John Fanta's 2023 March Madness reaction: Recap of the action on wild Day 1

By John Fanta
Updated Mar 17, 2023 10:06 am ET

It's one of the best days in the sports — the opening of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament — and I'll be here to follow every single game with live analysis, videos and more.

But first, make sure you check out a few key items: our NCAA Tournament bracket, NCAA Tournament schedule, 50 reasons to be excited for March Madness and top plays of the first round.

Let's get to it.

15. Princeton 59, 2. Arizona 55

Exclusive: Interview with Princeton star: Tosan Evbuomwan

"We never give up, we never count ourselves out," said Evbuomwan in an exclusive interview after the Tigers' stunning upset.

In addition to discussing how the Tigers held Arizona scoreless in the final four minutes of the game, Evbuoman also talked about his unusual origin story, as the 22-year-old from England didn't start playing basketball until he was "about 14."

Check out the full interview here:

Breakdown of Princeton's victory:

In 1996, Mitch Henderson was one of Pete Carril’s starters as the 13th-seeded Princeton Tigers knocked off defending national champion and 4th-seeded UCLA in the Hall of Famer’s final season. 

On Thursday afternoon in Sacramento, Henderson was on the sidelines coaching his alma mater when it again stunned the college basketball world. 

In the March Madness following Carril’s passing, Princeton has captured the magic of the sport, overcoming a 10-point deficit with eight minutes left and stunning 2nd-seeded Arizona. 

The Tigers, who advanced in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 25 years, made it three consecutive seasons that a 15-seed has defeated a 2-seed in the big dance, and a second straight year that the 15 has hailed from New Jersey (Saint Peter’s).

How did Princeton pull off the shocker? 

With elite defense in the home stretch, as the Tigers held the Wildcats scoreless in the final 4:43 and closed the game on a 9-0 run. With Princeton down 55-52, senior guard Ryan Langborg rose to the occasion in his home state of California, notching back-to-back buckets to pull the Tigers ahead with two minutes on the clock. That defense did not waver, holding Arizona’s perimeter trio of Courtney Ramey, Kerr Kriisa and Pelle Larsson to 6-for-20 from the floor and the Wildcats as a team to 3-for-16 from downtown. 

This wasn’t the typical upset where David beats Goliath behind red-hot 3-point shooting or something out of the ordinary. It was a simple case of the Tigers out-defending Arizona and forcing them to tough shots on the perimeter.

Plus, the Tigers had the most impactful player on the floor: Tosan Evbuomwan.

The senior from England, who did not start learning the game of basketball until he was 13, willed Princeton throughout the day, scoring 15 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. 

Evbuomwan has gone from being totally off the recruiting map at the age of 17, to his coach sending blind emails to different schools across the country that specialized in high academics, to winning an NCAA Tournament game for an Ivy League school.

The Tigers put on the latest great display of March, while Arizona ended the season with a thump after winning the Pac-12 Tournament. 

It’s a disappointing end for a Wildcats squad that spent much of the season in the top five of the AP poll, but there’s also a bigger picture to consider — the big winner here is Alabama, as 2-seed Arizona and 4-seed Virginia have been bounced in the South Region. The 3-seed, Baylor, is in action on Friday but will be another team on upset alert with a dangerous UC Santa Barbara team standing in their way.

The Crimson Tide’s path looked easy on paper, and it’s sure playing out that way already.

10. Penn State 76, 7. Texas A&M 59

The 10th-seeded Nittany Lions may have been seeded too low. 

The Big Ten Tournament runner-up capped off a solid 3-2 day for the conference, running Texas A&M off the floor for Penn State's first NCAA Tournament win since 2001.

If there's a takeaway on this game, it's clear: Penn State University athletic director Patrick Kraft and his board should back up the Brinks truck for Micah Shrewsberry, who's being courted by Georgetown, Notre Dame and others on the head coaching carousel. 

The Nittany Lions didn't just win on Thursday night. They dominated the Aggies, and did it with Bucknell fifth-year transfer Andrew Funk, who went off for a season-high 27 points and hit eight of Penn State's 13 triples in the rout.

