Men's NCAA Tournament 2023: Friday's 1st-Round Winners and Losers
The first round of the 2023 NCAA men's tournament continued Friday, and we had yet another great day of action. It started with No. 7 Michigan State advancing past No. 10 USC, while No. 3 Xavier survived a scare against No. 14 Kennesaw State.
Later, No. 6 Creighton got past NC State 72-63, No. 11 Pittsburgh took advantage of a putrid Iowa State offense to win 59-41, and No. 5 Saint Mary's took care of No. 12 VCU 63-51.
The biggest shock of the day came in the evening, as No. 1 Purdue went down to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson. The upset marked just the second time in men's NCAA tournament history that a No. 16 seed beat a No. 1 seed.
The last slate of Round 1 games was filled with plenty of excitement, finishing off with No. 9 FAU and No. 8 Memphis going down to the wire and No. 6 TCU storming back to beat No. 11 Arizona State on a jumper in the last three seconds of the game.
Let's break down the winners and losers from Friday's first-round games.
Winner: History of No. 16 Seeds
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Now it feels like March!
Friday delivered one of the biggest upsets thus far in the tournament, as No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson took down No. 1 Purdue in the second round.
The game was an absolute thriller, and it came down to the final moments. With 29 seconds left, FDU led 61-58. A possession review that was initially called the Knights' ball was overturned, giving Boilermakers time to put FDU away.
Purdue had a couple of chances to respond with a score. But Braden Smith missed a layup with 12 seconds left, and Fletcher Loyer missed a three-point jumper that gave FDU the ball back with seven seconds on the clock. Purdue was forced to foul, and Demetre Roberts made both his free throws to seal the upset victory 63-58.
It marked just the second time in men's tournament history that a No. 16 seed took down a No. 1 seed. The last team to do so was UMBC, which took down Virginia during 2018's tournament.
What a moment for this FDU squad, which made it into the tournament after beating Texas Southern in a No. 16-seed play-in game in the First Four.
The wildest part? Merrimack College actually won the Northeast Conference title game over FDU 67-66. But the Warriors were ineligible for the tournament due to the NCAA's four-year reclassification process to Division I.
Circumstances be damned, FDU is proving that it has every right to be in this tournament. Next up for the Knights will be No. 9 FAU, which is coming off of its first-ever NCAA tourney win.
Loser: Kennesaw State's Upset Bid in 1st-Ever Tournament Appearance
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Friday's early action included an entertaining game between 15th-seeded Kennesaw State and third-seeded Xavier in Greensboro, North Carolina.
It looked like the Musketeers might be the next high seed to fall after No. 4 Virginia lost to No. 13 Furman and No. 2 Arizona was upset by No. 15 Princeton on Thursday. At halftime, the Owls led 43-36.
KSU, which was appearing in its first-ever NCAA tournament, didn't let up in the second half, and it led by 13 with just under 10 minutes to go. But Xavier's offense came alive late, while the Owls went cold. The Musketeers went on a 13-0 run, tying it at 61 off a Souley Boum jumper with 5:32 left.
With 18 seconds remaining, Xavier took a 68-67 lead on a free throw by guard Colby Jones after Owls star guard Chris Youngblood committed his fifth and final foul. On Kennesaw State's ensuing possession, Terrell Burden drove for what looked like the game-winning shot, but Jack Nunge came up with a huge block:
Boum nabbed the defensive rebound, forcing Kennesaw State to foul. The Owls had a chance to tie it with two seconds left, but Spencer Rodgers stepped out while catching the inbound pass. After KSU fouled again, Boum made two game-clinching free throws to give the Musketeers a 72-67 victory.
Credit to Kennesaw State on a great game, but it fell just short of its attempt at playing Cinderella.
Winner: Tom Izzo's History of March Dominance
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It might not be wise to pick against Michigan State in March as long as Tom Izzo is still in East Lansing. Izzo won the 54th tournament game of his career Friday against No. 10 USC.
The game was tied at halftime, but Michigan State pulled away in the second half thanks largely to its defense. The Trojans shot just 34.4 percent from the field after the break.
"We all gotta look in the mirror and say, 'are we doing the things that we need to do to really compete at this level and compete during this time of year?'" Izzo said after the game. "And it was rewarding to hear the guys at halftime talking about [how] we've got to get back our defense."
USC tried to make things interesting late. Kobe Johnson made two three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to pull USC within nine points with 3:28 left. But Sparty's defense shut down USC from there, which was fortunate for an MSU team that missed seven straight free throws in the latter half of the frame.
