1 takeaway from each of Friday's NCAA tourney games

theScore runs down the top storylines and developments from the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64 and what it all could mean moving forward.

James Madison pulls off Big Ten sweep

James Madison began the season by stunning a ranked Michigan State team on the road. And on Friday, the Dukes kept their season rolling in the NCAA Tournament by taking down a ranked, five-seeded Wisconsin squad 72-61. James Madison put the pressure on the Badgers all night, forcing 19 turnovers and winning the points battle off those mistakes 27-10. Despite playing in a typically physical Big Ten conference, Wisconsin couldn’t handle the game’s physicality.

It was a brutal end to the Badgers’ roller-coaster campaign, which included two lengthy winning streaks, a stretch with eight losses in 11 contests, and a run to the Big Ten title game. That lack of consistency was emblematic of Friday’s contest. Wisconsin scored just 20 points in the first half before putting up 41 in the second frame, though it was too late. However, credit goes to the Dukes for taking care of business. James Madison has a date against Duke on the horizon.

Grand Canyon rides ‘home’ crowd to 1st tourney win

Grand Canyon might be over 1,300 miles from Spokane, but it sure felt like a Lopes’ home game Friday in Washington. Bryce Drew’s program rode the massive wave of support to upset No. 5 Saint Mary’s and notch its first-ever NCAA Tournament win. Grand Canyon’s fan base certainly traveled well, but the biggest reason for the home atmosphere is because Spokane is the home of Gonzaga – Saint Mary’s hated rival in the WCC. The neutral fan was anything but in helping ensure the victory.

Grand Canyon played its part to perfection, grabbing an early lead and keeping the crowd on edge with high-flying baskets and a whopping nine blocks. The Lopes will likely again benefit from a friendly crowd Sunday when they take on No. 4 Alabama as a significant underdog.

Langborg made for March

Nothing is certain in life except death, taxes, and Ryan Langborg showing up for March Madness. Last year, the sharpshooting guard averaged 12 points per game for Princeton before erupting for 22 against Missouri and 26 versus Creighton during the Tigers’ run to the Sweet 16. After transferring to Northwestern in the offseason, Langborg again posted 12 points per contest on the campaign but torched No. 8 FAU for 27 points in Friday’s upset win.

Langborg saved his best work for the clutch, erupting for 12 points in overtime to seal the victory. The 6-foot-4 guard recorded a career high when he put up 26 points in last year’s tourney, only to break it Friday with another incredible performance. The outing earned plenty of praise from head coach Chris Collins after the game.

“Something about that kid,” Collins said on the broadcast. “You get to the Dance, and he’s ready to go.”

Yale knocks off tourney sleeper Auburn

It became a common trend for savvy bracket-fillers to take No. 4 Auburn deep in the tournament. After all, the Tigers seemed like they had a chance to make noise after sitting in the top five nationally in many analytic rankings entering the Big Dance. Leading by 10 with under eight minutes to play, a first-round win seemed inevitable. And then, out of nowhere, Yale allowed just eight points down the stretch to stun its SEC opponent.

The Bulldogs needed more than just defense to pull off the upset. John Poulakidis’ red-hot shooting put the pressure on and led to Auburn’s late-game cold streak, with the lefty sniper going 10-of-15 from the field and 6-of-9 from three. While the display wasn’t quite at the caliber of Oakland’s Jack Gohlke the night prior, Poulakidis’ timely makes clearly shook the Tigers’ confidence as it did their conference counterparts in Kentucky. If the Bulldogs can get past No. 5 San Diego State in the Round of 32, they’ll likely take on in-state big brother UConn in the Sweet 16.

Colorado-Florida offensive explosion

Gohlke might be the early star of the NCAA Tournament, but Colorado and Florida put on the most thrilling game so far on Friday. KJ Simpson canned a buzzer-beating jumper to make it 45-45 at half before providing a perfect encore with the game-winner as time expired in the second. The offensive explosion from both teams was a welcome sight in a tournament that has seen several squads struggle mightily. The 102-100 final was impressive enough, but the shooting that got the squads to those totals was historic.

