NCAA Tournament: Dayton spoils perfect day for higher seeds

Friday's Results

2 Kansas 75 vs. 15 New Mexico State 56
7 Michigan State 70 vs. 10 Georgia 63
5 Northern Iowa 71 vs. 12 Wyoming 54
5 West Virginia 68 vs. 12 Buffalo 62
7 Wichita State 81 vs. 10 Indiana 76
2 Virginia 79 vs. 15 Belmont 67
4 Louisville 57 vs. 13 UC Irvine 55
4 Maryland 65 vs. 13 Valparaiso 62
8 Oregon 79 vs. 9 Oklahoma State 73
1 Duke 85 vs. 16 Robert Morris 56
7 Iowa 83 vs. 10 Davidson 52
3 Oklahoma 69 vs. 14 Albany 60
1 Wisconsin 86 vs. 16 Coastal Carolina 72
8 San Diego State 76 vs. 9 St. John's 64
2 Gonzaga 86 vs. 15 North Dakota State 76
6 Providence 53 vs. 11 Dayton 66

1:12 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Higher seeds had been 15-of-15 prior to Dayton's victory. The Flyers are the lone underdog (by seed) to win in Friday's slate.

1:10 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Congratulations, Dayton. Everyone hates you.

1:09 a.m. ET (Bottero) - 6 Providence 53 vs. 11 Dayton 66

1:07 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Not a single player that touched the court tonight for Dayton is taller than 6-foot-6.

1:05 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Providence guard Kris Dunn may not have had a great night, but he is the most talented player on the floor. He just fouled out, and finishes with 11 points, four assists, and seven turnovers.

1:01 a.m. ET (Bottero) - For what it's worth, this game technically won't end on Friday, so higher seeds did go perfect on Friday.

12:58 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Four double-digit seeds advanced Thursday. Dayton will be the only one to survive Friday's slate.

12:54 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Dyshawn Pieere with an and-1 finish in the lane and he converts from the line. The Flyers lead 56-42 inside of two minutes.

12:51 a.m. ET (Bottero) - A terrible call by one of the officials who assesses a technical foul against the Providence bench after head coach Ed Cooley knocked over a chair while speaking with his team during the timeout. Cooley wasn't looking at any of the officials and hadn't said anything to them during the break. Just a terrible, terrible call.

12:47 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Dayton pulling away now as the Flyers are starting to get hot from deep. Dayton leads Providence 50-42 inside of four minutes.

12:42 a.m. ET (Bottero) - LaDontae Henton fights through the contact in transition and puts in an and-1 layup. He'll go to the line with a chance to cut the deficit to two.

12:38 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Providence outplaying Dayton right now but the Friars just can't seem to get a shot to fall. The Flyers lead 44-39 with 7:41 to play.

12:34 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Providence finally starting to show some signs of life at the offensive end. LaDontae Henton knocks down a triple and then a great pass by Kris Dunn gets Ben Bentil two shots from the line.

12:29 a.m. ET (Bottero) - A couple quick baskets from Dayton has the Flyers ahead of Providence 44-35 with just over nine points to play.

12:23 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Dayton ahead of Providence 38-35 with just under 12 minutes to go in that one. The Flyers can spoil the undefeated day for higher seeds with a win.

12:19 a.m. ET (Bottero) - The Canuck, Kevin Pangos scored 17 of his 18 points in the second half for Gonzaga.

12:17 a.m. ET (Bottero) - 2 Gonzaga 86 vs. 15 North Dakota State 76

12:12 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Gonzaga up 82-70 with 1:03 to play and heading to the free throw line.

12:07 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Gonzaga ready to put away North Dakota State. That will make the higher seeds 15-0 on the day. Providence the last one of the lot.

12:02 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Kevin Pangos knocks down a long jumper and the WCC Player of the Year is up to 13 points. Gonzaga leads 79-64 with less than three minutes to play.

11:57 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Kevin Pangos taking matters into his own hands for Gonzaga. He's on a personal 7-2 run for the Bulldogs. Gonzaga leads 75-64.

11:53 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Dexter Werner scoring at will right now. He's up to 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the Bison. North Dakota State within six.

11:53 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Steve Fisher's Aztecs led that one comfortably from start to finish. Never in doubt. 

11:52 p.m. ET (Bottero) - 8 San Diego State 76 vs. 9 St. John's 64

11:51 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The reason there was so little scoring in the first half of the Providence-Dayton game:

11:50 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Do the Friars know how scary their mascot looks?

11:48 p.m. ET (Bottero) - No. 11 Dayton takes a 28-25 lead into the break against sixth-seeded Providence. The Flyers look to be the last hope for a victory by a lower-seeded team today.

11:46 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Dexter Werner having a heck of a second half for the Bison off the bench. He has 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

11:44 p.m. ET (Bottero) - North Dakota State with an and-1 play to get to within six, but then Gonzaga scores three quick baskets to get the lead back up to 12.

