ST. LOUIS (AP) — Santa Clara thought it had knocked Kentucky out of the NCAA Tournament when freshman Allen Graves answered a tying basket by Wildcats star Otega Oweh with a 3-pointer in front of his own bench with 2.4 seconds left in regulation.
The problem for the Broncos: There were still 2.4 seconds left in regulation.
As coach Herb Sendek tried to call timeout, Kentucky quickly got the ball into the hands of Oweh, who raced across the midcourt line and heaved up a 3-pointer, which banked through the bucket to tie the game at 73-all. The buzzer sounded when the ball was in midair.
The kind of shot that puts the madness into March Madness didn’t exactly end Santa Clara’s postseason hopes — that didn’t come until Kentucky scored eight consecutive points in OT to pull away. But the sequence of shots in those wild last few seconds of regulation will be remembered much longer than the 89-84 final score Friday, which sent the No. 7 seed Wildcats into a matchup with No. 2 seed Iowa State or No. 15 seed Tennessee State in the Midwest Region.
“You know,” Sendek said afterward, “it was a really euphoric high followed by a tough one to swallow.”
The No. 10 seed Broncos certainly gave everything they had — everything built up over the 30 years since Steve Nash last led them to the NCAA Tournament — in trying to knock off one of college basketball’s bluebloods inside the packed Enterprise Center.
The game was tied 12 times. The lead changed hands 20 times. Santa Clara led by two at halftime as the West Coast Tournament runner-up went toe-to-toe with Kentucky, which was making its record-extending 63rd NCAA Tournament appearance.
Yet the first 59 minutes merely set the stage for the dramatic conclusion.
MIDWEST
NO. 2 IOWA ST. 108, NO. 15 TENNESSEE ST. 74
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson left in the first half of the Cyclones’ romp past Tennessee State with a left ankle injury Friday, leaving the All-American’s status for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament in doubt.
Jefferson landed awkwardly after a layup just 2 1/2 minutes into the first-round matchup in the Midwest Region. The 6-foot-9 senior had to be helped by trainers to the X-ray room, emerged about 10 minutes later using crutches, and watched the second half from the end of the Iowa State bench with his ankle in a bulky gray boot.
Nate Heise had eight of his season-high 23 points during a 23-0 run for the Cyclones (28-7), which began shortly after Jefferson was hurt and sent them breezing past the Tigers (23-10) and into a second-round matchup with seventh-seeded Kentucky on Sunday.
The Wildcats beat No. 10 seed Santa Clara 89-84 in an overtime thriller to begin the session at the Enterprise Center.
The Cyclones already were dealing with a groin injury that limited point guard Tamin Lipsey in the Big 12 Tournament. Now, their depth will be tested even more without Jefferson, who was second on the team in scoring and their leading rebounder.
NO. 3 VIRGINIA 82, NO. 14 WRIGHT ST. 73
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jacari White hit six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, and Virginia avoided yet another early NCAA Tournament exit, beating a resolute Wright State in the first round.
The Cavaliers (30-5) will face sixth-seeded Tennessee or No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio) in the second round in the Midwest Region on Sunday.
Virginia won its first NCAA Tournament game since it won the 2019 national title.
The Cavaliers lost in the first round or the First Four in 2021, 2023 and 2024, and title-winning coach Tony Bennett abruptly retired before last season. Ryan Odom took over this season and quickly turned the program around.
Odom knows all about Virginia upsets in the tournament. He coached UMBC in 2018 when it was the first No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 — yes, Virginia.
Wright State (24-11), a No. 14 seed, was an 18 1/2-point underdog according to BetMGM Sportsbook but never looked out of step as it tried to pull off the shocker.
Michael Imariagbe scored 19 points and kept hope alive for that rare 14 seed win — there have been none in the tournament since 2024 — with a late 3 that pulled the Raiders within 78-73. White responded with a bucket that finally put to rest any thought of an early ride back home for the Cavaliers.
NO. 4 ALABAMA 90, NO. 13 HOFSTRA 70
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Labaron Philon Jr. scored 29 points and Alabama rallied from an early double-digit deficit to beat Hofstra in a first-round game in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament.
The Crimson Tide (24-9) advanced to a second-round matchup against fifth-seeded Texas Tech (23-10), a 20-point winner over 12th-seeded Akron in the earlier first-round game at Benchmark International Arena.
