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UNDATED (AP) — The spotlight of the NCAA Tournament shifts to Zion Williamson and No. 1 overall seed Duke. Along with the other 31 teams playing in first-round games Friday. But there won't be more attention on anybody than the Blue Devils' star freshman, who gets to open against North Dakota State in his home state of South Carolina.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Kevarrius Hayes scored 16 points, Jalen Hudson added 15 and 10th-seeded Florida upset Nevada 70-61 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Florida squandered most of an 18-point lead before pulling off the win. Andrew Nembhard drove to the basket for a huge layup with 1 ½ minutes left and Florida scored the last seven points after the Wolf Pack had cut the lead to two points.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — With PJ Washington watching from the bench in a cast, second-seeded Kentucky romped to a 79-44 victory over NCAA Tournament newcomer Abilene Christian. Keldon Johnson scored 25 points in a huge mismatch that was over by halftime. The Wildcats shot 60 percent in the opening period, held Abilene Christian to 5 of 26 from the field and went to the locker room with a 39-13 lead.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Skylar Mays scored 19 points, including four free throws in the final 15 seconds, and third-seeded and embattled LSU did just enough to beat 14th-seeded Yale 79-74 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Mays sealed the game from the charity stripe. The Tigers needed each one. Yale hit four 3-pointers in the final minute and whittled an 18-point deficit to three in the closing seconds.
NEW YORK (AP) — It's going to be tough to top last season's NCAA women's tournament after one of the most exciting Final Four in the sports' history. Yet if the regular season is any indication, this could be a wild three weeks. Last year had six upsets by double-digit seeds in the opening round. This could be the season that a 14 or 15 seed breaks through and wins for the first time in the NCAAs and there are several teams with legit chances to win it all.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State's Anriel Howard and Clemson's Simone Westbrook are among the growing number of graduate transfers in the women's game. Howard and Westbrook have taken advantage of the NCAA rule that allows players who have completed their bachelor's degree the opportunity to transfer and play immediately without sitting out a season. It's not a new rule, but it's been more prevalent in the men's game.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — New Mexico State just missed upsetting Auburn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament but dropped a 78-77 heartbreaker in the Midwest Region. Terrell Brown missed two of three free throws as the Aggies played for the win instead of a tie against fifth-seeded Auburn. Trailing 78-76, A.J. Harris had his defender beat and looked to be headed to the glass for the tying bucket, but instead lobbed out to Brown, who was spotted up at the elbow for a possible game-winner.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Many of the 1,000 players on NCAA Tournament's teams know what it's like to be on the pencil end of a bracket, trying to pick the most probable upsets. Now they're on the other side, filling the brackets instead of guessing how they'll turn out.
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