11:39 p.m. ET (Bottero) - North Dakota State making a little bit of noise against Gonzaga. The Bison have gotten to within nine with just under 12 minutes to play.

11:36 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The scoring pace has picked up in Columbus. Dayton leads Providence 19-15 with five minutes left in the first half.

11:31 p.m. ET (Bottero) - St. John's guard D'Angelo Harrison picks up his fourth foul with a little over five minutes to play and he absolutely can't believe it. He has 16 points and nine boards. The Red Storm can't afford to lose him.

11:29 p.m. ET (Bottero) - With Wisconsin's win, the higher seed is 13-0 today.

11:25 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Lawrence Alexander having himself a game for North Dakota State. He's got 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, knocking down three of five shots from beyond the arc.

11:20 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Coastal Carolina scored its last basket of the game on an alley-oop off the backboard, because of course it did.

11:18 p.m. ET (Bottero) - 1 Wisconsin 86 vs. 16 Coastal Carolina 72

11:14 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Don't look to Dayton and Providence for points. It's 6-5 over eight minutes in. Providence shooting 28.6 percent from the field. Dayton shooting 12.5 percent.

11:09 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Frank Kaminsky up to 26 and 12 against Coastal Carolina as Wisconsin runs away with another victory for a higher seed.

11:05 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Wisconsin putting its game against Coastal Carolina to bed. The Badgers up their lead to 21 with four minutes to play.

11:00 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Gonzaga taking a 43-30 lead into the half. North Dakota ranks top 10 in protecting the basketball, giving the ball away only 9.8 times per game. The Bison turned the ball over 10 times in the first half.

10:57 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The result of the review is that the officials assess a flagrant 1 against Kris Dunn of Providence for being a little wild with the elbows.

10:56 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Providence and Dayton underway on a 6-11 matchup in Dayton and the officials are already reviewing for a flagrant foul.

10:54 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Frank Kaminsky making a late run at player of the day. 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, knocking down three of five attempts from beyond the arc, adding 10 rebounds, four assists, and a steal.

10:50 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The NCAA tournament has never had a first round (second round) day in which the higher seed has won every game.

10:46 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The late game between Providence and Dayton has been pushed back to 10:53 p.m. ET. 

10:43 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Just 10 perfect brackets remaining on ESPN. Who are these crazy people that picked a litany of upsets on Day 1 and zero on Day 2?

10:38 p.m. ET (Bottero) - With Oklahoma's win today, head coach Lon Kruger became the first coach to win an NCAA tournament game with five schools.

10:35 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The internet is blowing up with stories that Tom Crean reportedly told an official "you suck" after Indiana's loss to Wichita State. Pretty confident he's said worse.

10:31 p.m. ET (Bottero) - San Diego State taking a 40-33 lead into the break against St. John's. The Red Storm shot 50 percent from the field in the first half but trail by seven.

10:27 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Gonzaga pulling away from North Dakota State on the back of a 15-4 run. Bulldogs lead 19-13.

10:23 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Oklahoma the third Big 12 team through to the Round of 32 after a terrible start to the tourney for the conference. Big 12 teams went 3-1 today after going 0-3 yesterday.

10:21 p.m. ET (Bottero) - 3 Oklahoma 69 vs. 14 Albany 60

10:17 p.m. ET (Bottero) - North Dakota State leading Gonzaga 11-9 early on. The Bison are giving it their all.

10:15 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Wisconsin taking a 47-32 lead into the half against Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers shot 54.2 percent from the field and hit on 5-of-6 3-pointers and still trail by 15.

10:10 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Gonzaga and North Dakota State underway in Seattle in a 2-15 matchup.

10:08 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Albany not going away quietly. The Great Danes knock down a triple to cut Oklahoma's lead to six with 3:30 to play.

10:03 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Sir'Dominic Pointer showing he's more than just a great name. He's starting to take over for the Red Storm, scoring 11 of the team's first 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

9:58 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The ACC went 6-0 in the Round of 64.

9:54 p.m. ET (Bottero) - With Davidson's loss to Iowa, there are no more perfect brackets on CBSSports.com.

9:51 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Coastal Carolina showing some fight against Wisconsin. Guard Josh Cameron a big reason why. He's 4-of-4 from the field and knocked down all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. Chanticleers trail 28-24 in the first half.

9:46 p.m. ET (Bottero) - San Diego State and St. John's tied 4-4 two minutes into their 8-9 matchup in Charlotte.

9:43 p.m. ET (Bottero) - After letting Albany back within five, Oklahoma has scored the last seven points in Columbus to get its lead back to 12. Sooners lead 52-40 with 11:20 remaining.

9:39 p.m. ET (Bottero) - For the Iowa men's basketball program, this is their first tournament win in 14 years, and their first under Fran McCaffery.

9:37 p.m. ET (Bottero) - 7 Iowa 83 vs. 10 Davidson 52

9:33 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Credit to Iowa for limiting a Davidson offense that averages nearly 80 points to 50 heading into the closing moments of the game.

