Men's NCAA tournament: Highlights and analysis from all the action on Day 1
Every opening-day game of the men’s 2025 NCAA tournament has officially tipped off — and we’ve been tracking all of the action.
Consider this your guide to all the major highlights and results, along with reactions and on-site reporting from ESPN writers across the country.
Jump to: Live updates | Results and takeaways
Day 1 results
Most recent games listed first.
Final: Michigan beats UC San Diego, 68-65
How Michigan won: The Wolverines tried hard to not look annoyed when their first-round opponent had become a trendy upset pick, but Michigan was ultimately one shot off the rim at the buzzer from going to overtime against UC San Diego on Thursday night. The Wolverines had opened the game 10-0, led by 14 at halftime and pushed the lead to as many 15 points early in the second half. But alas, Michigan — which led the Big Ten in turnovers at 14.1 per game — continued to fumble away the good times with 14 giveaways that led to 15 points for UCSD. The Tritons used a 17-3 run to cut the Wolverines’ lead to 45-44 with just short of 15 minutes left to play and later tied it at 63 with just under three minutes to go, squeezing Michigan down the stretch before the last gasp bounced away. UCSD’s leading scorer of the season, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, had fouled out with 6:57 to play and just seven points. Michigan limited UC San Diego to 38.7% shooting (24-of-62) overall, limiting the Tritons to 7-of-30 shooting from 3. — Jeff Legwold
Final: St. John’s beats Omaha, 83-53
How St. John’s won: St. John’s started slow, but turned a five-point game at halftime into a second-half blowout, defeating Omaha by 30 points. The Red Storm opened the last half on a 17-5 run and never looked back, led by junior forward RJ Luis Jr., who had a game-high 22 points and added eight rebounds. They entered the tournament as a top-three defense nationally, and suffocated the Mavericks, who shot 25.7% from the floor and went 5-of-36 from 3. As the clock struck midnight in Providence, the pro-St. John’s crowd chanted Rick Pitino’s name, saluting the Red Storm coach who now looks ahead to a matchup against John Calipari’s No. 10 Arkansas team. — Mike Reiss
Final: UCLA beat Utah State, 72-47
How UCLA won: Utah State couldn’t muster any offense against UCLA in a game that felt every bit as lopsided as the final score indicated. At one point late in the second half, Utah State was shooting 28.6% from the field, which isn’t exactly a winning recipe in March. UCLA wasn’t exactly lights-out on its end, but the Bruins had six players with at least eight points, including a team-high 14 points from junior guard Skyy Clark. All that said, we have to give the Aggies credit for making it to the NCAA tournament again despite having their third coach in three years — athletic director Diana Sabau has done a great job handing the baton to quality coaches. — Ben Baby
Final: Drake beats Missouri, 67-57
How Drake won: “You can only control what you can control,” Drake guard Mitch Mascari said Wednesday when asked about how the Bulldogs would cope with Missouri’s size advantage. Well, Drake controlled it all Thursday night, overpowering Missouri in the paint, where the Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 38-22. Drake dictated the tempo from start to finish to secure at least one more win in a storybook season under first-year coach Ben McCollum. Bennett Stirtz was the metronome, leading the Bulldogs with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. And fellow junior Tavion Banks joined Stirtz in double figures, but more importantly, powered the Bulldogs’ dominance on the glass with a game-high nine rebounds. Chants of “Overrated, S-E-C” rained down from Drake fans as the seconds ran off the clock on the program’s first NCAA tournament since 2021, sealing the Bulldogs a second-round date with the winner of No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 14 UNC Wilmington. — Eli Lederman
Final: Texas A&M beats Yale, 80-71
How Texas A&M won: Texas A&M was simply too efficient on offense when it mattered, and too much of a swarming riddle on defense for Yale to find a solution. The Aggies shot 51.7% from the field as Pharrel Payne led a balanced group with 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting to go with his 10 rebounds. They held Yale to 29% shooting in the opening half and the Bulldogs spent much of the remainder of the game trying to dig out of those troubles. They did close the gap to 58-52 with just a little more than eight minutes to play, but got no closer, with the Aggies pushing the lead back to 15 three minutes later. In addition to Payne’s efforts, Wade Taylor IV added 16 for the Aggies. Texas A&M also forced Yale’s leading scorer, John Poulakidas — who averaged 19.2 points coming into Thursday night — into a 7-of-18 shooting night on to way to his team-leading 23 points.— Jeff Legwold
Final: Arkansas beats Kansas, 79-72
How Arkansas won: In a thrilling game that came down to the final three minutes, No. 10 Arkansas found its rhythm when it needed it most to pull away from No. 7 Kansas. After shooting 54.3% from the floor in the first half, Kansas’ zone was effective in slowing the Razorbacks down to 30% shooting in the second half — until the final minutes, when they closed it out on a 15-5 run. According to ESPN Research, Kansas played zone on just seven possessions this season, so it was a notable change-up. But the Jayhawks, who took a 67-64 lead with just less than five minutes to play, seemed to be impacted by the loss of forward KJ Adams in crunch time. Adams was helped off the court and taken to the locker room with what appeared to be a significant injury. Jonas Aidoo led Arkansas with 22 points, while Johnell Davis had 18, including a clutch 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining to put the Razorbacks up 71-67. They put it away from there. — Mike Reiss
Final: Tennessee beats Wofford, 77-62