On the defensive end, the Nittany Lions shut down Texas A&M star Wade Taylor IV, who was held to just 2-for-15 from the floor. 

Penn State draws Texas on Saturday, and I would not be surprised one bit if the Nittany Lions are in this game. The Longhorns have been rolling, but perimeter shooting is where the formula starts to knock them off. 

2. UCLA 86, 15. UNC Asheville 53

No Bona? No Clark? No problem.

"We don't take losing lightly."

Those were the words of fourth-year UCLA head coach Mick Cronin on Thursday night during his in-game TV broadcast interview on Thursday night. 

The Bruins were determined, rocking 15-seed UNC Asheville 86-53 to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will meet Northwestern in Sacramento on Saturday. 

With Jaylen Clark done for the year and Adem Bona still out with a shoulder injury, there were some concerns with UCLA heading into the NCAA Tournament. 

Thursday night, the Bruins were all business, showing that a Pac-12 championship game loss to Arizona may have been a good thing for this team to refocus. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Amari Bailey each had 17 points while Tyger Campbell went for 10 assists in the dominant performance. 

With Bona still out, Kenneth Nwuba and Mac Etienne combined for 20 points on 9-for-9 from the floor. UCLA could use Bona back on Saturday, and he was a game-time decision on Thursday night. I would expect we see him in some capacity this weekend. 

The Bruins play a gritty Northwestern team, but one that they should have a good chance of getting by because of their defensive capabilities and the duo of Jaquez and Campbell. The rise of Bailey has come into play as a variable that gives them a Final Four ceiling as well. 

1. Houston 63, 16. Northern Kentucky 52

Houston survived and advanced, but as a 1-seed, there can’t be optimism surrounding the Cougars heading into Saturday’s matchup with 9-seed Auburn in Birmingham. 

Kelvin Sampson elected to play Marcus Sasser, but he reinjured his groin and only played 14 minutes in Thursday night’s win over Northern Kentucky. Without a healthy Sasser, the Cougars are missing an All-American talent and their leader. They just don’t have the same pop, and although they wore down the Norse, they turned the ball over 17 times.

The positives: Potential NBA Draft lottery pick Jarace Walker had 16 points and six rebounds in his March Madness debut while his classmate Emanuel Sharp hit back-to-back key triples to push the cushion to nine with just over 10 minutes left. J’wan Roberts posted his eighth double-double of the season in the victory. 

The issue? Johni Broome and Auburn await after a commanding performance over Iowa. If Sasser is still in pain and not full go, the Cougars could struggle vs. the Tigers' top-30 defense. If NKU forced 17 turnovers, it does pose a concern for Sampson’s team on Saturday in what will essentially be a road game.

The point? Whether it’s them, I believe a 1-seed is falling this weekend and the chances for Auburn just increased based on what we saw tonight.

4. Tennessee 58, 13. Louisiana 55

We saw both sides of Tennessee on Thursday night, why they're are a pest to play, and why they can't really be trusted in the NCAA Tournament.

Rick Barnes' team led Sun Belt Conference champion Louisiana by 18 with 12:50 on the clock. Credit to the Ragin' Cajuns, because they proceeded to go on a 16-3 run to pull within five of the Vols at 48-43 with 7:29 left. 

But sophomore Jahmai Mashack stepped up late, finishing with 11 points, and Tyreke Key led the way with 12 as Tennessee gutted out a 3-point victory. The Vols advanced to the second round for the fourth time in the last five NCAA Tournaments. 

The bad news for Tennessee: Duke, which has won 10 straight games and rolled past Oral Roberts, awaits the Vols on Saturday.

A big key for the Vols: Santiago Vescovi has to play better on Saturday after being held to just three points by Louisiana. The Zakai Zeigler ACL injury for this group has been difficult to overcome, and I see their run ending Saturday. 

5. Duke 74, 12. Oral Roberts 51

Duke is playing much better than a typical 5-seed

The Duke Blue Devils are peaking at the perfect time, and playing closer to the likes of a 1-seed as opposed to the 5-line where they reside.