9:30 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Wisconsin and Coastal Carolina are underway in Omaha in a 1-16 matchup.

9:28 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Seeds 1-through-8 in the Midwest advanced to the Round of 32. First time that's happened in any region since 2012.

9:25 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Iowa still firmly in control in Seattle, leading Davidson 73-50. Hawkeyes forward Aaron White has 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting.

9:20 p.m. ET (Bottero) - With today's win, Duke has won 100 all-time NCAA tournament games.

9:15 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Get ready for another late night. The Gonzaga-North Dakota State game has been pushed back to 10:10 p.m. ET, and the Providence-Dayton matchup has been moved to 10:45 p.m. ET.

9:13 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Iowa running away from Davidson. Hawkeyes lead 60-41 with 11:43 remaining in the second half.

9:11 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Duke's Jahlil Okafor finishes with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, filling out his stat line with three rebounds, two blocks, a steal, and an assist. The 3-of-6 shooting from the free throw line is a concern, though.

9:09 p.m. ET (Bottero) - 1 Duke 85 vs. 16 Robert Morris 56

9:07 p.m. ET (Bottero) - From earlier, but worth repeating. The man knows his way around the month of March.

9:02 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Credit to Robert Morris for giving Duke a bit of a run in the second half after it looked like the game was over at the break. The Blue Devils are ready to put that one away though with a 27-point lead inside the final four minutes.

8:57 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Quick check in around the horn: Duke's up 75-50 late and Jahlil Okafor has 21 points ... Iowa's lead over Davidson remains steady at 46-38 with 16:41 to play ... Albany is hanging around agaisnt Oklahoma, down 31-23 with four minutes left in the first half.

No. 8 Oregon d. No. 9 Oklahoma State, 79-73
8:56 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Make it 17 consecutive games in which the lower seed has emerged victorious. Le'Bryan Nash's 18 points and seven rebounds game up a hair short for Oklahoma State and couldn't match Joseph Young's 27 points, four rebounds and four assists. This game was awesome.

8:55 p.m. ET (Murphy) - The Cowboys couldn't hit late - there may have been a missed foul call on an Oklahoma State 3-point attempt - and Oregon is going to hold on as a result. Heck of a game though.

8:52 p.m. ET (Murphy) - After Le'Bryan Nash hits a pair of freebies for the Cowboys, Jalil Abdul-Bassit missed a free throw, giving Oklahoma State the ball back. It's 77-73 Oregon with 9.6 seconds left and the Cowboys at the line.

It's getting tense.

8:51 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Duke promptly ended any thoughts of a Robert Morris comeback with a 12-0 run. Their lead is back to 20, 68-48, with under eight minutes to play.

8:49 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Oregon has been mostly nails from the line today, and Elgin Cook just hit a pair to extend the lead to six with 40 seconds on the clock.

8:46 p.m. ET (Murphy) - It's down to the final two minutes, and Oklahoma State can't close the gap. It's 75-69 Oregon with the Ducks at the line and 70 seconds to play. Dillon Brooks has really stepped up for Oregon down the stretch.

8:40 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Oregon is still hanging tight, clinging to a 70-69 lead over Oklahoma State with 3:52 to go.

Meanwhile, Robert Morris has cut Duke's once-substantial lead down to 10 with over 12 minutes left.

8:32 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Davidson got Iowa's lead down to a more reasonable 38-29 to enter half. Jack Gibbs has a game-high 12 for the Wildcats.

8:31 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Where you at, Karl-Anthony Towns? Jahlil Okafor's out here missing dunks. He has 17 points, too, and Duke leads by 20.

8:27 p.m. ET (Murphy) - We've got a real game going in Omaha. Not that you thought it was pretend or imaginary before, I just mean it's a good one. It's 65-62 Oregon with 8:20 to go. These teams are scoring like crazy.

8:21 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Davidson has unexpectedly fallen way behind Iowa early and trail 34-19. Their 2-of-12 mark from outside could explain it.

Albany and Oklahoma have also tipped off, so turn your fourth television on.

8:18 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Le'Bryan Nash has picked up a third foul for Oklahoma State and is hitting the bench at the 14-minute mark. He's committed five turnovers but has 12 points and seven rebounds, helping keep the Cowboys just a point back of the Ducks.

8:12 p.m. ET (Murphy) - There's no stopping Joseph Young. Make it 25 points overall, 23 in the last 8:50 of play and 23 of Oregon's last 26 points. And a ridiculous dunk.

It is quite literally all Young for Oregon right now, and tenuous a strategy though that may be, they're up five with 15:24 to go.

8:08 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Oregon is beginning to pull away from Oklahoma State a bit, and we should all hope that stays close given it's the only game in the second half and Duke is blowing out Robert Morris. Joesph Young remains the fire to burn all fires, scoring 19 points in the last 7:07 of play.

7:59 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Quinn Cook now has 16 points, leading all scorers as Duke takes a 42-25 lead into half. With Oklahoma State-Oregon at half and Albany-Oklahoma delayed, Davidson-Iowa (10-10) is the only active game.

