NCAA Scores 2018: Tournament Results Tracker for 1st-Round Day 1 Bracket

The first round of the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament officially tipped off Thursday, with 16 games taking place across the nation.

Several top teams were set to take the floor, including No. 1 seeds Villanova and Kansas, No. 2 Duke and No. 4 Gonzaga, which lost to North Carolina in last year's national championship game.

There was no shortage of National Player of the Year candidates in action either, including Kansas' Devonte' Graham, Duke's Marvin Bagley III and Arizona's Deandre Ayton.

Here is a rundown of every first-round game Thursday, along with a look at how the bracket is shaking out.

March Madness Bracket

Rhode Island 83, Oklahoma 78

The first round of the tournament started in spectacular fashion, as the No. 7 Rhode Island Rams outlasted the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners in overtime.

Oklahoma's Trae Young led all scorers with 28 points while adding seven assists and five rebounds, but he also turned the ball over six times and took some long, ill-advised threes in overtime.

The Sooners made just four of their 20 three-point attempts while the Rams made 11 of 28 in the game's biggest difference.

Four players netted at least 13 points for Rhode Island, including E.C. Matthews, who led the team with 16 points and made two trifectas in the final two minutes of overtime.

There was some question whether Oklahoma deserved a spot in the tournament after going just 18-13, and while it pushed Rhode Island to the limit, its deficiencies and lack of depth behind Young showed up late in the game.

The Rams will move on to the second round and face Duke.

Tennessee 73, Wright State 47

The No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers used their smothering defense to dominate the 14th-seeded Wright State Raiders.

Tennessee held Wright State to 31.7 percent shooting from the field, including 18.2 percent from beyond the arc.

The Raiders didn't do themselves any favors, though, as they made just 55.6 percent of their free-throw attempts.

Tennessee wasn't exactly an offensive dynamo, but it shot 45.0 percent from the field and made 14 of its 16 free throws.

Only two Tennessee starters scored in double figures. Guard Lamonte Turner netted a game-high 19 points off the bench, which included a 9-of-10 performance from the charity stripe.

Tennessee could have a tricky matchup in the second round, as it will face No. 11 Loyola-Chicago.

Gonzaga 68, UNC Greensboro 64

The fourth-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs narrowly avoided disaster in a 68-64 victory over the No. 13 UNC Greensboro Spartans.

After carrying a nine-point lead into the second half, the Zags struggled mightily in the second half and needed some late heroics from guard Zach Norvell Jr. to advance.

After Josh Perkins tied the game at 64 for Gonzaga with 51 seconds remaining, Norvell nailed the game-winning trifecta for the Bulldogs with just 21 seconds left.

Although UNC Greensboro had a chance to tie, Marvin Smith missed a three with 12 seconds remaining, and Norvell sealed it with a free throw.

A loss would have been disastrous for Gonzaga, considering it has lost just four games all season and nearly won the national title last season.

The chances of a similar run to the final this year look somewhat tenuous after Thursday's performance, but Gonzaga will have a chance to advance to the Sweet 16 when it faces No. 5 Ohio State in the second round.

Kansas 76, Pennsylvania 60

The No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks kept the longstanding streak of a No. 16 never beating a top seed in the NCAA tournament alive Thursday with a 76-60 victory over the Pennsylvania Quakers.

Penn gave Kansas a scare early on, as the Ivy League school led by as much as 10 in the first half, but the Jayhawks simply had too much talent.

Senior guard Devonte' Graham led the way for Kansas, as he dropped a game-high 29 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Graham only shot 9-of-24 from the field, but he made eight of his nine free throws, which helped Kansas pull away in the closing minutes.

Free-throw shooting was a major contributing factor for Kansas since it shot 88.2 percent from the charity stripe, and Penn shot just 35.7 percent.

Kansas also made 41.2 percent of its three-point attempts.

With the Jayhawks playing some of their best basketball of the season, they await No. 8 Seton Hall in the second round.

Duke 89, Iona 67

The second-seeded Duke Blue Devils eased their way into the second round with an 89-67 win over the No. 15 Iona Gaels.

Duke overwhelmed Iona, as four of its five starters netted at least 16 points.

Freshman forward Marvin Bagley III led the way for the Blue Devils with a game-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds.

Duke also got great play from its backcourt with Grayson Allen contributing 16 points and nine assists and Trevon Duval registering 19 points and eight assists.

The Blue Devils dominated from the floor with a field-goal percentage of 53.7, and they were also on fire from long range, as they hit at a 43.3 percent clip.

Duval, Allen and Gary Trent Jr. all made four trifectas in the game.

The Blue Devils may be the most balanced team in the entire nation, and they will put that to the test in a second-round matchup with Rhode Island.

