ESPN
Mar 17, 2022, 05:03 PM ET
March Madness 2022 is here, and we are firmly on the road to the Final Four in New Orleans. The men's NCAA tournament's first day was full of upsets, overtimes and more than its share of clutch performances.
Check your bracket
We've already got three potential Cinderella teams, as New Mexico State, Richmond and Saint Peter's all knocked off their far-more-heralded competition on the first day. The No. 1-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs (who Caesars Sportsbook has as the betting favorite) and the Baylor Bears took care of business, so we'll have to wait until Friday's games to see if anyone can pull a UMBC.
Fill out your women's Tournament Challenge brackets
NCAA tournament Friday schedule (all times ET)
12:15 p.m.: 10 Loyola Chicago Ramblers vs. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes
12:40 p.m.: 15 Jacksonville State Gameco*cks vs. 2 Auburn Tigers
1:45 p.m.: 14 Montana State Bobcats vs. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders
2:00 p.m.: 14 Yale Bulldogs vs. 3 Purdue Boilermakers
2:45 p.m.: 15 Delaware Blue Hens vs. 2 Villanova Wildcats
3:10 p.m.: 10 Miami Hurricanes vs. 7 USC Trojans
4:15 p.m.: 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide
4:30 p.m.: 11 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. 6 Texas Longhorns
6:50 p.m.: 13 Chattanooga Mocs vs. 4 Illinois Fighting Illini
7:10 p.m.: 15 CSU Fullerton Titans vs. 2 Duke Blue Devils
7:20 p.m.: 11 Iowa State Cyclones vs. 6 LSU Tigers
7:27 p.m.: 16 Wright State Raiders vs. 1 Arizona Wildcats
9:20 p.m.: 12 UAB Blazers vs. 5 Houston Cougars
9:40 p.m.: 10 Davidson Wildcats vs. 7 Michigan State Spartans
9:50 p.m.: 14 Colgate Raiders vs. 3 Wisconsin Badgers
9:57 p.m.: 9 TCU Horned Frogs vs. 8 Seton Hall Pirates
Fill out a second-chance bracket
Murray State's OT thriller
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022MURRAY STATE RACES ON 🐎
The Racers take down the Dons 92-87 to advance to a date with (15) Saint Peter's#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/i58nLOaEiG
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022JAMAREE BOUYEA TO TIE THE GAME! 😨 @USFDonsMBB
Gotta hand it to the San Francisco Dons -- they made things extremely interesting in this 10-7 matchup, with Jamaree Bouyea nailing a clutch 3 to tie it with 19 seconds remaining in the second half. The two teams then traded the lead back and forth in overtime before Murray State finally pulled away on a KJ Williams jumper. Just the last in a series of exceptional finishes on the first day of the 2022 NCAA tournament.
UCLA, Arkansas avoid upsets
Arkansas is on to the Round of 32 💪#MarchMadness | @RazorbackMBB pic.twitter.com/4xDXscYmI3
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022
TYGER CAMPBELL FROM THE LOGO! 🔥#MarchMadness @UCLAMBB pic.twitter.com/MDNdAis6oE
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022
UCLA and Arkansas, both 4-seeds, looked very vulnerable in their first-round matchups against 13-seeds Akron and Vermont, respectively. UCLA had to engineer a comeback against Akron that included a 15-4 run in the final minutes, while Arkansas had to hold off a furious late charge by Vermont. On this first day of upsets, the Bruins and Razorbacks survived and advanced.
The Mountain West's bad day
It was a resurgent season for the Mountain West, which placed four teams in the men's bracket for the first time since 2013 and was primed to make some noise on the first weekend.
About that ...
Twelve-seed Wyoming's loss to Indiana Tuesday in the First Four preceded Thursday losses for three better seeds -- No. 6 Colorado State (vs. No. 11 Michigan), No. 8 Boise State (vs. No. 9 Memphis) and No. 8 San Diego State (vs. Creighton). The Mountain West finished the 2022 NCAA tournament with an 0-4 record and technically didn't even reach the first weekend.
Does the showing diminish the rest of the season?
"I don't think so," Colorado State coach Niko Medved said. "That will be the narrative, but I understand that. It's funny, in the tournament everything is put into one game. It's not the NBA where you play a five-game series or best-of-seven; it's one game. You can get defined by that. ... But the Mountain West has been phenomenal this year."