7:52 p.m. ET (Murphy) - After Karl-Anthony Towns set a high bar Thursday, Jahlil Okafor is holding serve in the battle to be the No.1 pick. He is 3-of-3 with eight points, two rebounds and a block, and Duke is up 39-24 with 2:54 to play in the first half.

But he's got nothing on teammate Quinn Cook (14 points, 4-of-6 from long range).

7:46 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Joseph Young finished the first half with 17 points for Oregon, 15 of them coming in the last 4:14 of play, representing all of the Ducks' points. That's what those in the industry call being on one. He averages 20.2 points on the season.

7:42 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Bit of a blunder by Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford at the end of the first half. Not realizing Oregon was in the bonus, Ford called for his Cowboys to foul Joe Young, who subsequently hit a pair of free throws. That could prove costly, with Oregon now owning a 43-39 halftime lead.

7:34 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Checking in elsewhere, Oklahoma State and Oregon (36-36) are filling up the scoreboard with 2:25 left in the half and Duke's out to a commanding 26-12 lead against Robert Morris. Quinn Cook is 3-of-3 on threes, which is satisfying.

No. 4 Maryland d. No. 13 Valparaiso, 65-62
7:31 p.m. ET (Murphy) - That timeout Valpo called? Designed for Keith Carter to get trapped in the corner and get his shot blocked (it was probably a foul). The Crusaders really squandered those 30 seconds.

Melo Trimble (14-10-3), Dez Wells and Jared Nickens all had 14 points for Maryland, while Alec Peters led Valparaiso with 18.

7:29 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Valparaiso eschewed calling a timeout for 20 seconds, down three, opting to burn one with 13.3 seconds to play. That ... is a curious call. Are they holding for last shot to tie? Why eat the time and shorten the game for Maryland?

7:26 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Damonte Dodd is hitting the bench for Maryland after picking up his fifth foul. That's a big loss, as he's scored eight points and blocked four shots. Jake Layman has fouled out, too, finishing with four points. Four-point game, 60 seconds to play.

7:22 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Dez Wells is a beast. He just hauled in a huge offensive rebound off a Jake Layman miss, getting the put-back and-one. It's 65-61 Maryland with 1:44 to play.

7:21 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Fans may be on (Terra)pins and needles but Maryland won't (Melo) Tremble. That is to say, Maryland keeps knocking down clutch free throws and are grasping to a 62-59 lead with two minutes to play.

7:14 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Maryland is still clinging to a narrow lead, up 58-57 on Valparaiso with 3:11 to play. The Crusaders are a paltry 7-of-27 insider the arc and are 7-of-14 at the free throw line, so how are they in this? Try 10 offensive rebounds and a torrid 12-of-24 mark from 3-point range. Fuego.

7:13 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Charlotte has fired things back up, with the de facto home team and No. 1 seed Duke taking on Robert Morris.

7:09 p.m. ET (Murphy) - As if things weren't going to be tough enough for Valparaiso, E. Victor Nickerson just fouled out. One of the team's best and most versatile defenders, he exits with eight points and two steals. Maryland leads 54-50 with 5:15 to go.

7:04 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Fun with David strategies: Valpo is 11-of-22 from long range, 4-of-10 on free throws and 6-of-26 inside the arc. High-variance is the way to go as an underdog.

7:02 p.m. ET (Murphy) - The Crusade is upon us! Valparaiso has tied their game against Maryland at 49 with 6:31 to play on an E. Victor Nickerson triple. More like 3 Victor Nickerson.

6:58 p.m. ET (Murphy) - We're underway with Oregon and Oklahoma State, and Anthony Hickey Jr. got five points for the Cowboys before I could finish this update.

6:51 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Melo Trimble doesn't just have one of the best names in the tournament. He also has 12 points and 10 rebounds for Maryland, and the Terrapins lead 47-43 with 9:29 to play.

6:44 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Now's probably your last window to grab a quick bite. Valpo has cut the lead to 41-40 with 11:56 to play, so this one is probably going to come down to the wire, followed by four games starting between 6:50 p.m. and 7:27 p.m.

6:37 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Can Valparaiso stop the chalk? They're stuck 39-34 with 15:39 to play and they're shooting just 30.8 percent from the floor. At least they're all over the offensive glass.

6:36 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Another 7-footer is confused about Mamdou Ndiaye not getting a look at the end of the game for UC Irvine.

6:26 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Feeling a little bored? Favorites have won all seven games today and the last 15 games in the tournament overall (and 18 in a row going by the Vegas favorite). The game quality has still been there for the most part, Valpo is keeping it close with Maryland, and there are still eight more games. We got this.

No. 2 Louisville d. No. 15 UC Irvine, 57-55
6:19 pm. ET (Murphy) - Well, that's a disappointing way for an upset bid to end. UC Irvine had a chance to tie or go ahead but Terry Rozier poked the ball loose from Alex Young on what appeared to be an attempt to use one of their fouls to give, and Louisville came up with the ball from the ensuing scramble.