Loyola of Chicago 64, Miami 62

The first major upset of the day came courtesy of the No. 11 Loyola of Chicago Ramblers, who took down the No. 6 Miami Hurricanes 64-62 on a last-second three.

Miami led 62-61 in the closing seconds, but after Lonnie Walker IV missed a free throw for the Hurricanes, Loyola grabbed the rebound. Donte Ingram nailed a long trifecta with just 0.3 seconds remaining to put the Ramblers on top 64-62.

Ingram and Clayton Custer combined to make seven of the eight three-pointers that Loyola-Chicago converted, while Miami only made four.

Miami won the bulk of the statistical battles, as it made a higher percentage from the field, beyond the arc and the free-throw line. It also out-rebounded Loyola-Chicago by a 33-27 margin.

The Hurricanes didn't do enough to pull away, though, and Loyola took advantage of that by making one more key play than Miami.

Loyola has a shot to reach the Sweet 16 if it can solve the tough defense that No. 3 Tennessee brings to the table.

Ohio State 81, South Dakota State 73

After surrendering a big lead late in the game, the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes managed to regain it and beat the No. 12 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 81-73.

OSU led by 10 with 4:40 remaining, but SDSU went on a 10-0 run, with Reed Tellinghuisen tying it at 70 with 1:53 remaining.

The Buckeyes answered right back, as Kam Williams completed a four-point play after getting fouled on a three-point make.

OSU then made its free throws and staved off what was an inspired upset effort by the Jackrabbits.

Ohio State benefited from Williams, Keita Bates-Diop and C.J. Jackson all scoring at least 20 points in the game. Bates-Diop led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Mike Daum was the game's leading scorer for South Dakota State with 27 points, but the Jackrabbits shot just 38.1 percent. Ohio State shot 37.5 percent.

The Buckeyes will need to make improvements to make a deep run, but it put itself in position for an intriguing matchup with No. 4 Gonzaga in the second round.

Seton Hall 94, NC State 83

The No. 8 Seton Hall Pirates led from wire to wire in a 94-83 victory over the No. 9 North Carolina State Wolfpack.

After taking a 2-0 lead just 14 seconds into the game, the Pirates never trailed.

NC State closed the gap on a number of occasions and trailed by just three with 8:13 remaining in the game, but Seton Hall made shots down the stretch and put away its ACC opponent.

Senior guard Allerik Freeman was nearly unstoppable for NC State with a game-high 36 points; however, his four fellow starters combined for just 32 points.

Seton Hall was more balanced. Khadeen Carrington led the team with 26 points, while Desi Rodriguez added 20 off the bench and three others scored in double figures.

The Pirates got to the free-throw line an incredible 39 times, making 31, while NC State converted just 16 of its 27 tries from the stripe.

Seton Hall will need a similar performance to have a chance against No. 1 Kansas in the second round.

Villanova 87, Radford 61

Villanova, the No. 1 seed in the East Region, took its first step in its effort to win a second national championship in three years with a straightforward 87-61 victory over the 16th-seeded Radford Highlanders.

The game was never in doubt, as Villanova exploded for 44 points in the first half and never looked back. The talent difference was simply too much for Radford even though it won its First Four game against LIU Brooklyn.

The Wildcats will likely be challenged in the later rounds, but they had too much firepower for the Highlanders on Thursday.

All five Villanova starters scored in double figures, with Jalen Brunson leading the way with 16 points and four assists. Mikal Bridges added 13 points and six boards as part of the Wildcats' dynamic duo that figures to spearhead their efforts throughout the tournament.

On the other side, Radford shot a mere 33.9 percent from the field and struggled to generate open looks against Villanova's swarming defense. Donald Hicks led the team with 13 points as one of two Highlanders to score in double figures.

Kentucky 78, Davidson 73

Kentucky may be one of college basketball's most storied programs, but it found itself in a first-round battle with Davidson on Thursday before prevailing 78-73.

Davidson was down just two with less than three minutes remaining, but Kevin Knox took matters into his own hands by drilling two free throws and a mid-range jumper on consecutive possessions to create some much-needed breathing room for head coach John Calipari's side.

Knox was Kentucky's most consistent source of offense in the battle of the Wildcats, leading the way with 25 points and six rebounds behind 8-of-16 shooting from the field. He and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists) were the only Kentucky players to score more than 11 points, as the Wildcats struggled for stretches before pulling away at the end.

Davidson could have pulled off the upset had it found its stroke from three-point range with the game hanging in the balance, but it was a combined 11-of-33 from deep. That is not the formula to beat a college basketball powerhouse, as the forced three-pointers in crunch time proved costly with Knox doing work on the other end.

Jon Axel Gudmundsson was not to blame for Davidson, though, seeing how he drilled six three-pointers and finished with a team-high 21 points and five rebounds.