"I just think that's the flavor of the week," San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said of the idea that the conference had somehow failed to live up to its promise. "Last year was the Big Ten, right now it's the Mountain West and tomorrow after the games it might be someone else. That's March Madness."
The MW is now 0-8 in the tournament since Nevada made a run to the 2018 Sweet 16 under then-coach Eric Musselman.
Saint Peter's pulls off the 15-2 upset
— Saint Peter's Men's Basketball (@Peaco*cksMBB) March 18, 2022
PEAco*ckS. WIN. pic.twitter.com/Jf10r5zyb4
— Saint Peter's Athletics (@SPUAthletics) March 18, 2022
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022YOU'VE GOTTA LET THE PEAco*ck FLY ‼️
15-SEED SAINT PETER'S DEFEATS KENTUCKY IN OT #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/wZXXCEDJmz
DOWN GOES #2 KENTUCKY!!!! PEAco*ckS WIN!!! PEAco*ckS WIN!!!!#StrutUp🦚 pic.twitter.com/6vIXSi3dfm
— Saint Peter's Men's Basketball (@Peaco*cksMBB) March 18, 2022
We've got our first humongous upset of the tournament as the Kentucky Wildcats fell to the Saint Peter's Peaco*cks 85-79 in overtime. The Peaco*cks finished their season on a two-game losing streak, but matched the Wildcats shot for shot in the first round, finally pulling ahead for good with a 14-8 overtime. It's the first NCAA tournament win in the school's history, and it was a big one -- only the 10th time in history a 15-2 upset has happened in the men's bracket.
Another 5-seed falls
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022TEDDY ALLEN.
CLUTCH GENE#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/GF0hhedY9J
That's the tweet pic.twitter.com/D62zY9eL7d
— NM State MBB (@NMStateMBB) March 18, 2022
New Mexico State has joined Richmond in pulling off a 12-5 upset, as the Aggies knocked off the UConn Huskies 70-63. The Aggies were powered by guard Teddy Allen, who put up 37 points on 10-24 shooting to go with six rebounds. Allen scored more than half of New Mexico State's points and was the only Aggie in double digits.
IU cheerleader saves the day
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022🗣 "SHE'S GOT IT! WHAT A PLAY!"
The cheerleader saves the day 😂👏 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/pxQ3eh2Sod
Incredible scene in the game between Indiana and St. Mary's: After an unsuccessful attempt to get a stuck ball down from the backboard, two Hoosiers cheerleaders stepped up to save the day, with a legendary call from Andrew Catalon.
Gonzaga puts a stop to Georgia State's upset bid
3️⃣0️⃣-piece for Drew Timme 😤@ZagMBB is rollling #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/rN2aUzFU24
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022
With 13:10 remaining in the second half, No. 16 Georgia State went up 54-52 on No. 1 Gonzaga and it looked like things were about to get awful exciting. Then Gonzaga scored seven unanswered points, and the rout was on, with the final score ending up 93-72. Drew Timme had a game, with 32 points and 13 rebounds, while Bulldogs center Chet Holmgren also put on a clinic, with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocks.
Richmond has the first 12-5 upset
Never will. https://t.co/xIhJN70tyX
— Richmond Basketball (@SpiderMBB) March 17, 2022
CLUTCH AND-1! RICHMOND IS UP 6 WITH 30 SECONDS LEFT! 😱@SpiderMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/qrorI9S0fk
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022
Richmond entered the Atlantic 10 tournament with a 3-4 record in its previous seven games and two weeks removed from a 20-point loss at VCU. March, man. March.
— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) March 17, 2022
— Richmond Basketball (@SpiderMBB) March 17, 2022🅁🄴🅃🅄🅁🄽
🄾🄵
🅃🄷🄴
🄶🄸🄰🄽🅃
🄺🄸🄻🄻🄴🅁🅂🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷#OneRichmond #TheOriginal #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/3CN8oGC45C
Welcome to the Spiders' web, Iowa.
After limping into the A-10 tournament, Richmond has the first major upset of the NCAA tournament, taking out the Big Ten champion Hawkeyes.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, this is just the third time that the Big Ten tournament champion has lost its opening game in the NCAA tournament. Michigan State lost its NCAA tourney opener in 2016.
Vols make a big statement
Tennessee, the No. 3 seed in the South Region, came out hot and never relented in a big win over Longwood. The Volunteers scored 54 points in the first half. According to ESPN Stats & Information, that's their most points in any half this season and the most in the first half of a tournament game since 2007.
