The first day of the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament was full of dramatic finishes, wild upsets, and new players becoming March Madness heroes before our eyes. As the tournament advances to its second day, the slate will loaded with fascinating matchups and will surely produce more memorable moments.
It looked like there was going to be a huge upset coming to start day two when the No. 14 seed Kennesaw State Owls built a double-digit lead in the second half against No. 3 seed Xavier. Instead, the Musketeers went on a 15-0 run to surge ahead in the final minutes. Kennesaw State still had a chance to win on the last shot of the game, but Xavier big man Jack Nunge came up with a game-saving block to secure the win:
The No. 14 seed UC Santa Barbara Gauchos also had an upset on their mind when they took a one-point lead into halftime against No. 3 seed Baylor. Unfortunately for the Gauchos, their offense went cold in the second half as Baylor caught fire. Guards Adam Flager and LJ Cryer led the way for the Bears, who advance to play the winner of No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 11 NC State.
First Round
No. 1 Alabama 96, No. 16 Texas A&M-CC 75
No. 8 Maryland 67, No. 9 West Virginia 65
No. 5 San Diego St. 63, No. 12 Charleston 57
No. 13 Furman 68, No. 4 Virginia 67
No. 6 Creighton 72, No. 11 N.C. State 63
No. 3 Baylor 74, No. 14 UCSB 56
No. 7 Missouri 76, No. 10 Utah State 65
No. 15 Princeton 59, No. 2 Arizona 55
Second Round
No. 5 San Diego State 75, No 13 Furman 52
No. 15 Princeton 78, No. 7 Missouri 68
No. 1 Alabama 73, No. 8 Maryland 51
No. 6 Creighton 85, No. 3 Baylor 76
Sweet Sixteen
No. 5 San Diego State 71, No. 1 Alabama 64
No. 15 Princeton vs. No. 6 Creighton | Friday March 24 9:00 p.m. ET | TBS
Elite Eight
No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 15 Princeton/No. 6 Creighton Winner
First Round
No. 1 Houston 63, No. 16 N. Kentucky 52
No. 9 Auburn 83, No. 8 Iowa 75
No. 5 Miami 63, No. 12 Drake 56
No. 4 Indiana 71, No 13 Kent State 60
No. 11 Pitt 59, No. 6 Iowa State 41
No. 3 Xavier 72, No. 14 Kennesaw State 67
No. 10 Penn State 76, No 7 Texas A&M 59
No 2 Texas 81, No. 15 Colgate 61
Second Round
No 1 Houston 81, No. 9 Auburn 64
No. 2 Texas 71, No. 10 Penn State 66
No. 3 Xavier 84, No 11 Pitt 73
No. 5 Miami 85, No. 4 Indiana 69
Sweet Sixteen
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 5 Miami | Friday March 24 7:15 p.m. ET | CBS
No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Xavier | Friday March 24 9:45 p.m. ET | CBS
First Round
No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63, No. 1 Purdue 58
No. 9 Florida Atlantic 66, No. 8 Memphis 65
No. 5 Duke 74, No. 12 Oral Roberts 51
No. 4 Tennessee 58, No. 13 Louisiana 55
No. 6 Kentucky 61, No. 11 Providence 53
No. 3 Kansas State 77, No 14 Montana State 65
No. 7 Michigan State 72, No. 10 USC 62
No. 3 Xavier 72, No. 14 Kennesaw State 67
No. 2 Marquette 78, No. 15 Vermont 61
Second Round
No. 4 Tennessee 65, No. 5 Duke 52
No. 3 Kansas State 75, No. 6 Kentucky 69
No. 7 Michigan State 69, No. 2 Marquette 60
No. 9 Florida Atlantic 78, No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 70
Sweet Sixteen
No. 3 Kansas State 98, No. 7 Michigan State 93
No. 9 Florida Atlantic 62, No. 4 Tennessee 55
Elite Eight
No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic | Saturday March 25 | 6:09 p.m. ET | TBS
No. 1 Kansas 96 vs. No. 16 Howard, 68
No. 8 Arkansas 73, No. 9 Illinois 63
No. 5 St. Mary’s 63, No. 12 VCU 51
No. 4 UConn 87, No. 13 Iona 63
No. 6 TCU 72, No. 11 Arizona State 70
No. 3 Gonzaga 82, No. 14 Grand Canyon 70
No. 7 Northwestern 75, No. 10 Boise State 67
No. 2 UCLA 86, No. 15 UNC-Asheville 53
Second Round
No. 8 Arkansas 72, No. 1 Kansas 71
No. 2 UCLA 68, No. 7 Northwestern 63
No. 4 UConn 70, No. 5 St. Mary’s 55
No. 3 Gonzaga 84, No. 6 TCU 81
Sweet Sixteen
No. 4 UConn 88, No. 8 Arkansas 65
No. 3 Gonzaga 79, No. 2 UCLA 76
Elite Eight
No. 4. UConn vs. No. 3 Gonzaga | Saturday March 25 | 8:49 p.m. ET | TBS