Duke dominated in Jon Scheyer’s NCAA Tournament debut, surging out to a 15-0 lead and never looking back in a blowout of Oral Roberts. 

The man who powered Duke to the Final Four last season was more than ready for a return to the dance floor, as Jeremy Roach led the Blue Devils with 23 points, three assists and just one turnover.

Scheyer’s team dictated the game defensively and on the interior, outscoring the Eagles 40-22 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 46-32. Max Abmas, the ORU star who led the program to the Sweet 16 two years ago, needed 15 shot attempts to reach 12 points.

The big revelation for the Blue Devils: Dariq Whitehead is picking up steam. The nation’s No. 2 recruit and top Duke prospect out of high school has dealt with foot and leg injuries but is finding his form at the right time. He posted 13 points off the bench in a sixth-man role that he seems to be comfortable in.

The Blue Devils have won 10 in a row and are 19-1 with their full complement of players. Could a Duke team actually be flying under the radar? Maybe … maybe not … but I’ll proclaim it right now: This team is my pick to come out of the East Region. The Blue Devils defend, have a playmaker in Roach and a supporting cast that keeps getting better. 

9. Auburn 83, 8. Iowa 75

Dangerous 9-seed Auburn books potential date with Houston

When Bruce Pearl lost Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler to the NBA Draft, the instant question for the Tigers was how they would be able to find production on the interior. 

So Pearl did what anybody would do these days: he hit the transfer portal. He found Johni Broome from Morehead State, and on Thursday in Birmingham, the junior big man dictated the Tigers’ first-round win over Iowa. The 6-foot-10 star put up 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in the win. With the win, Auburn moved to 10-0 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Auburn advanced to the second round, and the Tigers got a friendly draw with potentially a home game against 1-seed Houston on Saturday in Birmingham, just 110 miles away from the Tigers campus. 

While it’s been an up-and-down season for the Tigers, they still own a top-30 defense. And when Pearl’s group takes care of the basketball, good things can happen. Auburn committed just seven turnovers against Iowa, whose season ends with three straight losses and a 19-14 record. 

Wendell Green tallied 15 points while Allen Flanigan provided a little bit of everything with 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as six scored in double-figures.

How else did Auburn win it? They held Iowa star Kris Murray to 5-for-18 from the floor, swarming the Hawkeyes with strong defense from the jump and holding them in check from downtown at 7-for-27 from deep. 

With Houston star Marcus Sasser’s status up in the air with a groin injury, it also opens the door for Auburn to have more of a chance than they previously would have had he been fully healthy. 

This will be a game to monitor on Saturday. 

7. Northwestern 75, 10. Boise State 67

College basketball’s biggest surprise story forges to the Round of 32 

Northwestern was chosen second-to-last in the Big Ten preseason poll last November.

Those same Wildcats are now one of 32 teams remaining in college basketball, as Chris Collins’ team wore down Boise State to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Collins, who entered the season on the hot seat, was already deserving of a contract extension after Northwestern finished tied for second in the Big Ten standings and punched a ticket to the program’s second-ever big dance.

Now, Collins and the Cats have a pair of tournament victories in their program history. How did they beat the Broncos? With the dynamic duo of Boo Buie and Chase Audige, who combined for 42 points on 13-for-26 from the field. Twice in the last 10 minutes, when the Broncos cut the lead first to 52-50, then to 60-56, Buie stepped up with big buckets to give the Wildcats more separation. He has had that knack for playmaking and closing for this team, adding five rebounds and as many assists to just one turnover. Audige, who’s one of the top defenders in the country, helped lead an effort to hold Boise State to just 6-for-23 from downtown. Broncos star Max Rice tallied 17 points but needed 19 shots to get there.

It was a poised effort by Northwestern, which booked a date with the winner of UCLA and UNC Asheville on Saturday. While the Bruins will be favored, the Wildcats have options and enough playmaking in the backcourt along with a gritty defense to hang in with UCLA. The style they play makes Collins’ group a candidate to be in that game if they can contain Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell. The season-ended injury to Jaylen Clark also hurts the Bruins’ chances in this tournament in general, although Cronin’s group still does have enough to make the Final Four.

