1:35 a.m.: It’s finally over.
San Diego State holds off New Mexico State 73-69 in overtime. Xavier Thames was the Aztecs’ star, with 22 points, including five in overtime. The officials also missed an SDSU foul on a New Mexico State 3-point attempt with nine seconds left.
Upsets were the order of the day, as four lower-seeded teams won in the 16 Thursday games. It easily could have been six upsets had New Mexico State and Manhattan finished off things.
1:20 a.m.: A long day (and night) of college basketball is still going, with Louisville surviving a scare and San Diego State currently facing one, both from their 13th-seeded opponents.
Defending champion Louisville trailed underdog Manhattan by three points with 4:19 left, but Rick Pitino’s ensuing timeout allowed the Cardinals to regroup and hold off the Jaspers 71-64. Luke Hancock’s 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining effectively ended Manhattan’s chances.
Kevin Aronis’ 3-pointer with nine seconds left allowed New Mexico State to tie San Diego State at 60, and the Aztecs couldn’t drain a winning basket, sending the game into overtime.
Midnight: Texas advanced to the third round in dramatic fashion. Cameron Ridley grabbed a loose ball off the floor after a missed 3-pointer and converted a layup as time expired to give the Longhorns an 87-85 win over Arizona State.
Villanova has an 18-point lead over Milwaukee with a minute left in the second half, and Louisville is tied 35-35 with Manhattan early in the second half.
San Diego State leads New Mexico State 32-20 at halftime.
11:13 p.m.: Just four games remain in progress.
Texas has a 59-47 lead over Arizona State with 12:40 left in the second half.
Villanova has a seven-point edge on Milwaukee early in the second half, while Louisville leads Manhattan 25-20 with five minutes remaining in the first half.
San Diego State and New Mexico State have just begun, and the Aztecs have an early 5-2 advantage.
10:27 p.m.: UConn advances to the third round with an 89-81 overtime victory over Saint Joseph’s.
Saint Louis mounted a second-half comeback to avoid an upset with an 83-80 win over N.C. State in overtime.
North Dakota State upset Oklahoma with an 80-75 win.
A couple of West Coast games are now underway. Milwaukee has an early three-point lead over Villanova, and Texas has a 39-36 edge over Arizona State at halftime.
9:20 p.m.: Michigan advances to the third round with a 57-40 victory over Wofford. The Wolverines will play the winner of Thursday night’s matchup between Texas and Arizona State.
North Dakota State is aiming to pull off an upset with a 48-43 lead over Oklahoma with 13:30 left in the second half.
N.C. State has a 62-55 edge over Saint Louis with two minutes remaining in regulation.
UConn has a six-point lead over St. Joe’s with 36 seconds left in overtime.
8:15 p.m.: Four games are in progress right now, and two of them are at halftime. N.C. State leads Saint Louis 30-26 at halftime, and Michigan leads Wofford 34-20 at the half.
St. Joseph’s leads UConn 45-39 with 16:03 left in the second half. No. 12 North Dakota State leads No. 5 Oklahoma 16-11 with 11:45 to play in the opening 20 minutes.
7:35 p.m.: Michigan has opened up a 20-10 lead over Wofford with 7:30 remaining in the first half.
N.C. State has taken a 21-16 lead over Saint Louis with 8:03 left in the first half.
UConn trails St. Joseph’s 40-35 at halftime.
7:20 p.m.: The Spartans defeated Delaware 93-78 and will play No. 12 Harvard in the third round of the East Region.
St. Joseph’s has opened up a 25-18 lead over UConn with 7:40 left to play in the first half.
No. 2 Michigan and No. 15 Wofford are tied 4-4 early in the first half. No. 5 Saint Louis and No. 12 N.C. State also are underway.
7:05 p.m.: Michigan State has a 15-point lead over Delaware with 3:52 left in the second half.
The evening slate of games also has begun. No. 7 UConn and No. 10 Saint Joseph’s are underway in Buffalo.
