NCAA bracket scores 2018: Results and highlights from Friday

Virginia 21, UMBC 21, HALFTIME:

Folks, we might just have us a game between a No.1 and a No. 16 seed ...

Syracuse 12, TCU 11, 11:31, 1H:

Hello, please look at this alley-oop.

Xavier 84, Texas Southern 63, 7:29, 2H:

The No. 1 seeded Musketeers have a commanding lead in their opener. No chance of an upset in this one.

Virginia 7, UMBC 6, 11:58, 1H:

A 16-seed has never beaten a 1-seed. We’ll see if that’ll change in the Friday night window as the last such matchup in this tourney tips off.

Auburn 62, College of Charleston 58, FINAL:

The TIgers held on despite some shoddy free throw shooting in the end.

Auburn 53, College of Charleston 52, 3:20, 2H:

The Tigers may be down some firepower coming into the tournament, and it shows in a tight game against the Cougars. CofC has turned the ball over 21 times, yet still are in a tight game.

Michigan State 82, Bucknell 78, FINAL:

Sparty pulled away in the second half leading by as many as 17 points, and it was largely due to Myles Bridges. The do-everything sophomore scored 19 points in the second half to power Michigan State to the victory.

Michigan State 36, Bucknell 30, 3:01, 1H:

Josh Langford has 13 points on seven shots to lead MSU in this one, but Bucknell is hanging in.

Kansas State 32, Creighton 26, HALF:

Stokes hits a three-point shot as time expires to give the Wildcats a more comfortable halftime lead.

Michigan State 10, Bucknell 6, 14:50 1H:

The Spartans are off. Is this the year for Miles Bridges?

Kansas State 15, Creighton 9, 11:27, 1H:

The Wildcats are off to an early lead.

Nevada 87, Texas 83, FINAL

Nevada comes back from a 14-point deficit to win! Wolfpack get Cincinnati on Sunday.

Nevada 85, Texas 83, :15 seconds, OT

Kerwin Roach hits one from deep to keep the Longhorns in this one. Wolfpack ball.

West Virginia 85, Murray State 68, FINAL

The Mountaineers get Marshall in the Round of 32.

Nevada 83, Texas 80, 38 seconds OT

Buckets are flying. This is WILD (and March!)

Texas 68, Nevada 68, Let’s go to overtime

Nevada missed the potential game-winner, and off we go to OT. The Longhorns are without Mo Bamba, who fouled out.

Texas 68, Nevada 68, 1.6 seconds 2H:

Nevada splits free throws, but then Texas turns the ball over with less than two seconds to go. NEVADA CAN WIN THIS.

Texas 68, Nevada 67, 0:18.3, 2H

Longhorns back to the line again. This is going to come down to the buzzer.

Texas 66, Nevada 65, 0:45.3, 2H

Osetkowski heads to the line for free throws to give the Longhorns some breathing room. This is wild!

Texas 64, Nevada 62, 2:50, 2H:

THIS. IS. MARCH.

Texas 56, Nevada 50, 7:57 2H:

Nevada back?

West Virginia 58, Murray State 45, 11:44, 2H:

Jevon Carter has 18 points, and he and Terrell Miller are carrying WVU right on along. Murray State has 12 minutes to find a way through this defense.

Texas 40, Nevada 30, 18:00 2H:

Longhorns are off running again!

Butler 79, Arkansas 62, FINAL:

The Bulldogs get an injured Purdue team in the Round of 32. Boilermaker center Isaac Haas is out for the tournament with a fractured elbow.

West Virginia 38, Murray State 29, HALF:

Jevon Carter and Esa Ahmad each have eight points, and all the Mountaineers are contributing.

Texas 35, Nevada 26, HALF:

Kerwin Roach has 12 points for the Longhorns, and Mo Bamba has four points and five rebounds as Texas is rolling on by.

Butler 61, Arkansas 51, 6:53, 2H:

The Bulldogs have a few more minutes to close things out, but Arkanas is hanging on!

West Virginia 18, Murray State 12, 8:19 1H

The Racers are fighting, but so far the Mountaineers have been able to coax them into seven turnovers, creating the space for an early lead.