How Tennessee won: This was one of those games where the talent discrepancy was apparent from the opening tip. Though Wofford did its best to hang around and kept Tennessee honest, the Volunteers didn’t look bothered at any point — and it was hard for the Terriers to combat the Vols’ plethora of scoring options. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier scored a game-high 29 points, the third highest in a NCAA tournament game in school history. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler had a double-double with 12 points and 12 assists. Overall, it was an impressive showing. By adding Lanier last offseason, the North Florida transfer could be the player who pushes Tennessee to its first Final Four in school history. — Ben Baby
Final: Gonzaga beats Georgia, 89-68
How Gonzaga won: Operating from the less familiar role of tournament sleeper, Gonzaga still has the look of a team that has been here before. The 8-seed Bulldogs turned 13 turnovers into 25 points and blitzed Georgia from deep, finishing 12-of-20 from 3-point range to secure an intriguing second-round date with No. 1 seed Houston. Sixth-year guard Khalif Battle led the shooting barrage with four triples, part of a game-high 24-point performance to go with eight rebounds. A 20-point, 12-rebound effort from Georgia freshman Asa Newell provides only a sliver of solace for Mike White’s Bulldogs, who missed 21 of their 26 3-point attempts in the programs first tournament game in a decade. One more note on Gonzaga: Ryan Nembhard’s eight assists on the day take his assist tally to 333 on the year, drawing the senior guard level with Avery Johnson (Southern, 1986-87) for fifth all-time among the NCAA’s single-season assist leaders. — Eli Lederman
(11) VCU vs.
(6) BYU
Final: BYU beats VCU, 80-71
How BYU won: As VCU head coach Ryan Odom had warned, BYU was indeed a team of flurries. The Cougars closed out the first half on a 12-2 run before opening the second half with a 13-6 push on the way to a first-round win in Denver. By the time Odom called a timeout three minutes and 15 seconds into the second half, the Cougars had built a 52-34 lead, and the Rams did not narrow the gap to less than 10 points until Zeb Jackson hit a 3-pointer to make it 75-66 with 55 seconds to play. The BYU backcourt — Egor Demin and Richie Saunders — combined for 31 points as the Cougars shot 50% from the field, with Fousseyni Traore adding 13. The Rams did have four players with at least 10 points, led by Jackson’s 23. — Jeff Legwold
Second round opponent: Wisconsin
BYU’s chances to advance to the Sweet 16: BYU’s offensive performance against VCU bodes well moving forward for the Cougars. They dealt well with the Rams’ pressure, got into the teeth of their defense time and time again, crashed the offensive glass — and future first-round pick Egor Demin played one of his best games in a BYU jersey. It’s that last part that provides plenty of optimism: Demin made three 3s in the tournament-opening win, only the fifth time since late November he has made multiple shots from beyond the arc. It is worth noting Wisconsin is much better offensively than VCU, and the Badgers have two players in John Tonje and John Blackwell who have been terrific lately. One key: BYU has allowed its last four opponents to make double-digit 3s; Wisconsin had the highest 3-point rate in the Big Ten play. — Jeff Borzello
Final: McNeese beats Clemson, 69-67
How McNeese won: McNeese head coach Will Wade noted the difference between his team entering this year’s tournament compared to last year, saying he felt the 12th-seeded Cowboys were “more about business” after simply being happy to be there last year. They took care of their business in impressive fashion against fifth-seeded Clemson, posting a 69-67 win that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. The Cowboys, who won their first tournament game in school history, broke open a 6-6 tie early to take a 31-13 lead at the half before holding off a Tigers surge as things got unexpectedly interesting in the final two minutes. Brandon Murray scored a team-high 21 points off the bench, while Quadir Copeland added 16 and Christian Shumate had 13 points and 11 rebounds. — Mike Reiss
Final: Auburn beats Alabama State, 83-63
How Auburn won: The key to any good upset is the underdog putting constant and meaningful pressure on the favorite, but that didn’t happen here, as things ended up being pretty comfortable for 1-seed Auburn. Tigers senior guard Miles Kelly led all players with 23 points, with eight of his made buckets coming from behind the 3-point line. The Hornets were on the verge of taking the lead in the first half but couldn’t hit the necessary free throws — that was their best punch, and Auburn ultimately responded by closing the half on a 9-0 run. It was a spirited effort from the 16-seed SWAC champs, but it’s going to take more than that to beat the top overall seed. The win sets up a very intriguing matchup against 9-seed Creighton; the Bluejays showed they have the offensive firepower to really test the Tigers in the win over Louisville earlier today. — Ben Baby
Auburn’s second round opponent: Creighton
Auburn’s chances to advance to the Sweet 16: When Alabama State took a brief one-point lead over Auburn, questions about the Tigers’ late-season challenges were magnified — in recent weeks, they had lacked the aggressive approach that made them America’s No. 1 team for the bulk of the season. Early in Thursday’s game, Alabama State was successful in limiting Johni Broome’s touches. That could be a problem again with Creighton having arguably the country’s best interior defender in Ryan Kalkbrenner. The Bluejays’ opponents have made just 46.1% of their shots inside the arc this season (16th), per KenPom, so Creighton could duplicate Alabama State’s early defensive approach (albeit with a more talented group). But the Tigers always seem to figure it out. Thursday’s win was proof that they are more than a one-star team, with Miles Kelly finishing 7-for-15 from beyond the arc, and they will be tough to beat as a result. — Myron Medcalf
Final: Houston beats SIUE, 78-40
How Houston won: Houston gets off to an ideal start to its third consecutive tournament as a 1-seed. A searing first-half shooting performance (61.3%) lifted the Cougars to a 28-point halftime lead and meant they never had less than a double-digit lead in the final 34 minutes of action, cruising to the program’s second-largest victory in an NCAA tournament game. Junior guard Milos Uzan dropped 16 points to lead four scorers in double figures for the Cougars, who advance to Saturday’s second round, where they will face the winner of No. 8 Gonzaga and No. 9 Georgia.