Mamdou Ndiaye finished with 12 points, five rebounds and a block while Will Davis II led the Anteaters with 14 points and nine rebounds. Wayne Blackshear had a game-high 19 points for the Cardinals.

6:16 p.m. ET (Murphy) - After a missed three and subsequent misguided foul, the Anteaters are down 57-55. There are 8.9 seconds left and Louisville has two fouls to give. Channel your avatar, UC Irvine.

6:14 p.m. ET (Murphy) - We're tied up again! Louisville is in the bonus, it's 55-55 and it's Anteaters' ball.

6:13 p.m. ET (Murphy) - The Anteaters lead 55-53 with a minute to play. What's more, they just used a timeout and have two more, letting them set their defense for each possession. Which means yes, Ndiaye is at the rim.

6:10 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Mama-DOU you believe in miracles? It's 53-53 with 1:56 to play. 

6:09 p.m. ET (Murphy) - This right here is Mamadou Ndiaye. And he's 7-foot-6 with an 8-foot-1 wingspan. And you can't teach that.

You also can't deal with it, if you're Louisville. The Cardinals lead is just 53-51 with 2:30 to play.

6:09 p.m. ET (Murphy) - If you appreciate this tweet, we can be homies.

6:07 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Your boy is back. Let's Mamadou this.

6:06 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Buffalo demands winners.

6:04 p.m. ET (Bottero) - UC Irvine scoring with regularity, back in the lead in Seattle. Ahead of Louisville 51-50 under four minutes. 

6:02 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Mamadou Ndiaye with another monster dunk against Louisville. Why is he having so much success? He's a giant.

5:59 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Valparaiso and Maryland exchange triples. Terrapins lead 31-24 with two minutes to play in the half.

5:55 p.m. ET (Bottero) - UC Irvine not afraid and going right at Louisville. Down by one point with nine minutes to play.

5:45 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Mamadou Ndiaye having himself a day. Unleashes a monster dunk on Louisville, then slaps the floor on defense.

5:40 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Things are finally getting interesting. Louisville ahead of UC Irvine by just two points, 39-37 a little over five minutes into the second half. Valparaiso ahead of Maryland, 21-15 in the first half.

5:36 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Wichita State and Kansas haven't played against one another since 1993. Haven't met in the tournament since 1981.

5:33 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Very good sign for Virginia that Justin Anderson was able to play as well as he did. Scored 15 points, shot 4-of-6 from the field and 6-of-7 from the line. Hadn't scored since Feb. 7 before today.

5:30 p.m. ET (Bottero) - With the victory over Belmont, Virginia ties a program record with 30 wins in a season.

5:29 p.m. ET (Bottero) - 2 Virginia 79 vs. 15 Belmont 67

5:23 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Virginia looking just fine now. Leads Belmont 73-64 with 1:05 to play, and the Cavaliers are heading to the line to shoot two.

5:20 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Depending on when you got in, Wichita State the first favorite that failed to cover today. The Shockers opened as five-point favorites and closed as 6.5-point favorites. Won by five. In any event, 13 consecutive favorites have won straight up.

5:18 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Wichita State's win sets up the matchup everyone wanted to see (except Bill Self) with instate rival Kansas.

5:17 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Belmont making some noise against Virginia. Bruins trail 64-60 with three minutes to play.

5:16 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Indiana really botched the end of that game. Tom Crean ready to blow a gasket on the sideline at the end of that game.

5:15 p.m. ET (Bottero) - 7 Wichita State 81 vs. 10 Indiana 76

5:13 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Maryland-Belmont underway in Columbus in a 4-13 matchup.

5:11 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Indiana takes its time to foul, then fouls Ron Baker. He hits both and is now 8-of-8 from the line.

5:07 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Indiana with a quick two points off a foul. 78-76 Wichita State with 32 seconds remaining.

5:04 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Wichita State's Tekele Cotton gets free under the basket for a big bucket that moves the Shockers ahead by four points with 35 seconds remaining. Timeout Indiana.

5:02 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Things are really getting interesting in Omaha. Indiana cuts Wichita State's lead down to two points under two minutes.

4:58 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The start of the Maryland-Valparaiso game has been pushed back to 5:12 p.m. ET.

4:54 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Virginia's defense is really letting it down against Belmont. Bruins trail by only five nearing the midway point of the second half, 51-46. Cavaliers guard Justin Anderson has 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

4:49 p.m. ET (Bottero) - UC Irvine's Mamadou Ndiaye is a big boy.

4:44 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Wichita State finally starting to gain some separation on Indiana. The Shockers lead 65-57 with less than eight minutes to play.

4:41 p.m. ET (Bottero) - With the Buffalo loss, the No. 12 seeds go winless for the first time since 2007.

