2022 NCAA Tournament Round One Day One Live Recap

2022 NCAA Tournament
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2022 NCAA Tournament: Round One, Day One

The 2022 NCAA Tournament is officially underway today and we here at Def Pen Sports will be providing a live recap of each round. Upsets will happen, top seeds will advance, and amazing basketball will happen today. We will publish updates as each game goes final. There will be 16 games today on day one of the first round of March Madness!

6 Seed Colorado State Rams Vs. 11 Seed Michigan Wolverines

The first game of March Madness featured two interesting teams. Michigan started the year as a potential favorite but quickly found itself near the First Four. The Wolverines were without guard DeVante’ Jones who suffered a concussion in practice. Colorado State controlled most of the first half, but the Wolverines did their best to keep things close. The Rams went into halftime with a 36-29 lead.

Michigan would fight back slowly in the second half and took their first lead with 12:43 to play. The Wolverines controlled much of the rest of the game and would defeat the Rams 75-63. Hunter Dickinson led all scorers with 21 points and Frankie Collins emerged for the team in the game with 14 points and several big moments. Michigan will play the winner between Tennessee and Longwood.

4 Seed Providence Friars Vs. 13 Seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Head Coach Ed Cooley and the Providence Friars have had a fantastic season in the Big East and followed it up with an impressive game against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. While South Dakota State started the game in control, the Friars took that control halfway through the first half and led for the rest of the game. A furious Jackrabbits run would make things tight until the very end, but the four seed advances with a final score of 66-57. Providence will play the winner between Iowa and Richmond.

8 Seed Boise State Broncos Vs. 9 Seed Memphis Tigers

The first half of the game would have led many to think that Memphis was ready to punch their ticket to the second round. March Madness and the 2022 NCAA Tournament demand a certain level of drama. Slowly but surely Boise State clawed their way back into the game but ultimately could not complete the comeback. Memphis would win the game 64-53 behind a Jalen Duren double-double. Memphis will play the winner between Gonzaga and Georgia State.

1 Seed Baylor Bears Vs. 16 Seed Norfolk State Spartans

The reigning National Champions are a one seed for a reason and they proved it against the Norfolk State Spartans. Despite not having LJ Cryer the team won 85-49 behind a 22 point game from Matthew Mayer. The Bears will play the winner between North Carolina and Marquette.

3 Seed Tennesee Volunteers Vs. 14 Seed Longwood Lancers

The Longwood Lancers just did not have enough today to compete with the Tennessee Volunteers. A final score of 88-56 saw Tennesee advance to the second round where they will play the Michigan Wolverines.

5 Seed Iowa Hawkeyes Vs. 12 Seed Richmond Spiders

There’s always something about the 12 seeds in March Madness and the 2022 NCAA Tournament seems to be no exception. The entire first half was back and forth with Richmond taking a 29-28 lead into halftime. While the second half was more back and forth it felt like the Spiders had a real chance to upset the Hawkeyes. Taking the largest lead of the game with about five minutes to go it felt possible. Iowa would prove to be a tough out to close the game.

With just 1:24 to go, Nathan Cayo would extend the Spiders lead to three. Iowa would attempt to answer but fail despite contact on a three-point shot. Nathan Cayo would once again get done low and convert a lay-up. This time the free throw was good and the Spiders held a six-point lead. Iowa would refuse to go away and would score, get a steal, and score again to cut it to two with 15.2 seconds left. Leading scorer (22)  Jacob Gilyard would make both to extend the lead to four. A quick lob to Keegan Murray would cut it to two with 5.2 seconds to go in the game. Gilyard would once again make both free throws and secure a 67-63 upset over the Iowa Hawkeyes. Richmond will play the Providence Friars in the second round.

1 Seed Gonzaga Bulldogs Vs. 16 Seed Georgia State Panthers

For the first 30 minutes of the game, it looked like the 2022 NCAA Tournament would make history courtesy of the Georgia State Panthers. Gonzaga ended any such hope in the final ten minutes in a brutal run that broke the hopes of the Panthers. Drew Timme posted 32 points and rebounds while Chet Holmgren posted 19 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and 7 blocks. Gonzaga won the game 93-72 and will play the Memphis Tigers in the second round.