After the 72-62 victory, Michigan State has a chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the 2019 tournament, when Izzo led his team to the Final Four. To do so, Michigan State will first have to get past head coach Shaka Smart and his No. 2-seeded Marquette team, which took care of No. 15 Vermont on Friday.
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Loser: Iowa State Offense
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Things did not go well for Iowa State on Friday, especially on offense. The Cyclones averaged just 68.4 points per game but were shut down by Pitt, 59-41.
It was an excruciating offensive effort, as Iowa State shot 23.3 percent. It marked the worst performance since Cal Poly shot 20.7 percent against Wichita State in 2014, per Fox Sports' Bryan Fischer.
The Cyclones trailed 20-2 with 10:25 left in the first half. Though they responded well and made it a 28-23 game with 41 seconds to go, the Panthers went to the locker room with a 30-23 lead.
The life Iowa State showed did not continue in the second half. The Cyclones scored just 18 points, and Pitt earned a convincing victory. It's not like the Panthers are known for defense, either—they ranked 178th in points allowed per game (70.1).
ISU guards Jaren Holmes and Gabe Kalscheur finished with 12 points each. Tre King added 11. When you shoot 23.3 percent, those totals aren't nearly enough to win.
Strangely enough, it seems Iowa State had concerns with its basket. During pregame warmups, the Cyclones asked that the basket be checked to make sure it was level. Officials "made a minor adjustment" before the game, per the NCAA.
It looked like officials checked the rim again ahead of Kentucky-Providence—the next game in Greensboro.
It's likely the basket isn't to blame for Iowa State's poor shooting. But it is worth monitoring as games continue in Greensboro.
Winner: No. 11 Pitt Is Still Dancing
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Don't look now, but the Pitt Panthers might just be on a run. After getting bounced by the Duke Blue Devils in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament, the Panthers have made the most of their time in the Big Dance.
Pitt was awarded a play-in spot as a No. 11 seed, facing Mississippi State in the First Four in Dayton on Tuesday. The Panthers won 60-59 to draw No. 6 Iowa State as their opponent in the first round.
Not only did Pitt show it belonged in the tournament Friday, it also dominated the Cyclones. We already touched on its dominant defense.
The impressive effort was aided by twin brothers and freshmen Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham. Guillermo finished with nine points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Jorge came off the bench to add five rebounds in 10 minutes.
The Diaz Grahams, born in the Canary Islands, were the first Spanish signees in Pitt basketball history. They attended IMG Academy in Florida after the COVID-19 pandemic limited their prospects and could have played at different programs, per Will Hentschel of WAER:
"Jorge received offers from Iona and Maryland, while Guillermo could have gone to Georgia Tech or George Washington. The Diaz Grahams also earned joint offers from Eastern Michigan, Bradley and Pitt, and they decided it would be best to stick together through the college years.
"At first, we said we didn't care if we went separate or together, but lately we realized that together we were better not only on the court but off the court too," Jorge said. "Because being far from home is hard, but by having your brother, your twin brother, with you makes it 10 times easier."
This is one incredibly cool journey, and their Pitt careers look like they are just taking off.
The Panthers will face No. 3 Xavier on Sunday. It should be an interesting game for Musketeers head coach Sean Miller, who played for Pitt from 1987-92. Miller helped lead the Panthers to the Big East regular-season title in 1987-88 as the conference's Freshman of the Year. He is still one of the top 20 scorers in program history with 1,282 points.
Winner: Kentucky's Tournament 'Drought' Comes to an End
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Kentucky fans can breathe a little bit easier, as the Wildcats got a win. For the first time since 2019, the Wildcats advanced out of the first round of the Big Dance, taking care of No. 11 Providence on Friday 61-53.
It wasn't the prettiest of victories for the Wildcats, who shot 36.5 percent from the floor. But Antonio Reeves' 22 points paired with Oscar Tshiebwe's 25 rebounds were enough to help overpower the Friars.
It was a good win for head coach John Calipari's squad and an even better way to move on from the shocking tournament loss last season. In the first round of the 2022 tournament, Kentucky, which entered as a No. 2 seed, was upset 85-79 by No. 15 Saint Peter's.
"Let me say this—every coach in this tournament has butterflies," Calipari said Thursday after being asked about this year's squad seeming at ease heading into tournament play. "Whether they lost last year or they won the whole tournament or they're in the Final Four, they have butterflies. Their teams have butterflies.