2. Texas 81, 15. Colgate 61

Some thought that a 15-over-2 upset could possibly come from Matt Langel and Colgate, which was making its fourth consecutive appearance on the big dance floor and was meeting a Texas team that could overlook them.

Think again. The Longhorns held a Raiders team that averages eight 3s per game to just 3-for-15 from downtown, while three players scored 17-plus points as Rodney Terry’s team rolled past Colgate. 

Two takeaways:

  • Texas has a sixth man in Sir’Jabari Rice who is playing as well as any reserve in the country right now. A New Mexico State transfer who was part of an upset victory over UConn last year, Rice’s winning experience has shown on this Longhorns team. He led the way with 23 points, six rebounds and three assists in Thursday’s win, and he’s averaging 17 points per game over the last 15 contests. As much as Marcus Carr and Dylan Disu impressed on Thursday, the Horns are special because they have real depth and experience.
  • At this point, Texas AD Chris Del Conte should give Rodney Terry the head coaching job in Texas. Terry took over after Chris Beard’s legal matters, and he’s 20-7 in Austin since doing so. I get winning over a hiring cycle and that Terry hasn’t had as much success at previous stops, but he’s proved something under tough circumstances.

13. Furman 68, No. 4 Virginia 67

Exclusive: Interview with Furman coach Bob Richey 

Richey joined us to discuss the Paladins' stunning upset of Virginia, speaking in part about his team's resilience after losing on a 35-footer in last season's conference championship game.

"It started with everybody staying together," he said. "Two fifth-year seniors that we know could have gone anywhere in the country, they decided to stay at Furman because they love Furman and they love their teammates. We all stayed together and it was a huge part of it." 

Check out the full interview here:

Breakdown of Furman's win:

Madness. Fur-Madness … Absolute madness in all of its glory. 

Day 1 of the NCAA Tournament wasted no time in showing why it’s the best Thursday of the sports calendar year.

Just two games into the afternoon, we have seen the unexpected already happen.

In Orlando, Virginia clung to a 67-63 lead despite furious attempts by SoCon champion Furman to pull off the upset. Just when it looked like the Cavaliers were going to hang on to avoid the popular upset pick entering the dance … the Paladins struck for an WILD closing sequence to earn their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1974! 

After a pair of free throws by Garrett Hien with 12 seconds left cut the lead to two, the Cavaliers had trouble on the in-bounds pass, with Kihei Clark hurling the ball into the air. Hien picked off the pass at halfcourt. He found sophomore JP Pegues, who was 2-for-8 from the floor on the day and 0-for-3 from downtown. 

Peques wasn’t wasting this moment, drilling a cold-blooded triple that turned out to be the game-winner as a Reece Beekman heave at the buzzer sailed long. 

It was utter absurdity in the final seconds, but think about this: Virginia led by 12 with less than 12 minutes to play in Orlando. Against Tony Bennett’s style, that would feel like more than just a dozen for most opponents. But not for Furman.

Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson, a pair of seniors who had their hearts broken in the SoCon championship game a year ago by Chattanooga, decided to come back for one last ride in Greenville, S.C. 

They kicked the door down with revenge over the Mocs, and getting their big dance opportunity, they’re part of history and a moment for Furman University that shines a light on what makes the big dance so great. 

Beyond the players, 39-year-old head coach Bob Richey has been regarded as a rising star in the industry. He just caught the eyes of the nation, and one can expect he’ll be receiving calls in the not-so-distant future.

The big picture: Furman can make the Sweet 16. Taking down a 4-seed in Virginia, the Paladins are getting the winner of San Diego State and College of Charleston. While both teams are fully capable themselves, the Aztecs have not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2015. The Cougars have not advanced since 1997. 