How J’Wan Roberts played: Roberts, who missed Houston’s previous two games after rolling his right ankle in the team’s Big 12 Tournament opener, logged 20 minutes and totaled six points with three rebounds in his first action since March 13 while wearing only a soft brace on his injured ankle. That bodes well for the fifth-year senior and Cougars moving forward. — Eli Lederman
Final: Wisconsin beats Montana, 85-66
How Wisconsin won: The drumbeat of Wisconsin’s size and earnestness on offense was too much for the upstart Grizzlies. The Badgers had two 7-footers — Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter — in the starting lineup around the Big Ten’s fifth-leading scorer, John Tonje. The Grizzlies tried to counter with their four-guard lineup, with the 6-foot-8 Te’Jon Sawyer often the only Montana player on the floor over 6-5. And while Montana cut the lead to four points twice early in the second half, the Badgers kept grinding away on ruthlessly efficient 55.4% shooting. John Blackwell led U-W with 19 points as Crowl finished with 18 and Tonje with 15. The Badgers blocked six shots and outrebounded Montana 40-29. — Jeff Legwold
Second round opponent: BYU
Wisconsin’s chances to advance to the Sweet 16: Wisconsin has gotten over whatever ailed it down the stretch of the season, when it lost three of five and had consistency issues on the offensive end. Max Klesmit is back healthy, John Tonje found his shot during the Big Ten tournament — and Steven Crowl and John Blackwell might have been their best performers in Thursday’s win over Montana. Saturday’s matchup against BYU is going to feature two of the best offenses in the country: the Cougars have the No. 4 offense at BartTorvik.com since Feb. 15, while the Badgers were the second-most efficient offense in the Big Ten during conference play. BYU shares the ball and spaces the floor as well as any team left in the tournament — Wisconsin will have to limit Egor Demin‘s space to operate and close out on shooters. — Jeff Borzello
Final: Purdue beats High Point, 75-63
How Purdue won: High Point played the role of the pesky underdog well, keeping things close in the second half. But in the end, Purdue wore the Panthers down with junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (21 points, 8 rebounds) and junior guard Braden Smith (18 points, 6 assists) leading the charge. The decisive stat that tells the story: Purdue had a 45-24 rebounding edge. High Point’s last lead was at the 12:19 mark of the first half (14-13), and while the Panthers cut it to three with just less than eight minutes in regulation, they couldn’t get over the hump. — Mike Reiss
Final: Creighton beats Louisville, 89-75
How Creighton won: In what was essentially a road game, 9-seeded Creighton beat 8-seeded Louisville in a first-round matchup that wasn’t close again after the middle of the first half. Creighton senior guard Jamiya Neal scored a game-high 29 points with some massive buckets late that helped stifle Louisville’s momentum. This draw is a mixed bag for top-seeded Auburn if it beats Alabama State, but the Bluejays showed they have the firepower to truly challenge the Tigers. — Ben Baby
Creighton’s second round opponent: Auburn
Creighton’s chances to advance to the Sweet 16: Prior to Creighton’s first-round victory over Louisville — a team that boasted a top-30 ranking in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency entering the game — only Kentucky had manufactured a more productive offensive display (93 points) against the Cardinals this season. Although the Bluejays have a four-time Big East defensive player of the year in Ryan Kalkbrenner, their offensive capabilities are the reason they could compete with the 1-seeded Tigers on Saturday. If Jamiya Neal (29 points vs. Louisville) continues to soar, Creighton will have a real shot against Auburn. The Bluejays have boasted a top-25 offense over the last month of the season, per BartTorvik.com, but the Tigers are the top overall seed for a reason. But Creighton can’t match the overall talent of Bruce Pearl’s squad, and hasn’t defeated a top-25 KenPom team since Dec. 31. — Myron Medcalf