"That's part of what this is. I want this team to fully experience the NCAA tournament. Not deal with, well, what if and they're saying this and that. No. My job is to shield them from all that stuff and make sure this is an experience that you go through that you're fortunate to be in this and really enjoy the experience. Don't listen to all the outside voices and—it doesn't matter."
Kentucky will be looking to advance the furthest it has since 2019, when it reached the Elite Eight. Next up for the Wildcats will be No. 3 Kansas State on Sunday.
Loser: A Perfect Bracket Making It to the 2nd Round
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It has been a wild and fun first two days of the tournament. Naturally, there have been upsets that busted a lot of folks' brackets.
What's remarkable, though, is that on just the second day of the tournament, there were zero perfect brackets remaining.
There were a lot of brackets that were ruined day one following Princeton's win over Arizona, Penn State's victory over Texas A&M and Furman's defeat of Virginia. Still, as day two got going, there were a number of unscathed brackets left.
As of late Friday afternoon ET, both ESPN and the NCAA had at least 179 perfect brackets left. Yahoo Sports had just four. But after No. 1 Purdue fell to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson, there were zero:
Sure, everyone wants to boast about how well their bracket is doing. But as fun as March Madness has been these last two days, the rest of the tournament could at least be less stressful if you have nothing riding on the outcome, even if that thing is just bragging rights.
Think of it this way: With a busted bracket, you are free to enjoy the madness regardless of the outcomes. Enjoy!
Winner: March Madness Darlings
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Florida Atlantic will play Fairleigh Dickinson in the round of 32 on Sunday, just like we all expected, right?
Just when it seemed like the madness of March was winding down Friday night, Florida Atlantic kept it going. The Owls, playing in their second NCAA tournament and first since 2002, had a tough matchup, against AAC tournament champion Memphis in Columbus, Ohio.
The Tigers had a four-point lead at halftime, but FAU came up big in the final seconds to pull off a thrilling win.
With 34 seconds left, Memphis took a 65-64 lead on a tip-in by DeAndre Williams. Following a miss by Florida Atlantic and a foul on Vladislav Goldin, the Tigers in-bounded the ball with 15 seconds left. But Kendric Davis' pass was intercepted by Brandon Weatherspoon near midcourt, and the Owls' Johnell Davis ended up with the ball. He got tripped up near the free-throw line, and Memphis' Jayden Hardaway pounced on the ball. As the Tigers signaled for a timeout, the officials called for a jump ball. And the possession arrow gave Florida Atlantic the ball with five seconds left.
Owls head coach Dusty May called timeout to draw up one last play, and Nick Boyd drove in for a layup to give his team a 66-65 lead. Memphis ran out of time on the final possession, giving FAU its first tournament victory:
The Owls have quite the favorable matchup in the next round. Instead of facing No. 1 seed Purdue, they will play No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson.
The East Region still has Duke, Marquette and Kansas State, but this is a great scenario for Florida Atlantic.
We'll see how far the Owls, who have won eight straight, can go. FAU hasn't lost since Feb. 16 and won the Conference USA tournament after going 18-2 in league play. Enjoy this, Owls fans!
Loser: Every Team in the Pac-12 But UCLA
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It's been a rough tournament so far for the Pac-12. The conference had four teams earn bids: No. 2 UCLA, No. 2 Arizona, No. 10 USC and No. 11 Arizona State, which defeated Nevada in the First Four to make it in.
But after Thursday and Friday, there is just one team from the conference remaining. Arizona fell to No. 15 Princeton on Thursday, delivering the first blow to the conference.
On Friday, USC lost to No. 7 Michigan State, and Arizona State lost to No. 6 TCU. The Sun Devils actually led the Horned Frogs 44-37 at halftime and were up by 11 with 16 minutes left in the second half.
But TCU stormed back, and the game came down to the wire. Tied at 70 with 13 seconds left, the Horned Frogs had the ball coming out of a timeout, and JaKobe Coles nailed a jump shot with three seconds left to put the game away:
The loss by ASU left UCLA as the Pac-12's only hope to win it all for the first time since Arizona in 1997. The Bruins beat No. 15 UNC-Asheville handily on Thursday, and they look like one of the most complete teams in the tournament.
They have lost just five games all season long, with those defeats all coming to tournament teams (Arizona twice, USC, Illinois and Baylor). Guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. is the team's leading scorer and rebounder with 17.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He's complemented by guards Tyger Campbell and Jaylen Clark, who both average at least 13 points per game.
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