Slawson (19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) showed against Virginia that he can be the best player on the floor. The 6-foot-7 senior is a real matchup nightmare and a sneaky prospect who could get some flyers taken on him off this run. Beyond that, Furman knocked down 10 three-pointers. The Paladins have a formula to make the second weekend. 

On the other side of this result, it’s the latest heartbreak for a Virginia team that had some struggles over the final month and change of the season. For Clark, it’s the sharpest form of contrast from what he did in 2019 against Purdue en route to a national title. The Hoos have seen every form of this tournament in the last five years. 

8. Maryland 67, 9. West Virginia 65

Exclusive: Interview with Maryland coach Kevin Willard

Following the Terrapins' gritty victory over the Mountaineers, coach Kevin Willard stopped by to talk about the importance of the victory to Maryland basketball, how the Terps kept fighting after falling behind early, and the challenge ahead against Alabama in the second round.

He also gave me a hard time for not picking Maryland, saying: "The great thing about you going 0-1 is I saved a lot of money going to your wedding here in September. So now I don't have to worry about traveling up and buying a nice gift."

Watch the entire interview here:

Breakdown of Maryland's win:

Ten minutes into Thursday’s NCAA Tournament opener in Birmingham, it looked like it would be an anticlimactic start to the big dance. Bob Huggins’ West Virginia team led Maryland 19-6 and the Mountaineers were giving the Terrapins turnover fits.

But this is a different Maryland team, and a new era this year in College Park. Thursday afternoon was the finest reflection of what Kevin Willard has brought to the fold rather immediately for the Terps, as they turned the tables on the game behind Julian Reese and took a 32-30 lead into halftime. 

Even after giving up a 16-0 run at one point in the second half to fall behind 47-38, the Terps responded with a 14-4 surge highlighted by Donald Carey, Hakim Hart and Reese to take the lead back.

With five minutes left, trailing by a trio, Scott and Hart delivered five straight to give Maryland the 61-59 lead that they would hang on to for a 67-65 victory. 

For Scott and Hart, players who stuck by the program through an ugly ending to the Mark Turgeon era and a period of transition for Willard, Thursday afternoon offered the reward for getting through those battles.

The big picture: Maryland has the Big Ten off to a 1-0 start to a crucial tournament for the conference. Nobody could have seen the Terps being a tournament team at the start of the year, nor alone a team in the Round of 32. An uphill climb against Brandon Miller and Alabama is ahead, but just having that opportunity alone gives the program a chance that is ahead of schedule to shock the world. 

Willard has done a remarkable job in Year 1.

7. Missouri 76, 10. Utah State 65

Missouri wins first NCAA Tournament game in 13 years 

If you’re an athletic director at a school that’s sitting at home right now and not dancing, you’re examining your program closely. Why? Because turnarounds can happen quickly in the age of the transfer portal in college basketball. 

That’s evidenced by Missouri, which went 12-21 a year ago and was celebrating its first NCAA Tournament victory in 4,745 days on Thursday afternoon with a 76-65 victory over Utah State.

Dennis Gates, who took over a tough Cleveland State job and put the Vikings on the map, is now doing it in just his first year at the helm of the Tigers. He brought four of his players from CSU over with him to the SEC, and on Thursday, Vikings transfer D’Moi Hodge led the way with 23 points. Senior Kobe Brown, the lone impact player who stuck around for the coaching change, had 19 points and eight rebounds as the Tigers shot 7-for-14 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Mizzou will get the winner of Arizona/Princeton in a game that I believe could be closer than most, but if it is the Wildcats, it could be challenging for the Tigers to go up against the nation’s fourth-best offense. 

That said, for now, it’s a day for Gates, AD Desiree Reed-Francois and the Missouri board to celebrate bringing him to the school in the first place. A source close to Georgetown told me that if they had been a year sooner in firing Patrick Ewing, Gates would have been their guy. Now, he’s put Missouri back on the map.

Meanwhile, for Utah State, it’s the latest case of NCAA Tournament downfall in the Mountain West, which has lost 11 straight in the dance and has not won a game since 2018.

