NCAA Tournament roundup: Favored No. 12 seed Colorado St. beats short-handed Memphis

Kyan Evans made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 23 points to lead No. 12 seed Colorado State past fifth-seeded Memphis, 78-70, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Nique Clifford, the Mountain West Tournament MVP, had his quietest scoring night in a month, finishing with 14 points, eight on free throws. He added eight rebounds and six assists for the Rams (26-9), who extended their winning streak to 11 games and advanced to face Maryland in the second round of the West Region on Sunday.

This 12-over-5 result was no shocker, with Colorado State a 21/2-point favorite according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Coach Penny Hardaway’s Tigers (29-7) were not at full strength, with veteran guard and third-leading scorer Tyrese Hunter sidelined by a left foot injury.

Maryland 81 , Grand Canyon 49 — Julian Reese had 18 points and nine rebounds, and fourth-seeded Maryland pounded No. 13 seed Grand Canyon.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 16 points for the Terrapins (26-8). Derik Queen, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, finished with 12 points and 15 boards, becoming the first Maryland freshman with a double-double in the tournament since Jalen Smith in 2019.

Tyon Grant-Foster led Grand Canyon (26-8) with 23 points.

Florida 95, Norfolk State 69 — First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points, and Florida ensured all four No. 1 seeds made it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament unscathed.

Alijah Martin added 17 points for the SEC champions, who built a 32-point lead in the first half en route to their seventh straight win. The Gators (31-4) next face two-time defending national champion UConn or ninth-seeded Oklahoma.

East Region

Baylor 75, Mississippi State 72 — Robert Wright scored 19 points, V.J. Edgecombe added 16 and No. 9 Baylor squeaked past No. 8 Mississippi State. Langston Love added 15 points, and Norchad Omier had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Bears (20-14), who led by 11 points in the second half but had to hold off the Bulldogs in the final seconds — and even tenths of seconds. Baylor meets Duke on Sunday.

Duke 93, Mount St. Mary’s 49 — Tyrese Proctor had 19 points, and freshman star Cooper Flagg returned from an ankle injury as No. 1 seed Duke beat Mount St. Mary’s.

Flagg had 14 points and seven boards for the Blue Devils (32-3), the East bracket headliner opening a push for a sixth national title roughly a half-hour’s drive from its Durham campus. Duke jumped to a 13-2 lead in a dominant first half marked by clean execution on the way to a big lead.

Saint Mary’s 59, Vanderbilt 56 — Saint Mary’s guard Jordan Ross keyed a second-half rally while star Augustas Marciulionis dealt with foul trouble, and the seventh-seeded Gaels (29-5) fended off 10th-seeded Vanderbilt.

Ross finished with 15 points. Marciulionis added 14 points and eight rebounds for Saint Mary’s, which faces No. 2 seed Alabama on Sunday.

Arizona 93, Akron 65 — Jaden Bradley, Trey Townsend and Caleb Love hit 3-pointers within the first two minutes, and No. 4 seed Arizona rolled. Bradley finished with 19 points, Townsend had 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Carter Bryant scored 12 and Love and KJ Lewis each had 10 for the Wildcats (23-12), who will face either Oregon or Liberty on Sunday.

South Region

Iowa State 82, Lipscomb 55 — Milan Momcilovic scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half, and third-seeded Iowa State routed Lipscomb. Curtis Jones had 17 points as Iowa State bounced back nicely after dropping four of seven going into the tourney. Joshua Jefferson finished with 10 points and eight assists. Next up for the Cyclones (25-9) is Mississippi.

Mississippi 71, North Carolina 64 — Sean Pedulla made a critical 3-pointer with 52.8 seconds left, and sixth-seeded Mississippi topped 11th-seeded North Carolina after the Rebels squandered most of a 22-point lead in the second half.

RJ Davis scored 15, and Ven-Allen Lubin had 14 for North Carolina.

New Mexico 75, Marquette 66 — Donovan Dent scored 21 points, and No. 10 seed New Mexico took control late in the second half to defeat seventh-seeded Marquette. Richard Pitino joined his father in the second round after New Mexico (27-7) snapped a four-game NCAA Tournament losing streak and won its first game since 2012. Nelly Junior Joseph added 19 points for New Mexico, which will play second-seeded Michigan State or 15 seed Bryant on Sunday.

Midwest Region

Kentucky 76, Troy 57 — Otega Oweh scored 20 points, Andrew Carr had 13 and third-seeded Kentucky advanced. Next up for the Wildcats (23-11) is the winner of Illinois-Xavier.