The overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament, Florida survived an early scare from Albany in its opening game. The Gators got a double-double from Patric Young, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds, en route to a 67-55 victory.
2014 NCAA bracket: Top-seeded Florida hangs on against No. 16 Albany, 67-55
The Gators were challenged by the Great Danes, but hung on thanks to Patric Young and Casey Prather.
The Great Danes competed early, hanging on to a tie score with 15 minutes left in the contest. But Florida was too much, with Casey Prather and Dorian Finney-Smith netting 16 points apiece.
Albany got a game-high 21 points from DJ Evans, who shot 6-of-12 from the field. The Danes shot under 40 percent for the game.
No. 3 Syracuse 77, No. 14 Western Michigan 53
The Orange cruised past Western Michigan, dominating the paint against the Broncos. Syracuse out-rebounded its MAC opponents 41-25 with C.J. Fair pulling down 11 boards; Fair also added 14 points. 'Cuse point guard Tyler Ennis finished the game with 16 points and 6 assists.
No. 4 Michigan State 93, No. 13 Delaware 78
Adreian Payne scored 41 for the Spartans, the most by a single player in the NCAA Tournament since Gerry McNamara scored 43 for Syracuse in 2004. The senior went 17-of-17 from the free-throw line, while the Spartans were 23-of-25 as a team. Delaware hung around with eight three-pointers, but ultimately couldn't keep up with Tom Izzo's team.
No. 7 Oregon 87, No. 10 BYU 68
The Ducks outclassed BYU on Thursday, stomping the Cougars to advance to the Round of 32. Elgin Cook dropped 23 for Oregon off the bench. The Cougars' pair of dynamic guards -- Tyler Haws and Matt Carlino -- combined to shoot 11-of-34 in the game.
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