Texas Tech 70, Stephen F. Austin 60

It looked as if the 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks were going to pull off the biggest upset of the tournament to this point for most of Thursday's game against the third-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders, but the Big 12 representative unleashed a 26-9 run to finish a 70-60 victory.

Texas Tech locked Stephen F. Austin up on the defensive side and didn't allow a single field goal in the final five minutes of the contest. That allowed Keenan Evans to take over in crunch time, as he proved far too explosive in crunch time for the Lumberjacks.

He also added critical free throws in the closing stretch as the clear-cut go-to option for the Red Raiders.

Evans finished with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists as the only Texas Tech player to score more than 10 points in the tightly contested battle.

Stephen F. Austin managed just five made three-pointers and failed to pull away despite seizing a halftime lead and enjoying an advantage a number of times in the second half. Ivan Canete led the way for the Lumberjacks with 17 points and four steals but didn't have enough firepower at the end.

Houston 67, San Diego State 65

Take a bow, Rob Gray.

The Houston Cougars' go-to offensive option turned in a brilliant individual performance, spearheading his team to a nail-biting 67-65 victory over the San Diego State Aztecs. Gray drilled a three-pointer with 49 seconds remaining to take the lead and answered Devin Watson's three on the other end with a driving layup with one second left to win the game.

San Diego State still had a golden opportunity to win at the buzzer, but Trey Kell's three-pointer rimmed out and clinched the win for the Cougars.

Gray finished with 39 points and eight rebounds behind 12-of-25 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range. He was the only Houston player to score in double figures and nearly single-handedly led the Cougars to the victory.

Jalen McDaniels led the way for San Diego State with 18 points and nine rebounds, but nobody had an answer for Gray on the other end.

Alabama 86, Virginia Tech 83

The battle between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Virginia Tech Hokies lived up to the bill of a tightly-contested battle between a No. 8 and No. 9 seed, but the SEC representative prevailed 86-83.

Collin Sexton drilled seven free throws in the final minute with the game still hanging in the balance, creating the breathing room the Crimson Tide were looking for throughout the game. The freshman's individual talent is one reason Alabama could challenge Villanova in the next round, and it was on full display in Thursday's contest.

He finished with 25 points and six assists, spearheading Alabama's offensive attack and calmly connecting under the daunting pressure of the one-and-done tournament.

Sexton wasn't alone, though, as John Petty added 20 points off the bench and took some of the scoring load off the star's shoulders.

On the other side, Justin Robinson stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, seven assists and four steals but couldn't match Sexton throughout the contest.

Buffalo 89, Arizona 68

Most college basketball fans wouldn't have reacted with much surprise if they were told in advance the final score of the game between Arizona and Buffalo would be 89-68.

They would have been stunned, though, if they were told it was the Bulls who would come out on top.

Buffalo didn't only beat the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament champions, it destroyed them. It took a two-point lead into the locker room after a back-and-forth first half and steamrolled the Wildcats in the second half, busting plenty of brackets along the way.

It was a three-headed attack for Buffalo, as Wes Clark (25 points, seven assists and four rebounds), Jeremy Harris (23 points and seven boards) and CJ Massinburg (19 points and six rebounds) were far too much for an overmatched Arizona defense to handle.

Potential No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton was solid with a double-double of 14 points and 13 boards, but he didn't have the type of dominant impact Arizona needed to advance.

Florida 77, St. Bonaventure 62

St. Bonaventure beat a marquee program in the First Four games when it outlasted UCLA to earn a spot in the round of 64, but it ran out of steam against a fresh Florida Gators squad in a 77-62 loss.

The game was tight in the early going as the two sides traded runs in the first half, but Florida survived the Bonnies' push and took a five-point lead into intermission. It pulled away from there, extending its lead to more than 20 in the second half and settling into a rhythm with the game never truly in doubt.

Florida will now play third-seeded Texas Tech in the East Region and figures to be up to the challenge if it plays like it did in the second half Thursday.

Egor Koulechov (20 points and six rebounds) and Jalen Hudson (16 points and four boards) were the only Gators to score in double figures, but that was enough for the SEC representative against an outmatched St. Bonaventure.

The Bonnies received 14 points and six rebounds from First Four hero Courtney Stockard in defeat.

Michigan 61, Montana 47

There was some expected rust for the Michigan Wolverines after an extended break following their Big Ten tournament title, and things looked dicey for a moment Thursday when the Montana Grizzlies scored the game's first 10 points.

However, Michigan battled back in the first half to take a three-point lead into intermission and never looked back from there in a 61-47 victory to advance to the second round and a matchup with the sixth-seeded Houston Cougars in the West Region.

Big man Moritz Wagner was unusually quiet for Michigan with five points and six rebounds in the win, but Charles Matthews did more than enough to make up for it with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Montana received 15 points each from Michael Oguine and Ahmaad Rorie, but they were the only Grizzlies players to score in double figures in a lackluster offensive performance.