6:23 p.m.: Florida had to play harder than it likely anticipated, but the top seed in the South Region defeated No. 16 Albany 67-55. It’s the Gators’ 27th straight win.
The only other game in progress right now is No. 4 Michigan State vs. No. 13 Delaware. The Spartans have a 52-43Â lead with 15:15 left in the second half.
5:55 p.m.: After tying the score 39-39, No. 16 seed Albany has fallen behind by 10 (55-45) to top seed Florida. The Gators are finally working the ball down in the post and using their strength advantage to get easy baskets.
In other action, Michigan State has a 44-33 lead over Delaware at halftime.
5:25 p.m.: Albany is staying with top-seeded Florida early in the second half. The Gators lead by five with two minutes gone in the final 20 minutes.
Michigan State has opened up a six-point lead over Delaware with 8:48 left in the first half, and Oregon will comfortably defeat BYU. The Ducks hold an 87-64 edge with 1:20 to play.
5:11 p.m.: Three games are in progress right now.
Michigan State is tied with Delaware 8-8 early in the first half, while Oregon has started to pull away from BYU with a 72-60 lead with 7:00 left in regulation.
Florida and Albany are at halftime. The Gators lead the No. 16 seed by just six points.
4:56 p.m.: Syracuse easily defeated Western Michigan 77-53. The Orange will play Dayton in the third round of the South Region.
BYU has started the second half against Oregon on fire and trails by only three with 11:55 remaining.
Florida is having a difficult time with Albany and leads by just six points at halftime.
4:30 p.m.: Harvard has reached the third round in back-to-back seasons after upsetting Cincinnati 61-57.
After Harvard hit two more free throws to earn a four-point lead, Cincinnati missed a 3-point shot, which essentially ended the game.
The Crimson hit two more free throws to finish the contest.
4:25 p.m.: Cincinnati hit two free throws to trim Harvard’s lead to two with 25.2 seconds remaining.
In other action, No. 7 Oregon has a eight-point lead over No. 10 BYU at halftime.
4:23 p.m.: Titus Rubles drove hard to the basket and missed a layup for the Bearcats. Officials reviewed the play to determine if a Harvard player interfered with the ball, but the call on the court stood (Cincinnati ball out of bounds).
Harvard then stole the ball, and Siyani Chambers was fouled with 37.6 seconds left. He hit one free throw to give Harvard a four-point edge.
4:18 p.m.: Harvard guard Siyani Chambers hit a tough midrange shot to give his team a three-point lead with 1:47 left in regulation.
On the ensuing Cincinnati possession, the Crimson drew an offensive foul to regain possession.
Syracuse has widened its lead to 50-28 over Western Michigan, while No. 16 Albany has a 7-5 edge over No. 1 seed Florida with five minutes played in that game.
4:11 p.m.:Â Steve Moundou-Missi missed the first half of a one-and-one with the chance to put Harvard up three with 6:08 to play, but Cincinnati was unable to capitalize at the other end of the floor.
Brandyn Curry proceeded to make one of two free throws on Harvard’s next possession, and, after another Cincy miss, Wesley Saunders nailed a jumper to put the Crimson back up five.
This one is going down to the wire, for sure.
Also, No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Albany is just now tipping off in Orlando.
4 p.m.:Â Oregon is beginning to pull away from BYU (35-24 with four minutes to play in the first).
Harvard is threatening to do the same, but the Bearcats have matched every Crimson rally. Right now, it’s a 51-46 Harvard lead with 7:25 to play.
3:44 p.m.:Â Pitt is officially through to the next round, dispatching Colorado 77-48.
Syracuse is taking a hefty 40-21 lead into halftime, but the other two games have been highly competitive so far.
Harvard is up on Cincinnati 45-43 six minutes into the second half, and Oregon is leading BYU by seven midway through the first.
3:27 p.m.:Â Harvard and Cincinnati are underway in the second half, with both teams trading baskets in the early going.