4:39 p.m. ET (Bottero) - 5 West Virginia 68 vs. 12 Buffalo 62

4:37 p.m. ET (Bottero) - West Virginia knocks down a triple and then gets fouled after grabbing a defensive rebound. The Mountaineers will head to the line up five with 20.9 seconds to play.

4:32 p.m. ET (Bottero) - If West Virginia does advance to the next round, be prepared to see what Bob Huggins looks like without hair - he'll have pulled it all out by then.

4:30 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Juwan Staten bumps the Mountaineers' lead up to three after slashing through the lane, but the Bulls draw even with a triple at the other end. The game is tied 62-62 with 2:24 to play. Timeout West Virginia.

4:28 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Buffalo nearly all the way back. The Bulls trail West Virginia by a single point, 60-59, with 3:25 to play in Columbus.

4:27 p.m. ET (Bottero) - It may have taken all afternoon, but Wichita State has finally moved ahead of Indiana. Shockers lead 48-47 with a little over 14 minutes to play.

4:26 p.m. ET (Bottero) - UC Irvine leading Louisville early in Seattle. The 13-seed doubling up on the No. 4 seed early, 8-4.

4:21 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Under five minutes to play in Columbus and Buffalo is really cutting into that West Virginia lead. The Bulls trail 60-56 inside of five minutes.

4:19 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Wichita State guard Fred VanVleet single-handedly keeping Wichita State in the game against Indiana. He has 21 points, including this sick and-1.

4:14 p.m. ET (Bottero) - They're putting on a free-throw shooting clinic in Omaha. Wichita State and Indiana shooting a combined 22-of-26 from the charity stripe.

4:11 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Wichita State big man Darius Carter took a shot to the chops and seems to have lost a tooth, according to reports. 

4:08 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The start of the 4-13 matchup in Seattle between Louisville and UC Irvine has been pushed back to 4:21 p.m. ET.

4:06 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Northern Iowa received a pregame speech from alum Kurt Warner prior to its game against Wyoming. The Cowboys never had a shot.

4:03 p.m. ET (Bottero) - If you don't like upsets, this day is for you.

3:58 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Virginia fans don't have anything to worry about after all. Cavaliers lead Belmont 30-20 at the under-eight timeout.

3:55 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Clearly Tom Crean uses Twitter and wants no part of your memes.

3:53 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The rich and proud tradition of No. 12 seeds in the NCAA tournament now falls on Buffalo, which trails West Virginia 51-43 nearing the midpoint of the second half.

3:51 p.m. ET (Bottero) - There was a long stretch in the second half when Northern Iowa could have played better, but overall, a terrific performance by the Panthers, who look like a team to be reckoned with.

3:49 p.m. ET (Bottero) - 5 Northern Iowa 71 vs. 12 Wyoming 54 | Final

3:47 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Indiana taking a 39-36 lead into the half against Wichita State. The Hoosiers have just been too quick for the Shockers to handle. Also, Yogi Ferrell had a tremendous first half, scoring 15 points and hitting on 3-of-4 attempts from beyond the arc.

3:41 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Justin Anderson hits on a triple from the corner just under seven minutes into the Virginia game. That's his first shot of the game and his first points since Feb. 7!

3:38 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Points are hardly at a premium in the opening of the Virginia-Belmont game. Bruins lead 15-12 just 5:37 into the game.

3:34 p.m. ET (Bottero) - A big reason for Wyoming's improved play in the second half - Larry Nance Jr., who had just a single point in the first half, has 15 in the second half. He's up to four fouls though, and Northern Iowa is back to pulling away, extending its lead to 14 points with less than four minutes to play.

3:30 p.m. ET (Bottero) - They're underway on the 2-15 matchup in Charlotte with Virginia and Belmont set to duke it out. Cavaliers standout guard Justin Anderson is dressed but not starting. The ring and pinky fingers on his shooting hand are heavily wrapped.

3:27 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Wichita State had worked its way to within one of Indiana, but the Hoosiers continue their hot shooting from deep, moving the lead back up to five. Indiana has hit on 5-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc.

3:24 p.m. ET (Bottero) - It's a 17-5 run for Wyoming that has the team back in the game against Northern Iowa, and the Cowboys will go to the line and shoot two on the other side of a TV timeout.

3:20 p.m. ET (Bottero) - It still has a long way to go, but Wyoming has trimmed a once insurmountable lead to 10 inside of 10 minutes against Northern Iowa.

3:15 p.m. ET (Bottero) - West Virginia taking a 36-26 lead into the half against Buffalo. The Bulls did a good job of pulling closer near the end of the half, but the Mountaineers were able to build their margin back up by scoring the final seven points of the half.

3:10 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The concern for Wichita State was that Indiana would get hot from beyond the arc. So far, the Hoosiers have hit on 3-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc and lead 15-10.

3:05 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Best seat in the house for the West Virginia-Buffalo game.

3:02 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Going back to yesterday, 10 consecutive favorites have won.