Texas 19, Nevada 12, 11:14 1H

The Longhorns haven’t gotten much from Mo Bamba yet, but they haven’t needed to. They’re currently doubling-up the Wolfpack on the glass.

UNC 53, Lipscomb 42, 15:44 2H

The Tar Heels have a comfortable, but not insurmountable, lead over the Bison. Lipscomb is getting value from Kenny Cooper (14 points), but the rest of the team is shooting just 32.4% (12-37).

Butler 36, Arkansas 31, HALFTIME

That’s a 29-15 run to close out the half for the Razorbacks, who are immediately making me regret writing mean things about them. Arkansas’ bench has given the team a much-needed change of pace, scoring 12 points to help right a rocky start.

Butler 27, Arkansas 18, 6:50 1H

“Arkansas is doing better.”

“Arkansas is doing well?”

“That’s not what I said.”

Cincinnati 68, Georgia State 53, FINAL

The Panthers’ upset bid ran out of gas in the final quarter of the game, where they were outscored 24-8. Jarron Cumberland had 26 points for the Bearcats, while D’Marcus Simonds needed 20 shots to score 24 for GSU.

Marshall 81, Wichita State 75, FINAL

Missed free throws, missed threes, missed opportunities. Wichita State had a chance to claw back against Marshall, but instead the Thundering Herd earn a well-earned upset win. At least the Shockers can meet up with Arizona so the two teams can share their shame of losing to a 13-seed.

UNC 43, Libscomb 34, HALFTIME

The Tar Heels have found their shot, making nearly 55 percent of their attempts from the field through 20 minutes.

Marshall 80, Wichita State 75, :35.2 2H

Wichita State needed a stop to keep Marshall’s lead to three points. Instead, the Shockers did this:

Butler 21, Arkansas 4, 13:13 1H

Oh hey let’s check in on the Arkansas game and GUUUUUUUUUHHHHHH

Marshall 78, Wichita State 75, :44 2H

The Herd missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Frankamp drained a three on the other end. The Shockers aren’t dead yet, and this game remains awesome.

Marshall 78, Wichita State 72, 1:55 2H

A layup-steal-dunk sequence has Wichita on the ropes with fewer than two minutes to play,

but that swagger was set up by Jarrod West’s deeeeeeeep three.

The Shockers need points and stops to avoid being the second 4-seed to fall this tournament.

Georgia State 45, Cincinnati 44, 10:22 2H

The Panthers have shot their way back into this one, putting the Bearcats on upset alert as we roll into the game’s final 10 minutes.

Wichita State 70, Marshall 69, 4:25 2H

Jon Elmore: 27 points
Connor Frankamp: 24 points

Two guys that look like your dad are killing it. This. Game. Is. Awesome.

Lipscomb 21, UNC 16, 11:41 1H

The Bison may be making their tournament debut, but they aren’t nervous. Lipscomb has bufuddled the Tar Heels with four blocks and two steals in eight minutes to take an early lead in their first round matchup.

Wichita State 65, Marshall 62, 7:45 2H:

MARSHALL IS CHAOS.

Wichita State 65, Marshall 62, 7:45 2H

No matter whether Marshall wins or loses, Jon Elmore will be a preseason All-America candidate next fall. The junior guard came into Friday’s matchup averaging 22.8 points per game in 2017-18. He’s got 23 through 32 minutes so far— and there’s no way the Herd would be battling for the lead in this one without him.

Marshall 53, Wichita State 52, 11:44 2H

The Thundering Herd are getting out-rebounded, but their chaotic defense has done enough to offset that disadvantage. Marshall leads with under 12 minutes to play, and suddenly this 13-4 matchup looks like the best game of the day.

Lipscomb 3, UNC 2, 19:19 1H

The Bison are making their first-ever NCAA appearance. They get to face ACC runner-up North Carolina as a reward. Seems unfair.

Wichita State 47, Marshall 44, 15:52 2H

The Shockers took control of this game with a first half rally, but Marshall isn’t going anywhere. Jannson Williams’ three-pointer clawed the Herd back within a point before WSU answered in a sloppy battle.