Syracuse has enjoyed a comfortable lead over Western Michigan throughout its game and now leads 28-13 with just over five minutes to play in the first.
Pitt is still demolishing Colorado, leading by nearly 30 with four to play, and Oregon is up 13-7 on BYU a little more than five minutes into the first half.
3:10 p.m.:Â Siyani Chambers has his final shot of the half blocked, but Harvard heads into the locker room leading 36-29.
Laurent Rivard leads the Crimson with nine points, all of which have come from 3-point land. Junior forward Steve Moundou-Missi has been big on the boards, pacing all players with nine rebounds.
Around the bracket, Pitt leads Colorado 58-29 and will cruise into the Round of 32 barring a historic collapse, and Syracuse has taken a 12-4 lead on Western Michigan seven minutes into the first.
The fifth game of the day, No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 BYU, is set to begin momentarily in Milwaukee.
2:55 p.m.:Â It’s game time again in Buffalo, as Syracuse and Western Michigan take the court.
We still have a tight one out in Spokane, as a thunderous Siyani Chambers dunk and a 3-pointer by Laurent Rivard have put Harvard up 29-25 in the waning minutes of the first half.
2:45 p.m.:Â Wisconsin has finally put American out of its misery, pounding the No. 15 seed by a final score of 75-35.
The Eagles actually stuck with the Badgers early on, leading 19-13 after 11 minutes. Unfortunately for them, they managed just 14 points the rest of the way.
Elsewhere, Pitt leads Colorado 46-18 at halftime, and Harvard — in what has the makings of another upset — holds a 22-15 advantage against No. 5 seed Cincinnati with 6:32 remaining in the first half.
Tip-off for Syracuse-Western Michigan has been pushed back a bit and is now set for 2:53 p.m.
2:25 p.m.:Â We have the first upset of the tournament, and it comes in dramatic fashion.
After Craft’s layup put Ohio State ahead by one, Dayton snatched the lead right back on a floater by Vee Sanford. The Buckeyes put the ball right back in their star’s hands, but Craft’s last-gasp shot clanged off the rim.
With the 60-59 win, No. 11 Dayton will advance to take on the winner of No. 3 Syracuse and No. 14 Western Michigan.
Elsewhere, Wisconsin is steamrolling American 62-28 (that one was fun while it lasted), and Pitt is giving the business to Colorado. The Panthers lead 42-16 with two minutes to play in the first half. Harvard, which is eyeing its second straight second-round upset, leads Cincinnati 12-6 early in the first.
Cuse-Western Michican will get underway in about 20 minutes.
2:19 p.m.:Â Hold the phone.
Aaron Craft comes right down the floor and sinks an acrobatic layup through traffic.
Buckeyes back up by one. 10.8 to play.
2:17 p.m.:Â Why, Shannon Scott?
Scott fouls Dayton’s Dyshawn Pierre on a 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining and Ohio State leading by two. Pierre sinks all three shots, giving Dayton a 58-57 lead.
2:08 p.m.:Â It’s almost four-screen time. No. 5 Cincinnati and No. 12 Harvard will tip off from Spokane in a matter of minutes.
In Buffalo, an and-one by Aaron Craft ties it up at 55-55 with two minutes to go.
1:58 p.m.:Â Wisconsin is running away with it in Milwaukee (41-24 with 15:32 to play), and Pitt has jumped out to a 15-3 lead on Colorado.
Dayton-Ohio State is still a nailbiter, though. The Flyers just took a 51-50 lead on two Dyshawn Pierre free throws with less than five minutes remaining.
1:43 p.m.:Â Game 3 has tipped off in Orlando, with No. 8 seed Colorado taking on No. 9 Pittsburgh.
The day’s first game continues to be a tight one, with Dayton leading 43-39 with just under 12 minutes to play. The Flyers have made just one basket in the last four minutes, though.
Wisconsin and American are still at the half, with heavily favored Wisco holding a 10-point lead.
