NCAA Men's Tournament Top Moments: Kentucky, UConn, Iowa toppled
It was a bracket-busting day as the first round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Tournament came to a close.
On Day 1, top seeds Gonzaga, Kansas, and Baylor were among the teams to punch their ticket to the second round.
On the other side, Kentucky, UConn and Iowa all were on the losing end of shocking upsets, with 4-seed UCLA narrowly avoiding the same fate.
Here are the top moments from the Round of 64 games that took place on Thursday.
No. 15 Saint Peter's 85, No. 2 Kentucky 79 (OT)
The teams were neck and neck all game long. The Peacocks and the Wildcats headed into halftime knotted up at 37 and 20 minutes later it was tied at 71 entering overtime.
In the end, 15-seed Saint Peter's came out victorious in a stunner in Indianapolis.
Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe led all scorers with 30 points, followed by Saint Peter's Daryl Banks with 27.
Oscar Tshiebwe shines in Kentucky's loss I Titus & Tate
No. 12 New Mexico State 70, No. 5 Connecticut 63
The Huskies led early in the first half and their defense was locked in with two blocks and two steals, but they quickly found themselves down 10 points at the half. UConn was able to pull within one midway through the second, but New Mexico State ultimately came out on top in a thriller.
Aggies guard Teddy Allen led all scorers with 37 points.
No. 1 Gonzaga 93, No. 16 Georgia State 72
Dominating with size
The Zags are the top overall seed in the tournament, but they struggled to assert their dominance through much of this game and were actually tied 54-54 with 12:38 to play.
But Gonzaga finished the game on a 39-18 run to run away with the contest. One of the key players in the run was Chet Holmgren, who showed off ridiculous agility for a 7-footer with this steal, sprint and dunk. Holmgren had 19 points, 17 rebounds, seven blocks and five assists in a great all-around performance.
Gonzaga's other star was big man Drew Timme, who had 32 points and 13 rebounds.
No. 12 Richmond 67, No. 5 Iowa 63
Cool, calm, collected
That trio of adjectives describes Richmond's Jacob Gilyard to a tee. The Spiders' point guard has played all 40 minutes in each of his team's last eight games and was the enduring catalyst behind his squad's 67-63 upset victory over Iowa.
Gilyard hit four free throws to ice the upset win over a team that many projected to go to the Final Four. The all-time Division I steals leader finished the affair with 24 points, six boards and six assists.
After upsetting Iowa, can Richmond make a run? I Titus & Tate
No. 11 Michigan 75, No. 6 Colorado State 63
Houstan, we have a problem
Michigan fell behind 28-16 in the first half and was plagued with an early turnover bug. But Juwan Howard's halftime speech invigorated his troupe, and the Wolverines embarked on a furious comeback trail in the second.
Freshman Caleb Houstan was a big part of their comeback effort, and his pair of crucial 3s helped his squad take control of the lead. The Wolverines didn't look back from there, outscoring the Rams 46-27 in the second to complete the upset victory.
Michigan and Tennessee win first-round matchups
No. 4 Providence 66, No. 13 South Dakota State 57
Straight to the rack
Ed Cooley's Friars know a thing or two about defense as well. They were the third-best defense in the Big East from a scoring standpoint and flashed their defensive mettle early in their back-and-forth affair with South Dakota State. Nate Watson protected the paint on this play, before securing the board and finding a streaking Aljami Durham for the transition basket.
Who needs eyes?
Not Durham, apparently. He took a straight-line path to the basket on another fast break opportunity in the first half, and rather than taking an easier approach to his dominant right side, euro-stepped to the left, and flipped up a finger roll behind his head. It fell right in.
Providence led 31-23 at the half, and won 66-57 after holding off the Jackrabbits' comeback attempt.
No. 9 Memphis 64, No. 8 Boise State 53
Back in business
It's been a while since Emoni Bates has laced 'em up for a game. The star freshman missed 12 games with a back injury in the weeks ahead of the tourney, but picked right back up from where he left off, sinking a pretty 3-ball late in the first half.
The trey was Bates' only basket during limited minutes, but he will be a key cog in Penny Hardaway's lineup if fully healthy going forward. Memphis takes on top seed Gonzaga on Saturday.
No. 1 Baylor 85, No. 16 Norfolk State 49
Up high, down hard
The Bears lived up to their top-seed billing, putting together a commanding performance from start to finish. This well-drawn alley-oop was one of their best sequences of the day.
No. 3 Tennessee 88, No. 14 Longwood 56
Rack attack
John Fulkerson threw down with full force in the first half for Tennessee, elevating for a rim-punishing slam to give his Volunteers a big momentum boost. Fulkerson's jam gave Tennessee a 16-12 lead, and by halftime, it had stretched its edge to 54-29.
No. 8 North Carolina 95, No. 9 Marquette 63
UNC dominated in a 32-point victory over Marquette. The Tar Heels' 13 3-pointers are their most-ever in an NCAA Men's Tournament game. They move on to the next round, where they will take on top-seeded Baylor.
No. 5 Saint Mary's 82, No. 12 Indiana 53
The Hoosiers got blown out by the Gaels so badly that this was Indiana's best play of the game:
No. 9 Creighton 72, No. 8 San Diego State 69 (OT)
It was a back-and-forth battle between the Aztecs and Bluejays, who ultimately came out on top in overtime.
No. 4 Arkansas 75, No. 13 Vermont 71
Guard Stanley Umude leads all scorers with 21 points and two blocks, as Arkansas kept a slight edge on Vermont for most of the game. The Catamounts were never out of it, but they didn't have enough in the tank to secure the win, and Arkansas moves on to the second round.
No. 4 UCLA 57, No. 13 Akron 53
It was another close call between the Zips and the Bruins in Portland, as both teams left it all on the floor.
It was a one-point game, 26-25, at the break, and it stayed a coin-toss all the way until the final seconds. In the end, UCLA had a little more left in the tank than Akron, thanks largely to a huge shot from Tyger Campbell.
No. 7 Murray State 92, No. 10 San Francisco 87 (OT)
San Francisco's Zane Meeks was feeling it early, leading all scorers with 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor. It was another close game in Indianapolis, as the Dons led the Racers by one point at the break, 37-36.
After leaving it all on the court, the teams were deadlocked at 73 as things headed into overtime. Murray State would eventually seal the deal, overcoming a 36-point outing from Jamaree Boyea.
No. 1 Kansas 83, No. 16 Texas Southern 56
Kansas led the TSU by a whopping 28 points at the break, 47-19, and kept the Tigers at bay in the second half as the Jayhawks cruised to an easy victory.
Meanwhile, Texas Southern didn't lose everything …