2:59 p.m. ET (Murphy) - A quick update in case all your focus was rightfully on Georgia's failed comeback: Wyoming is down 43-29 to Northern Iowa thanks in large part to Seth Tuttle, West Virginia is up 29-26 near the end of the first half against Buffalo and one of the day's best games on paper, Indiana and Wichita State, just tipped off.

No. 7 Michigan State d. No. 10 Georgia, 70-63
2:58 p.m. ET (Murphy) - The Spartans hang on, but barely. Georgia's 33.3 percent shooting killed them, with their frequent trips to the line and 12 offensive rebounds keeping them in it. Charles Mann finished with 19 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Travis Trice had 16-6-6, with three steals for Michigan State.

2:56 p.m. ET (Murphy) - That's a tough one for the Bulldogs. A missed Charles Mann layup bounced between the fingertips of several Georgia players before landing in the hands of Branden Dawson, who hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead back to seven.

2:53 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Annnnnd we've got a tight game after all. Georgia has cut Michigan State's lead to 66-63 with 19.6 seconds to go. Both teams are in the double bonus, the Spartans have the possession arrow and the ball, but the Bulldogs have all the momentum on a 21-6 run.

2:50 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Did I speak too soon? Georgia has the lead down to six at 64-58, but it's Michigan State ball, in the bonus, with 34 seconds to play.

2:44 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Maybe the bar was set too high on Thursday. We're off to a rough start today, with the Kansas blowout and Georgia never quite threatening Michigan State seriously (it's 64-52 with 89 seconds to play). The 12-5 games in progress aren't particularly close yet but they're early, still.

2:37 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Georgia just won't stay down. It's 60-52 Michigan State with 4:15 to play, and the Spartans have been unable to push the lead past 13 despite several mini runs. Charles Mann has 15 for Georgia but it's been a balanced attack late with five different players scoring in the last five minutes.

2:34 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Seth Tuttle finished the half with 10-5-2, with two steals for Nothern Iowa, helping build a 35-24 lead over Wyoming. It's unclear if Larry Nance Jr. is playing or someone is just calmly walking around the floor in his jersey.

2:29 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Travis Trice just set up a four-point play for Bryn Forbes, who proceeded to give Georgia the D-Generation X crotch chop and then hit the free throw. It's now 58-45 Michigan State with seven minutes to play.

2:23 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Georgia isn't playing particularly well, shooting 30.2 percent with 11 turnovers, but they're doing enough to hang around. Michigan State leads 54-43 with 8:05 to play. Travis Trice has 15 points and five dimes to lead the way for the Spartans.

No. 2 Kansas d. No. 15 New Mexico St., 75-56
2:21 p.m. ET (Murphy) - The day's first final is in the books. It was somewhere south of pretty, with Kansas cruising to the win. They were led by Frank Mason III, who had 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and the blowout nature served to mute the stats of most of their players, with the Jayhawks going deep into their bench.

Game Recap

2:17 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Seth Tuttle is cooking in Seattle. The Northern Iowa senior has nine points and four rebounds, pushing the Panthers out to a 31-19 lead with 5:02 to play in the first half.

2:13 p.m. ET (Murphy) - We're back to the four-at-a-time part of the day, which is the best. Well, Kansas-New Mexico St. isn't really a game anymore, but technically there are four. West Virginia and Buffalo have tipped off in Columbus, the last chance for a 12-seed to top a 5-seed.

The tournament hasn't gone without a 12-seed winning at least one game since 2007. No pressure, Bulls.

2:06 p.m. ET (Murphy) - It's all but over in Omaha (Kansas is up 68-47) but Georgia is keeping it a game with MSU in Charlotte. The Spartans' lead is down to 39-35 with 14:46 to play.

2:04 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Northern Iowa doesn't look willing to be the first 5-12 upset victim of 2015. They're up 22-12 on Wyoming and their bench has 13 points already. It'll be tough for Wyoming to hang in while tired in the second half when the Panthers can lean on their depth and stay fresh all game.

2:00 p.m. ET (Murphy) - I still can't believe that Derek Cooke Jr. dunk didn't count.

1:57 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Here's a thing.

1:55 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Branden Dawson is on the board for the Spartans after finishing a ridiculous alley-oop pass for a layup. He's a long-shot to be taken in the second round as a senior, so his quiet day so far is a little disappointing.

1:53 p.m. ET (Murphy) - There's really not a ton to talk about right now. Kansas is up 57-43 with nine minutes left and nobody in the game has more than 10 points (Remi Barry). Northern Iowa has a 13-9 lead to start against Wyoming. And Michigan State is up 10 on Georgia early in the second half.

Wait for it, though.

1:46 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Magic Johnson is in the house in Charlotte to watch his Spartans ... and take a ton of pictures with fans, apparently.

1:43 p.m. ET (Murphy) - We almost had our first big highlight of the day. Derek Cooke Jr. tried to get things started with a bang for Wyoming, dunking all over Northern Iowa. Alas, it was called a charge. Sigh. A charge shouldn't be a call on dunks this good.

