys led 18-8 at the third TV timeout, thanks to eight points off the bench from Murray. Their last bucket before the TV timeout came on an emphatic put-back dunk from Christian Shumate.
McNeese State held a commanding, 31-13 halftime lead.
SECOND HALF
While the Cardinals gnawed their way back into the game, the Bluejays remained in front by a comfortable margin. With 4:12 remaining in the second half, Jamiya Neal — who finished with a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds — created just enough separation to get a mid-range jumper off before the shot clock expired and got the bounce.
FIRST HALF
The big man would not be denied, as Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner put the ball on the floor and got to the rim for the and-1. The Bluejays led 16-15 at the second TV timeout. They later went on a 19-2 run and hit nine 3-pointers total in the first half to secure a double-digit 49-34 lead at halftime.
SECOND HALF
Nolan Hickman knocked down Gonzaga's 11th 3-pointer with 11:29 remaining, giving it a 21-point lead. In the end, Khalif Battle finished with a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds for Gonzaga, which won by double digits.
FIRST HALF
Gonzaga began the game on a 13-0 run, which included Ryan Nembhard getting the bounce on a 3-pointer. The lead then ballooned to 24 points, with Gonzaga taking a 27-3 lead and forcing a Georgia timeout early in the first half. Gonzaga, which scored half of its first-half points on 3-pointers, led 48-27 at halftime, thanks to 15 points from Nolan Hickman and 14 points from Khalif Battle.
SECOND HALF
Richie Saunders had a game-high 16 points for BYU, which led by as many as 20. A fastbreak bucket from Mawot Mag put the Cougars up 18 early in the second half and forced the Rams, who never recovered, to call a timeout.
SECOND HALF
High Point continued to give Purdue fits, but Braden Smith put the Boilermakers up by 10 points on a smooth 3-pointer with 4:29 remaining in the second half, and the rest was history.
FIRST HALF
Kezza Giffa began the game with a 3-pointer for High Point on the opening possession, with Smith countering with a 3-ball of his own for Purdue just seconds later. The Boilermakers led 22-21 at the third TV timeout. Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 10 points apiece in the first half, with Purdue holding a 37-27 lead at halftime.
SECOND HALF
Nolan Winter, who was one of five Badgers to score in double figures, gave Wisconsin a 12-point lead with 13:13 remaining in the game on a 3-pointer from way downtown. The Badgers later led 79-62 and held on for the win.
FIRST HALF
The Grizzlies were hanging with the Badgers in the early going, but the latter led 27-20 at the third TV timeout. Among the early highlights for Wisconsin was John Tonje executing a four-point play. He had seven of the Badgers' first 27 points. The Badgers led 40-32 at halftime.
FIRST HALF
It was all Cougars from the outset, as they led 32-16 at the third TV timeout. Among the early highlights for Houston was L.J. Cryer making a crisp pass to J'Wan Roberts for an inside bucket.
Houston made eight 3-pointers in the first half, including one at the first-half buzzer by Cryer and out-rebounded SIUE 18-4. Cryer, who had a game-high 15 points at halftime, was one of three Cougars to score in double figures in the first half. Houston led 52-24 at halftime and went on to win by 38 points.
SECOND HALF
The Tigers took control in the second half on both ends of the floor. On the defensive end, Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara had a majestic denial. The Tigers led 74-53 with 4:23 remaining in the game, cruising to victory with ease.
FIRST HALF
Miles Kelly scored 12 of Auburn's first 15 points on four 3-pointers. The Tigers led 18-8 at the second TV timeout, but the Hornets later went on a 9-0 run and got to within one point with 1:49 remaining in the first half.
That said, Auburn ended the half on a 9-0 run of its own and led 41-31 at halftime.
Looking for help when it comes to picking upsets in your NCAA Tournament bracket? FOX Sports' John Fanta says to keep an eye on these four Cinderella teams.
With 68 teams total in the tournament, Fanta provides 68 players to know over the next three weeks.
Want a breakdown of our beloved bracket? Find such analysis from Fanta here.
How is Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, who suffered an ankle sprain in the ACC Tournament last week, holding up? Is he playing? Check out the latest on the star's ankle injury here.