8 Seed North Carolina Tar Heels Vs. 9 Seed Marquette Golden Eagles

The Tar Heels were in top form against the Golden Eagles. They didn’t quite lead wire to wire, but took a lead early and just did not look back. Brady Manek posted 28 points and 11 rebounds while Caleb Love had 23 points. Justin Lewis, the top scorer on the season for the Golden Eagles was held to six points on 2-15 shooting. The Tar Heels win 95-63 in Hubert Davis’ first NCAA Tournament appearance. They will move on and play the Baylor Bears in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

5 Seed UConn Huskies Vs. 12 Seed New Mexico State Aggies

The game started slow and both teams struggled to score for the first eight minutes of the game. New Mexico State found their shot and took control of the game to close out the first half. The first few minutes of the second half were more of the same, but UConn is nothing if not a team capable of fighting back into a game. UConn and New Mexico State were in for a fight for the final few minutes of the game. A duel between UConn’s R.J. Cole and New Mexico State’s Teddy Allen would decide the game. A fantastic 37 point performance by Teddy Allen hoisted the Aggies over the Huskies 70-63 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. They will face off against the winner between Arkansas and Vermont.

2 Seed Kentucky Wildcats Vs. 15 Seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks

It isn’t every year a 15 seed makes a 2 seed sweat it out until the end. The Saint Peter’s Peacocks played like they were ignorant of that history and looked to send a Final Four favorite home early. A back and forth thriller between the two literally came down to the final minute of the game. Saint Peter’s refused to just walk away from this game. With a 71-71 tie game and the final shot, the Kentucky Wildcats could not win the game and it was heading to overtime.

A tense overtime period with many missed free throws would end with a spectacular finish to the game. The Saint Peter’s Peacocks behind Daryl Banks III’s 27 points defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 85-79. They will face off against the winner between Murray State and San Francisco in the second round.

5 Seed Saint Mary’s Gaels Vs. 12 Seed Indiana Hoosiers

The Indiana Hoosiers looked like the First Four team that they were and were crushed by the Saint Mary’s Gaels 82-53. They move on and will play the winner between UCLA and Akron in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

8 Seed San Diego State Aztecs Vs. 9 Seed Creighton Bluejays

The San Deigo State Aztecs controlled the game in regulation, but couldn’t put the Bluejays away. Creighton clawed back into the game and forced their way into an overtime period. All five of the Bluejays’ starters were in double digits and another thriller in March Madness was on the way. San Diego State down two at the buzzer turned the ball over and lost 71-69 to the Bluejays. Trey Alexander led Creighton with 18 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and the game-winning defensive play. The Bluejays will play against the winner between Kansas and Texas Southern.

4 Seed Arkansas Razorbacks Vs. 13 Seed Vermont Catamounts

Vermont is well-coached and they proved it against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the late period on Thursday. The Razorbacks never could quite pull away from Vermont. That being said Stanley Umude with his 21 points and 9 rebounds helped lead Arkansas to a 75-71 victory. Late game heroics by Vermont fell just short at the buzzer. The Razorbacks will play the New Mexico State Aggies in the second round on Saturday.

4 Seed UCLA Bruins Vs. 13 Seed Akron Zips

The Akron Zips led a good portion of this game and it looked like another upset was brewing on the first day of March Madness. A late-game UCLA Bruins run would wear the Zips down until they lost the lead. Tyger Campbell went on an 8-0 run by himself and finished with 16 points and 5 assists. UCLA avoids the upset and beat a gassed Akron 57-53 to advance. The Bruins will play Saint Mary’s in the second round on Saturday.

7 Seed Murray State Racers Vs. 10 Seed San Francisco Dons

Competitive seven and ten games are always fun and these two teams matched up with each other very well. The Racers and the Dons went back and forth the entire game, but Murray State held a small lead late in the game. An almost complete collapse in the final minute allowed the Dons to hit a three and send the game into overtime with the Racers. A chaotic basket for basket overtime period would result in a 92-87 win for the Racers. KJ Williams led the Racers to victory with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Bouyea’s 36 points would not be enough. Murray State will play the Saint Peter’s Peacocks in the second round.

1 Seed Kansas Jayhawks Vs. 16 Seed Texas Southern Tigers

The final game of the first day of the 2022 NCAA Tournament was not a close one. Kansas looked like a one seed against Texas Southern and closed out the game 83-56. The entire team chipped in and helped win. Kansas will play the Creighton Bluejays in the second round on Saturday.

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