Purdue 74, Cal State Fullerton 48, FINAL

The Boilermakers struggled early, but ultimately bullied the Titans with superior size and depth, leading to a blowout win and a spot in the Round of 32. It’s a bad sign for the rest of the East Regional when Purdue has a bad game but still wins by 26.

Cincinnati 35, Georgia State 30, HALFTIME

I think Kyle Washington just stole Georgia State’s soul.

Cincinnati 28, Georgia State 25, 3:11 1H

A 7-0 run and a spate of second-chance points have the Bearcats on top for the first time in this game. Georgia State is getting doubled-up on the boards (20 to 10) and taking advantage of GSU’s sloppiness to show just why they were a double-digit favorite.

Georgia State 20, Cincinnati 16, 9:28 1H

The Bearcats have made only six of their 19 shots as the Sun Belt champs have put the AAC champs on their heels early.

Texas A&M 73, Providence 69, FINAL

Good effort, Friars. Thanks for allowing this to happen.

Wichita State 37, Marshall 34, HALFTIME

The Shockers have recovered behind an 11-1 run that gave them the lead headed into the locker room. Connor Frankamp’s veteran leadership has shined through behind his team-high 14 points.

Texas A&M 64, Providence 54, 2:06 2H

A four-plus minute scoring drought looks like it will doom the Friars. A&M opened up the first double-digit lead of the game, and Davis’s and-1 layup will give the Aggies an insurmountable lead — and a 95% chance to advance to the Round of 32.

Purdue 49, Cal State Fullerton 27, 13:31 2H:

The Boilermakers are no longer shooting 33 percent, which is extremely bad news for the Titans.

Marshall 33, Wichita State 26, 3:50 2H:

The Shockers are making just one-third of their shots, and now they’re on upset watch.

Texas A&M 59, Providence 52, 4:12 2H:

A 9-2 run has the Aggies on top late in the second half -- and that’s where they thrive. Texas A&M is 19-1 this season when leading when there’s five minutes left in the game. Robert Williams has been too much for an undersized Friar team to handle -- he’s got 11 points and 12 rebounds so far.

Georgia State 3, Cincinnati 0, 18:00 1H:

Ron Hunter is back and we’re officially four-deep for Friday. BASKETBALL.

Texas A&M 53, Providence 52, 6:43 2H:

A&M spent a little too much time admiring Robert Williams’ drive and layup, allowing Kalif Young and the Friars to do this to them on the other end.

Marshall 22, Wichita State 21, 7:24 1H:

The shooting in this game is bad. The dunks are good!

Texas A&M 50, Providence 50, 8:54 2H:

Providence’s Rodney Bullock drained back-to-back threes to chop away at the Aggies’ lead, and a Kyron Cartwright jumper tied this game back up at 50-all. PC is starting to feel it from long range — can Texas A&M find a way to shut them down on the perimeter?

Marshall 14, Wichita State 11, 11:08 1H:

It’s too early to suggest another 13-4 upset, but the Thundering Herd are playing strong defense and limiting Wichita State’s second chances in a low-scoring affair. Shocker center Shaq Morris is only 1-4 from the field so far, but his one basket was a momentum-builder.

Texas A&M 45, Providence 39, 12:00, 2H:

A 10-0 run gave the Aggies the game’s biggest lead and forced Ed Cooley to take a momentum-breaking timeout. The Friars keep losing out on 50/50 balls in a sloppy game, and those second chances are powering A&M.

Marshall 8, Wichita State 4, 16:00 1H:

Our third game of the day is underway, and Conference-USA champion Marshall is holding the Shockers to just 1-7 shooting through the first media timeout.

Providence 34, Texas A&M 31, 16:40 2H:

The Friars aren’t shooting well, so it makes sense they’d want to load up on some shots closer to the rim.

Purdue 30, Cal State Fullerton 21, HALFTIME

The Boilermakers found their range in the final minutes to take a double-digit lead into the locker room.

Purdue 22, Cal State Fullerton 18, 3:32 1H:

Purdue’s in the double bonus, but the Titans are hanging around. Fullerton has eight turnovers and is shooting just 33 percent, but is still in this game thanks to some scrappy defense.

