SAN DIEGO (AP) — Darryn Peterson made four 3-pointers and scored 28 points, and fourth-seeded Kansas squandered most of a 26-point lead before holding off scrappy NCAA Tournament newcomer Cal Baptist 68-60 on Friday night. Kansas (24-10) advances to face St. John’s in the second round on Sunday in a matchup between Hall of Fame coaches Bill Self of the Jayhawks and Rick Pitino of the Red Storm. The No. 5-seeded Red Storm beat Northern Iowa 79-53 in the East Region bracket. Kansas hasn’t survived the opening weekend since 2022, when it won the national title.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Brayden Burries hit four 3-pointers while scoring 18 points, Koa Peat added 15 and top-seeded Arizona opened its NCAA Tournament run with a 92-58 victory over Long Island. Ivan Kharchenkov had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion Wildcats, who quickly showed why they’re the tournament’s second overall seed behind Duke. Arizona went up by double digits in the opening minutes and led the Sharks by 27 in the first half. Mason Porter-Brown scored 15 points and Greg Gordon had 12 for the Sharks, who finished their fourth season under coach Rod Strickland.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Eric Dailey Jr. scored 20 points, Xaiver Booker had 15 points and eight rebounds to make up for the absence of leading scorer Tyler Biloudeau and seventh-seeded UCLA withstood every serious challenge and beat 10th-seeded UCF 75-71 Friday night in the NCAA Tournament. Jordan Burks scored 22 points and hit six 3-pointers — including one that made it 72-69 with 10 seconds left — to almost single-handedly carry UCF (21-12) into the second round. The Bruins will face No. 2 seed UConn in the second round on Sunday.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Second-seeded Iowa State blew out No. 15 seed Tennessee State 108-74 on Friday after losing star forward Joshua Jefferson to an ankle injury in the opening minutes of their first-round matchup. His status for the rest of the NCAA Tournament is unclear. Jefferson watched the second half from the end of the bench with his ankle in a boot. Iowa State plays No. 7 seed Kentucky in the second round on Sunday. Killyan Toure had career-highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Cyclones, while Nate Heise scored eight of his season-high 23 points during a 23-0 first-half run that broke open the game. Aaron Nkrumah had 21 points to lead Tennessee State.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson sprained his left ankle in the opening minutes of the second-seeded Cyclones’ 108-74 rout of No. 15 seed Tennessee State. The injury leaves the All-American's status in question for the rest of the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones’ second-leading scorer and top rebounder did not appear to be touched as he drove the lane for an open layup. But his entire 240-pound body came down on his left ankle as it turned beneath him. Jefferson left to get X-rays and returned to the bench on crutches.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jaylen Petty scored 24 points, Christian Anderson added 18 and fifth-seeded Texas Tech beat No. 12 seed Akron 91-71 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders will face fourth-seeded Alabama in the second round in the Midwest Region on Sunday. Playing without All-America guard JT Toppin, who tore the ACL in his right knee last month, Texas Tech got double-figure scoring from five players. Josiah Moseley had 16 points, Donovan Atwell scored 15 and LeJuan Watts added 14. Amani Lyles led Akron with 26 points and Shammah Scott had 20.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Bailey Maupin scored seven of her 17 points in the final three minutes, and No. 7 seed Texas Tech held on to defeat 10th seed Villanova 57-52 in the first round of March Madness. Denae Fritz scored 13 points for Texas Tech, which went 7 of 15 from 3-point range and made 14 of 15 foul shots. Villanova guard Jasmine Bascoe led all scorers with 21 points but had a pivotal turnover in the final minute. Kelsey Joens scored 14 points and Brynn McCurry had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats. Villanova's Denae Carter missed a 3-point shot that would have tied it with 8 seconds left.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Taliah Scott scored 15 points and Baylor rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, making 11 of 14 free throws down the stretch, to beat Nebraska 67-62 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. After leading by 19-11 after the first quarter, the Bears (25-8) went cold and were down 50-41 with 9:33 to play. Baylor then turned up the full-court press and forced six turnovers by Nebraska in the final quarter. The turning point came on a jump ball with the game tied at 53 with 3:48 to play. Baylor coach Nicki Collen appealed for officials to review the play for a flagrant foul on Nebraska junior forward Jessica Petrie. Baylor won the appeal, and Taliah Scott made two free throws to give Baylor the lead for good.
