The unofficial beginning of the NCAA tournament was Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio, and the opening game of March Madness did not disappoint.
In a clash of No. 16 seeds, Alabama State beat St. Francis on what was essentially a Hail Mary. Amarr Knox came down with a full-court pass after it was tipped and quickly scored the game-winner with one second left for a 70-68 win by the Hornets.
“I think I’ve talked about this with all of the media, that all of our games end just like this,” Alabama State coach Tony Madlock said, according to AL.com. “Either we have to get a bucket or we have to get a stop. … You’re talking about survive and advance.”
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It was a thrilling end to a back-and-forth contest between the two small conference teams and got the NCAA tournament off to a dramatic start.
The same cannot be said for the nightcap between No. 11 seeds North Carolina and San Diego State. The Tar Heels demolished the Aztecs, 95-68, in a game that was over by halftime.
The Tar Heels were much maligned on Selection Sunday after getting the final bid of the tournament despite a lackluster résumé that included a 1-12 record vs. Quad 1 — the worst for any at-large NCAA tournament team in the NET era. But they left no question as to which team was more deserving in the round of 64 in their blowout win over the Aztecs.
The First Four will resume on Wednesday with No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s vs. No. 16 American and No. 11 Xavier vs. No. 11 Texas.
First Four results, remaining schedule
Tuesday, March 18 (First Four)
No. 16 Alabama State 70, No. 16 St. Francis 68
No. 11 North Carolina 95, No. 11 San Diego State 68
Wednesday, March 19 (First Four)
6:40 p.m. ET: No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s vs. No. 16 American (TruTV)
9:10 p.m. ET: No. 11 Xavier vs. No. 11 Texas (TruTV)
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