Led by Santiago Vescovi's 18 points, Tennessee had five players score in double figures.
A I R F U L K Y ✈️#MarchMadness @Vol_Hoops pic.twitter.com/2lYfifvEJD
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022Statement win for @Vol_Hoops 👀
They advance to the Second Round of #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Vja9aurge7
Drew Timme time
DREW TIMME AND-1 TO START THINGS OFF FOR GONZAGA 😱#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/TUNhwHFWRB
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022
Gonzaga, the No. 1 overall seed, faces Georgia State. The Zags are trying to make it to the Final Four for the second consecutive season.
Read more: Drew Timme lives for his March Madness moment
Welcome back, Emoni Bates
Emoni Bates checks in for the first time since January and knocks down a three 👌#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/I4wKkKQ1un
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 17, 2022.@Memphis_MBB earns its first NCAA Tournament win since 2014.
The Tigers are movin' on. pic.twitter.com/sVbT7Yn236
Memphis' freshman star had been sidelined since January with a back injury; this was Bates' only score of the game for Memphis. The Tigers got 14 points from DeAndre Williams to take out Boise State 64-53. The win gives Tigers coach Penny Hardaway his first NCAA tournament win as a coach.
Providence pulls it out
If you had South Dakota State pulling the upset then your hopes of maintaining a perfect bracket have been thwarted. The Friars secured the win on the heels of Al Durham. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the guard is just the second Providence player with at least 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in an NCAA tournament game since assists became an official stat in 1984 (Bryce Cotton in 2014).
Durham scored or assisted on 29 of the Friars' 66 points on Thursday (44%).
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022No upset today for @PCFriarsmbb!
Providence is moving on to the second round 💪 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/hyeftD85yx
Comeback complete
Can we get a go blue? The Michigan Wolverines become the first team to secure a spot in the second round -- and the first to complete a 15-point comeback in the NCAA tournament since Nevada in 2018 (h/t ESPN Stats & Information) -- with their win over the Colorado State Rams.
#GoBlue@umichbball becomes the first team to book their place in the Second Round #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/RrICWcRpVJ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022
Friars fest
Big East stand up. The Friars are on a roll as they extend their second-half lead. Six different Providence players have made a 3-pointer so far, which is a school record for an NCAA tournament game per ESPN Stats & Information data.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022Providence is HEATING UP 🔥
The Friars lead 43-29 early in the second half@PCFriarsmbb #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/eMPfG74c7t
Rose is hyped
Jalen Rose is all Michigan fans right now. The Wolverines stormed back to erase their first-half deficit -- much to the delight of one of their esteemed alumni in attendance.
.@JalenRose is HYPED 〽️#MarchMadness @umichbball pic.twitter.com/TTEGsIjdNZ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022
Entering Thursday's game, Colorado State is 18-1 when leading at the half this season. As for Michigan? It is 3-9 when trailing at the half this season. But nobody needs to tell Rose.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, a Michigan win from 15 points down would be the largest NCAA tournament comeback since Nevada overcame a 22-point deficit against Cincinnati in the 2018 round of 32.
No look, no problem
Baylor Scheierman made that look too easy.
Baylor Scheierman with the wild behind-the-back pass for @GoJacksMBB 🤯#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/LmfhfIboPT
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022
In the first half, Scheierman and Douglas Wilson combined for 18 points (8-17 FG) and four assists. Meanwhile, the rest of the Jackrabbits' roster combined for five points (2-10 FG) and two assists.
It's time to slam now
Chandler Jacobs has ups, can confirm. The CSU guard came through with the steal and the stuff as the Rams lead the Wolverines late in the first half.
Chandler Jacobs gets the steal + the slam 💪#MarchMadness | @CSUMBasketball pic.twitter.com/P3yBe0BgqG
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022
Despite the current score, history favors Michigan fans: The Big Ten is 7-1 all time against the Mountain West in the NCAA tournament.
Pregame fun
Howdy y'all, it's time for a Texas roll call! 🤠#GoJays pic.twitter.com/ELTeRn6kKC
— Creighton Men's Basketball (@BluejayMBB) March 16, 2022
Visited @NiagaraFallsUSA with @RazorbackMBB before practice today! pic.twitter.com/k70lwpI3X5
— Eric Musselman (@EricPMusselman) March 16, 2022
Color battles have begun
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2022Red is the new blue 🔴
The West Region is painted red. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/PcZ7LIdoiB