1:40 p.m. ET (Murphy) - The big senior battle in underway in Seattle - it's Seth Tuttle and Northern Iowa taking on Larry Nance Jr. and Wyoming. Twenty percent of CBS users pegged this as an upset for Wyoming, your boy included.

1:33 p.m. ET (Murphy) - We have a Tanveer Bhullar sighting for the Aggies! The 7-foot-3, 335-pound brother of Sim Bhullar of the Reno Bighorns, Tanveer played just 37 minutes in total on the season, scoring five points and blocking two shots. Looks like New Mexico St. is just going to stick him under the rim to try to slow the Kansas attack.

1:31 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Don't count Bill Self among those impressed with a 44-30 lead and Perry Ellis' nine points. Not after Ellis' third botched dunk of the game, this time a failed alley-oop that led to a turnover.

1:30 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Georgia might be over-matched. It's 7-of-24 shooting with 10 turnovers. They're defending OK and have grabbed a third of their own misses, but they're stuck 35-22 at the break, a long climb back for the second half.

1:24 p.m. ET (Murphy) - New Mexico St. and Kansas come out of the half trading buckets, with Remi Barry hitting a layup and Wayne Selden Jr. throwing down. MSU and Georgia are nearing the half and we're about 15 minutes from tip-off in Seattle for Wyoming-Northern Iowa. Momentum.

1:15 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Remember how I pointed out Frank Mason III's strong first half earlier? Please forget it, if this is the kind of ridiculous leap people are going to make with the non-prospect playing 20 minutes of quality ball.

1:13 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Georgia started out strong but the talent gap is beginning to show. Or nerves. The Bulldogs have eight turnovers and are 5-of-16 from the floor, allowing Michigan State to go on a 10-0 run and take a 20-16 lead.

1:06 p.m. (Murphy) - Obligatory "Travis Trice, real name, no gimmicks" joke time, as the MSU guard is kind of all over the floor. The Spartans have finally taken a lead at 16-14, thanks to a Marvin Clark Jr. bucket assisted by Trice.

1:02 p.m. (Murphy) - Kansas is looking just fine at the half, up 36-23 on New Mexico St. The Jayhawks are shooting 53.6 percent to 33.3 percent for the Aggies and have an edge from long range, on the glass and in the turnover battle. Perry Ellis leads the way with nine points, but Frank Mason III has been their best player with seven points, four rebounds and three assists.

12:53 p.m. ET (Murphy) - If Michigan State looks bad early - it's down 11-5 - don't sweat it too much. Tom Izzo's squad hasn't had a first-round exit since 2011 and have lost in the first round just five times in 18 trips with him at the helm. They seem to have a penchant for peaking as the tourney kicks off.

12:50 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Hmm, I wonder if this enormous line of people will be thinking underdog after Thursday's run of upsets. The Aggies are down 24-16 to Kansas, but Georgia looks good early with a 7-3 lead on the Spartans. Two 12-5 matchups are coming up shortly, and here we are without the vaunted 12-5 upset yet.

12:48 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Marvin Menzies is on the sideline rubbing his players' shoulders, Buster Bluth-style. I could get used to playing for New Mexico St.

12:43 p.m. ET (Murphy) - And we've got a second underway, with Georgia out to a 4-0 lead against Michigan State. Get it together, Izzo.

12:41 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Oh yeah, it's 24-14 Kansas. Nothing much of note yet, with the better team playing a little better than the worse team. Perry Ellis has seven points, even if it looks like he's playing on one leg.

12:40 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Tshilidzi Nephawe needs to have a huge game so people are forced to try to pronounce Tshilidzi Nephawe. I imagine Nephawe is pronounced like "Byah!"

12:35 p.m. ET (Murphy) - The best part of March Madness so far is all of these "Furious 7" trailers. Can't believe we're only two weeks away from opening night. Blessed.

12:26 p.m. ET (Murphy) - So, I don't think Perry Ellis' knee is at 100 percent. He's been back for a few games now, but he's already missed a pair of dunks Friday, mostly because he didn't have the lift to stick the finish. He's 1-of-4 but Kansas leads 12-7.

12:21 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Thursday was for upsets. Kansas is trying to set a different tone early Friday, pulling out to an 11-4 lead in the game's opening 4:12. Frank Mason III already has five points, two rebounds and an assist.

12:17 p.m. ET (Murphy) - And we're underway! Perry Ellis gets us going with a layup for Kansas.

12:00 p.m. ET (Murphy) - We're back for another 12 hours of awesome basketball, insane upsets and, of course, the best damn live blogging experience available on the internet or on your mobile phone.

Can the Big 12 rebound? Will another 3-seed fall? Can Jahlil Okafor match Karl-Anthony Towns' Thursday performance in the battle to be the No. 1 pick?

We'll get answers between now and midnight, with me and Gino Bottero here to walk you through the entire slate of 16 games. Buckle in.

Here's a specific look at what to watch today.

Catch up on Thursday's action with the Morning Wrap-up.