1:27 p.m.:Â One more jumper gives Wisconsin a 32-22 lead heading into the locker room.
1:25 p.m.:Â Wisconsin has begun to impose its will on its mid-major opponent, going on a 7-0 run to take a 30-22 lead in the final minute of the first half. Four of those points came from the foul line.
The second half has begun over in Buffalo, with Ohio State and Dayton combining to miss their first five shots before trading field goals.
1:00 p.m.:Â If American has sights on becoming this year’s Florida Gulf Coast, it’s off to a strong start.
We’re nearly nine minutes in in Milwaukee, and the 15th-seeded Eagles hold a 14-10 lead on Wisconsin.
Only seven 15 seeds have toppled No. 2s in the tournament, but three of those have come in the last two years (Dunk City of course had its run to the Sweet 16 last season, and both Lehigh and Norfolk State won their opening games in 2012).
Speaking of upsets, 11th-seeded Dayton leads Ohio State 33-30 at halftime in what has been a highly entertaining opener to the tournament.
12:41 p.m.:Â Wisconsin and American have tipped off in Milwaukee.
Over in Buffalo, Ohio State has regained a slim 22-21 lead thanks to Aaron Craft doing Aaron Craft things (read: incredibly scrappy defense). Craft also now leads all scorers with nine points. Â
12:30 p.m.:Â Ohio State held Dayton scoreless for the first 2:29 to jump out to a 5-0 lead, but the Flyers have woken up and now lead 17-13 with 11:35 to play in the half.
Matt Kavanaugh and Devin Oliver each have five points so far for Dayton, while LaQuinton Ross has four for the Buckeyes.
12:16 p.m.:Â And we’re off.
Ohio State and Dayton are underway in Buffalo.
No. 2 seed Wisconsin and No. 15 seed American will tip off in just under 25 minutes.
11:35 a.m. ET:Â Welcome to March Madness, folks.
The play-in games (or “First Four,” as the NCAA insists on calling them) are out of the way, and now it’s time for the tournament to begin in earnest.
Sixteen games are on tap for Thursday, and we’ll be taking you straight through each and every one of them, from No. 6 seed Ohio State vs. No. 11 seed Dayton at 12:15 p.m. to No. 4 San Diego State vs. No. 13 New Mexico State at 9:57 p.m.
Among those 16 contests are three juicy 5-12 matchups — Harvard, N.C. State and North Dakota State are all trendy upset picks — and the tournament openers for Final Four favorites Florida, Michigan State and Louisville.
Here’s the full schedule of what to watch for today, courtesy of CBS Sports:
12:15, CBS, Buffalo:Â (6) Ohio State vs. (11) Dayton
12:40, truTV, Milwaukee:Â (2) Wisconsin vs. (15) American
1:40, TBS, Orlando:Â (8) Colorado vs. (9) Pittsburgh
2:10, TNT, Spokane:Â (5) Cincinnati vs. (12) Harvard
****
2:45, CBS, Buffalo:Â (3) Syracuse vs. (14) Western Michigan
3:10, truTV, Milwaukee:Â (7) Oregon vs. (10) BYU
4:10, TBS, Orlando:Â (1) Florida vs. (16) Albany
4:40, TNT, Spokane:Â (4) Michigan State vs. (13) Delaware
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6:55, TBS, Buffalo:Â (7) UConn vs. (10) Saint Joseph’s
7:10, CBS, Milwaukee:Â (2) Michigan vs. (15) Wofford
7:20, TNT, Orlando:Â (5) Saint Louis vs. (12) N.C. State
7:27, truTV, Spokane:Â (5) Oklahoma vs. (12) North Dakota State
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9:25, TBS, Buffalo:Â (2) Villanova vs. (15) Milwaukee
9:40, CBS, Milwaukee:Â (7) Texas vs. (10) Arizona State
9:50, TNT, Orlando:Â (4) Louisville vs. (13) Manhattan
9:57, truTV, Spokane:Â (4) San Diego State vs. (13) New Mexico State
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