It’s the first contest in 20 years in which both teams hit 100 points in regulation. Outside of a five-second inbound violation, the Buffaloes went on a run in the second half that saw them score points on 17 straight possessions. The performance also marked the first time since 1955 that five Colorado players scored at least 10 points in an NCAA Tournament contest.

Duke clamps down in 2nd half

Duke’s stingy defensive effort versus Vermont turned a five-point game at halftime into a relatively comfortable first-round victory. The Blue Devils held the Catamounts to just 18 points on 28% shooting – including a 2-of-12 clip from deep – over the final 20 minutes. Vermont missed its last seven field goal attempts and nine of its last 10. The squad managed just three points in the last 7:26 as Duke slowly put a two-possession game out of reach.

Only three Catamount players tallied points in the second half. Outside of Shamir Bogues, only Aaron Deloney scored from the field in the last 20. The Blue Devils also held Catamounts leading scorer and All-America East third-team selection TJ Long to three points on 1-of-8 shooting in 36 minutes.

Edey ensures Purdue avoids 2nd historic upset

After some first-half scares, Purdue finally got past the seemingly easy roadblock it failed to surpass last year. The top-seeded Boilermakers downed No. 16 Grambling State 78-50 one year after infamously dropping their contest against Fairleigh Dickinson. Purdue won the second frame 42-23, removing the possibility of any comeback from the Tigers.

Reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey was the driving force in the win, putting up the NCAA Tournament’s first 30-point, 20-rebound double-double since 1995. Before getting subbed out with nearly five minutes remaining, Edey out-rebounded the entire Grambling State team. Weeks after announcing he wouldn’t return for his super senior season, Edey looked like a player aiming to make the most of the final year of a legendary college career.

Texas A&M annihilates porous Nebraska D

No. 9 Texas A&M came into Friday night’s game against 8-seeded Nebraska as the nation’s 352nd-ranked 3-point shooting team. It’s safe to say that ranking will rise after going 13-of-23 from beyond the arc in an easy 98-83 victory. The Aggies’ offense won every facet of the game, edging the Cornhuskers in second-chance points, points in the paint, bench scoring, and points off turnovers. Nebraska was the betting favorite, but Texas A&M looked like an overwhelmingly better team.

Though it’s easy to credit the Aggies’ offense, some fingers must be pointed at Nebraska’s defense. The Cornhuskers’ guards were repeatedly blown by off the bounce throughout the contest, providing little resistance. Texas A&M’s starting backcourt of Wade Taylor IV, Tyrece Radford, and Manny Obaseki combined for 67 points on 24 made field goals. Though Nebraska sharpshooter Keisei Tominaga is widely renowned for his offense, his lack of defensive ability led to his game-worst -18 plus/minus.

Bama flexes offensive muscle, helps SEC’s reputation

Perhaps no March Madness team leans into its identity more than Alabama. KenPom ranks the Crimson Tide defense as the worst of all the major conference teams in the Field of 68. However, Alabama offsets that with the third-most explosive offense in the field – which was on full display in Friday’s blowout win over Charleston. Nate Oats’ program ran early and often, shooting a sizzling 56% from deep and hanging 109 points on the opposition. That’s the most by a team in the NCAA Tournament this year.

The Alabama win doubled as a very important one for the SEC – the conference has been beaten down thus far in the tournament. Both No. 3 Kentucky and No. 4 Auburn fell in huge opening-round upsets, while No. 6 South Carolina, No. 7 Florida, and No. 8 Mississippi State also lost to teams seeded below them.

Colgate missed the Baylor report

The formula for challenging Baylor begins with running the Bears off the 3-point line. The Big 12 program connects at a 38% clip from beyond the arc to rank eighth in the nation on the season. That stat apparently didn’t make it across the desk of the Colgate coaching staff because Baylor fired early and often from range Friday.

The Bears canned five triples in the opening 10 minutes to build a 14-point lead. Things escalated from there, with Baylor shooting an outrageous 16-for-30 from deep in a 25-point victory. The Bears’ hot shooting could continue in the next round. Their next opponent, Clemson, ranks 207th nationally in 3-point defense this season.