Texas A&M 28, Providence 27, HALFTIME:

A&M isn’t shooting well, but it’s grabbing offensive rebounds and drawing fouls to frustrate the Friars. The Aggies have eight offensive boards and have made eight of their 11 free throws to take a slight lead into the half. Providence coach Ed Cooley can’t be happy with the fact he’s losing to a team shooting 33 percent from the field.

Purdue 11, Cal State Fullerton 10, 11:45 1H:

Fullerton is hanging around, but has already committed five fouls. It may be a matter of time before a deeper and more talented Purdue team builds a lead.

Providence 22, Texas A&M 21, 3:50 1H:

A&M center Tyler Davis averages more than 14 points per game, but is 0-3 from the field with zero points so far. A big three from Jay Jay Chandler gave the Aggies their first lead of the game, and PC’s foul trouble could help the No. 7 seed take an advantage into halftime.

Purdue 6, Cal State Fullerton 5, 15:40 1H:

The Boilermakers and Titans have tipped off in Detroit.

Providence 18, Texas A&M 15, 7:44 1H:

It’s been sloppy early in this one, as a 6-6 shooting streak is the only thing that’s kept the Aggies from missing every one of their shots. The two teams have combined for 10 turnovers and have made less than 39 percent of their shots so far.

Providence 4, Texas A&M 0, 16:15 1H:

We’re officially underway in Charlotte as day two kicks off with the Friars and Aggies and also Providence’s terrifying mascot, Friar Dom.

Thursday’s NCAA tournament action failed to disappoint. From Rhode Island’s overtime triumph over Oklahoma in what was likely Trae Young’s last game with the Sooners to Buffalo’s second-half stomping of Pac-12 champion Arizona, the first half of the first round rewarded the enterprising souls who ignored their nine-to-five jobs to watch 12 hours of nearly non-stop basketball.

Friday promises more of the same. Another team from the Ocean State will lead off the day’s action when Providence takes on Texas A&M at 12:15 p.m. ET. Less than two hours later, CBS and the Turner networks will turn on their afterburners to broadcast four games at the same time and send productivity crashing throughout the country.

While that early slate features a handful of matchups, there are plenty of competitive showdowns that could create the origin story for this year’s Cinderella. Murray State cruised through the Ohio Valley Conference to return to the NCAA Tournament, and a win over West Virginia would give the Racers three wins in their last three bracket appearances. Charleston will look to follow Buffalo’s gameplan by pulling off the 13-4 upset — and they’ve got Dick Vitale’s blessing to do so.

The action will last until midnight, when New Mexico State and Clemson close out the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament. The Aggies dominated a weak schedule to finish 28-5 this winter, but also toppled tourney teams Davidson and Miami to prove they’re more than just a low-major setpiece. They’ll have the chance to prove they’re for real — and extend the Tigers’ decades-long streak of postseason disappointment — when the two teams tip off at 9:57 p.m.

No. 7 Texas A&M 73, No. 10 Providence 69

No. 15 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 2 Purdue, 12:40 p.m.

No. 13 Marshall vs. No. 4 Wichita State, 1:30 p.m.

No. 15 Georgia State vs. No. 2 Cincinnati, 2:00 p.m.

No. 15 Lipscomb vs. No. 2 North Carolina, 2:45 p.m.

No. 10 Butler vs. No. 7 Arkansas, 3:10 p.m.

No. 12 Murray State vs. No. 5 West Virginia, 4:00 p.m.

No. 10 Texas vs. No. 7 Nevada, 4:30 p.m.

No. 9 Kansas State vs No. 8 Creighton, 6:50 p.m.

No. 14 Bucknell vs. No. 3 Michigan State, 7:10 p.m.

No. 16 Texas Southern vs. No. 1 Xavier, 7:20 p.m.

No. 13 Charleston vs. No. 4 Auburn, 7:27 p.m.

No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 1 Virginia, 9:20 p.m.

No. 11 Syracuse vs. No. 6 TCU, 9:40 p.m.

No. 9 Florida State vs. No. 8 Missouri, 9:50 p.m.

No. 12 New Mexico State vs. No. 5 Clemson, 9:57 p.m.