5. San Diego State vs. 12. Charleston

Aztecs avenge last year, opportunity knocks for Sweet 16 ticket

A year ago, San Diego State was up by nine on Creighton with 3:48 left. What ensued was a heartbreaking collapse and overtime loss that sat with the Aztecs throughout the last 12 months. 

On Thursday afternoon, Brian Dutcher tasted his first NCAA Tournament victory, and it comes with added fortune: San Diego State draws a 13-seed, Furman, for a spot in the Sweet 16 on Saturday.

The Aztecs used their defensive tenacity to hold a 31-win College of Charleston team to 5-for-24 from beyond the arc, pulling away in the final stretch behind Matt Bradley’s 17 points and a trio going for eight apiece. 

With the game tied at 53 at 2:30 to play in Orlando, Bradley drove and slammed home a dunk. The fifth-year senior, who came back for this very moment, notched his first tournament win. After a stop, the Aztecs hit just one of four triples on the day, courtesy of Micah Parrish. 

The win for SDSU ends the Mountain West’s worst nightmare. The conference had lost 11 in a row following Nevada’s First Four loss to Arizona State and Utah State’s defeat to Missouri. 

That streak could get washed away in 48 hours, because the Aztecs have a precious opportunity on Saturday against 13th-seeded Furman, which knocked off Virginia with a miracle on Thursday. 

The Aztecs last made the Sweet 16 under Steve Fisher in 2014, when they went 31-5 and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

1. Kansas 96, 16. Howard 68

Jalen Wilson had 20 points and seven rebounds for No. 1 seed and defending national champion Kansas, which allowed absent and recovering coach Bill Self to rest a bit more comfortably during a 96-68 victory over Howard on Thursday in a West Region first-round game.

Self is recovering from a heart procedure.

Gradey Dick had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the freshman’s first NCAA Tournament game, his first career double-double. Kansas, which has won 16 consecutive first-round games, is aiming to become the first repeat national champion in 16 years.

1. Alabama 96, 16. Texas A&M-CC 75

Alabama buried Texas A&M-Corpus Christi under an early 3-point onslaught, launching the NCAA Tournament’s top seed to a romp even with star freshman Brandon Miller going scoreless.

The Crimson Tide (30-5) set aside their off-court distractions and buried 10 first-half 3s in a predictably easy win over the 16th-seeded Islanders (24-11) at Legacy Arena, less than an hour from campus.

Miller, the 6-foot-9 All-American who has been beset by questions about his presence at the scene of a fatal shooting, sat out the final 14 minutes and missed all five field goal attempts while dealing with a groin injury. His previous low was eight points against Houston on Dec. 10.

8. Arkansas 73, 9. Illinois 63

Arkansas' defense is too much for Illinois as Illini end a frustrating season

A dunk by RJ Melendez cut the Arkansas lead to five with 2:30 left, but a Coleman Hawkins turnover led to a Ricky Council IV dagger bucket as Arkansas beat Illinois in the West Region matchup. 

The Razorbacks’ ball pressure was the theme of the day, forcing 17 turnovers and holding Matthew Mayer without a made field goal. Council, who’s taken on the lead role for this team after transferring in from Wichita State, stepped up with 18 points and 10 rebounds while veteran Devo Davis added 16. The Hogs only shot 3-for-11 from downtown, but they won it the Eric Musselman way, with physicality and quickness.

Arkansas gets Kansas on Saturday and will have a legit chance in that game if it can pressure Jayhawks point guard Dajuan Harris.

Kansas blew away Howard 96-68 earlier behind 20 points from Jalen Wilson and a double-double by Gradey Dick. The status of head coach Bill Self is up in the air as he continues to recover from a health issue. 

As for Illinois, Brad Underwood had one of the most frustrating seasons in college basketball. The Illini were chosen second in the Big Ten preseason poll, and while they did win 20 games, they were in the middle of the pack in the league and never played consistent basketball.

In six years at the helm, Underwood has accounted for just two NCAA Tournament wins in Champagne. This Illini team should have been better than a one-and-done exit after hitting some home runs in the transfer portal last offseason. 

 

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.

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