LeDee wills San Diego State to win

In what has become a constant trend for the 2023-24 San Diego State Aztecs, superstar big man Jaedon LeDee was the predominant reason they won. The third-team All-American scored 32 of San Diego State’s points in a tight 69-65 win over No. 12 UAB, adding eight rebounds to his tally. When the Aztecs’ offense failed down the stretch, LeDee constantly saved them. He was responsible for three of San Diego State’s last four field goals and four of its final five free throws.

UAB couldn’t deal with LeDee’s physicality, and two of its three forwards fouled out. If the Aztecs want to advance in the grueling East Region, they’ll need more from their complementary players. Outside of LeDee and last year’s tournament hero Lamont Butler, no San Diego State player had more than six points Friday.

Jones helps Marquette avoid scare

With Marquette down seven points at the half to Western Kentucky, the Golden Eagles got a much-needed spark from Kam Jones. The junior guard scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the second half, including a 4-of-7 shooting performance from downtown. Each time the Hilltoppers threatened, Jones seemed to answer with a big shot.

When Western Kentucky cut Marquette’s lead to four with 9:06 remaining, Jones rattled off eight points in just over a minute, capped by a pair of threes on back-to-back possessions. His scoring spurt effectively ended any hopes of a Hilltoppers upset and reinforced the strength of the Golden Eagles’ offense when Jones and Tyler Kolek are clicking.

UConn starts title defense strong

UConn began its national title defense with a comfortable 39-point win over Stetson. The Huskies certainly had the look of a school that entered Friday’s matchup ranked in Kenpom’s top 15 for both offensive and defensive efficiency. Dan Hurley’s squad started slowly in each of its last five contests, but that wasn’t the case in the NCAA Tournament opener as UConn jumped to a 16-2 lead within the first seven minutes. The Huskies’ 33-point halftime advantage is the second largest in the Big Dance in the last 20 years, per ESPN Stats & Info.

UConn had no problems getting whatever it wanted offensively, with all five starters registering double digits in scoring. Sophomore center Donovan Clingan posted a team-high 19 points, converting multiple lobs as he led a dominant interior attack that tallied 56 points in the paint. Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer also added three triples apiece. On the opposite end, Clingan’s presence around the rim, combined with the Huskies’ on-ball pressure, made it difficult for the Hatters to get into a flow. Stetson star Jalen Blackmon, coming off a 43-point outburst in the A-Sun championship game, shot just 4-of-17 and committed four turnovers Friday.

New Mexico’s guards fall flat

No. 11 New Mexico was a popular upset pick in brackets following a surprising run through the Mountain West tournament. The Lobos’ electric backcourt duo of Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. led them through last week’s victories. However, the pair fell short in Friday’s 77-56 blowout loss to 6-seeded Clemson.

House and Mashburn combined for 18 points on 5-of-25 shooting and made only two 3-pointers on 14 attempts. New Mexico’s entire team struggled offensively, hitting 30% of its field goals and 13% of its threes. The Tigers should be credited with stepping up defensively after a cold streak to end ACC play, but much of the Lobos’ problem was just plainly missing shots.

Houston leaves no doubt in big win

Houston returned to its dominant ways after an embarrassing loss in the Big 12 final. The No. 1 Cougars ripped off a 10-0 run to start Friday’s game against 16-seeded Longwood and never looked back en route to an 86-46 whooping.

No Houston starter played 30 minutes in the contest, which is key for a roster with just nine scholarship players. There isn’t a team in the field that can knock the Cougars out when they hit threes like the 11-for-23 mark they posted Friday. Texas A&M, another red-hot squad, will look to test that theory Sunday.

Utah State flipped the script

For most of Friday’s first half, it looked like TCU was in control of its opening-round matchup with Utah State. The Aggies entered without a tourney win since 2001, and Jamie Dixon claimed one in each of the last two tournaments for the Horned Frogs. However, it was absolute domination for Utah State once the Mountain West program grabbed a 37-35 lead late in the opening half. The Aggies outscored their opponent by a whopping 51-37 margin over the final 23:30 of the game to advance to the next round with an 88-72 win.

The contest was the sixth this season in which Utah State hit the 88-point mark. It was also the first time TCU allowed that many in regulation since Jan. 5, 2021. Center Isaac Johnson poured in a career-high 19 points in the win but now faces the toughest task of his career in the next round – guarding Purdue’s All-American star Zach Edey.