A mild first day of the NCAA Tournament did little to cool March Madness, but Friday really ushered in the hotly anticipated hysteria.
Thanks to 15th-seeded Norfolk' St.'s 86-84 upset of second-seeded Missouri, the tournament saw its first big upset. Friday's other big games included sixth-seeded Cincinnati taking down 11th-seeded Texas, 11th-seeded N.C. State upsetting sixth-seeded San Diego St., and sixth-seeded Creighton holding off ninth-seeded Alabama.
Tonight,
(11) Texas Longhorns 59, (6) Cincinnati Bearcats 65
Tidbit: Yancy Gates (15 points, 10 rebounds) helps Bearcats withstand Longhorns' rally.
(11) N.C. State Wolfpack 79, (6) San Diego St. Aztecs 65
Tidbit: Richard Howell's 22 points carry Wolfpack to upset.
(9) Alabama Crimson Tide 57, (8) Creighton Bluejays 58
Tidbit: Bluejays erase 11-point second-half deficit for first NCAA Tournament victory in 10 years.
(10) Virginia Cavaliers 45, (7) Florida Gators 71
Tidbit: Gators shoot 52.8 percent from the field (but only 17.4 percent from 3-point range) in rout.
(14) St. Bonaventure Bonnies 63, (3) Florida St. Seminoles 66
Tidbit: 16-2 run helps Seminoles overcome 34-28 halftime deficit.
(14) Belmont Bruins 59, (3) Georgetown Hoyas 74
Tidbit: Hoyas shoot 61.2 percent from the floor, stifle Bruins.
(16) Vermont Catamounts 58, (1) North Carolina Tar Heels 77
Tidbit: Tyler Zeller finishes with 17 points and 15 rebounds as Tar Heels roll.
(15) Norfolk St. Spartans 86, (2) Missouri Tigers 84
Tidbit: Norfolk St. becomes fifth-ever No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 seed and the first since Hampton in 2001.
(9) Saint Louis Billikens vs. (8) Memphis Tigers, 6:50 p.m. ET on TBS
Announcers: Tim Brando, Mike Gmisnski, Otis Livingston
(15) Lehigh Mountain Hawks vs. (2) Duke Blue Devils, 7:15 p.m. ET on CBS
Announcers: Jim Natz, Clark Kellogg, Tracy Wolfson
(13) Ohio Bobcats vs. (4) Michigan Wolverines, 7:20 p.m. ET on TNT
Announcers: Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Lesley Visser
(10) Purdue Boilermakers vs. (7) St. Mary's, Md. Mountaineers, 7:27 p.m. ET on truTV
Announcers: Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Craig Sager
(16) Long Island U. Blackbirds vs. (1) Michigan St. Spartans, 9:20 p.m. ET on TBS
Announcers: Tim Brando, Mike Gmisnski, Otis Livingston
(10) Xavier Musketeers vs. (7) Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS
Announcers: Jim Natz, Clark Kellogg, Tracy Wolfson
(12) South Florida Bulls vs (5) Temple Owls, 9;50 p.m. ET on TNT
Announcers: Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Lesley Visser
(15) Detroit Titans vs. Kansas Jayhawks, 9:57 p.m. ET on truTV
Announcers: Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Craig Sager
-- For more on Syracuse, visit Nunes Magician. For more coverage of Syracuse in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, visit SB Nation New York's StoryStream.
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