Alabama ended the opening half on a 19-7 run to wipe out a 10-point deficit, then built its own lead to 13 before Hofstra (24-11) mounted one last push for a possible upset.
Freshman Preston Edmead had 24 points for the Pride, and his basket pulled the Pride within 67-62 with just over seven minutes remaining. Victory Onuetu’s dunk trimmed Alabama’s lead to 69-64 and ignited much of a crowd of 17,769 that threw its support behind the underdogs.
Philon was simply too much down the stretch, though, delivering a layup and a long 3-pointer during a surge that enabled Alabama to rebuild the lead to double digits. Taylor Bol Bowen put an exclamation point on the Crimson Tide response with two dunks and a 3-pointer as the lead ballooned to 20.
NO. 5 TEXAS TECH 91, NO. 12 AKRON 71
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jaylen Petty scored 24 points, Christian Anderson added 18 and Texas Tech beat Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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The Red Raiders (23-10) 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.
Akron (29-6) became first team to win the Mid-American Conference Tournament three straight years. But the Zips again failed to reach the second round in their eighth March Madness appearance.
Petty and Atwell opened the second half with consecutive 3-pointers to give Texas Tech an 11-point lead.
Akron got within 64-60 midway through second after Eric Mahaffey scored on a layup and made a free throw to complete a 3-point play. But the Zips couldn’t get any closer.
NO. 6 TENNESSEE 78, NO.11 MIAMI (OHIO) 56
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ja’Kobi Gillespie hit six 3-pointers and scored 29 points as Tennessee ended a fabulous season for Miami (Ohio) with a win.
The Vols (23-11) shook off a rough end to the season — losing four of six games — and advanced to play third-seeded Virginia on Sunday in the Midwest Region.
Gillespie hit five 3s in the first half to help the Vols push ahead by 20 and squash any chance the 11th-seeded RedHawks (31-2) could carry over the confidence gained from their First Four win and pull off a signature victory.
The Vols did just about everything right and showed again why — no matter the seed — they are a perennial threat to go deep in March. Led by Gillespie, the Vols made 12 of 19 shots to start the game, including long 3s and 20 quick points in the paint.
Just to add one more gut punch to Miami, Ethan Burg hit a 3 at the first-half buzzer for a 51-32 lead.
Gillespie passed up a chance to score 30 points — only two other Vols have ever reached that mark in the NCAA Tournament — when he drove the lane with 1:13 left but skipped the open look and threw a lob to Felix Okpara for the bucket.
J.P. Estrella had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Vols.
Peter Suder was the lone Miami player in double digits with 27 points.
WEST REGION
No. 1 ARIZONA 92, NO. 16 LIU POST 58
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Brayden Burries hit four 3-pointers while scoring 18 points, Koa Peat added 15 points and top-seeded Arizona opened its NCAA Tournament run with a over Long Island on Friday.
Ivan Kharchenkov had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion Wildcats (33-2), who quickly showed why they’re the tournament’s second overall seed behind Duke.
Pushing the pace on offense and stifling the Sharks with defense, Arizona went up by double digits in the opening minutes and led the Sharks by 27 in the first half while delighting the thousands of fans who filled Viejas Arena with red.
Arizona will return Sunday to face the winner of Villanova’s meeting with Utah State in the West Region bracket.
NO. 9 UTAH STATE 86, NO.8 VILLANOVA 76
SAN DIEGO (AP) — MJ Collins’ steal and emphatic one-handed slam dunk with 1:13 left gave him 20 points and Utah State opened its fourth straight NCAA Tournament by beating Villanova.
Mason Falslev, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, scored 22 and helped bring the Aggies back from a 10-point deficit early in the second half.
Utah State (29-6), the No. 9 seed in the West Region, will play No. 1 seed Arizona in the second round on Sunday. The Wildcats beat No. 16 Long Island 92-58 on Friday.
Collins converted a three-point play with 2:53 left to give the Aggies a 78-73 lead. After No. 8 seed Villanova (24-9) committed a five-second inbound violation, Falslev fed Collins for a layup and an 80-73 lead. Collins intercepted a pass by Bryce Lindsay and went in for his slam for an 84-74 lead.
Lindsay made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points for Villanova. Duke Brennan and Tyler Perkins added 15 points apiece.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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