March Insanity live tracker: Highlights, outcomes, reactions from Day 1
Mar 20, 2025, 09:01 PM ET The wait is lastly over: March Madness tips off with Day 1 of the males’s 2025 NCAA competition– and we’re here to track all the action.We have more than 12 hours of hoops in store. Whether you’re enjoying all 16 first-round games or revitalizing score pages, consider this your guide to all the significant highlights and results, along with responses and on-site reporting from ESPN writers throughout the country.Jump to: Live updates|Outcomes and takeaways(10)Utah State vs.( 7)UCLA, 9:25 p.m.( TNT)(15)Omaha vs.(2 )St. John’s, 9:45 p.m.( CBS) (12) UCSD vs. (5) Michigan, 10 p.m. (TBS )(14)UNCW vs. (3)
Texas Tech, 10:10 p.m. (truTV) ,! 1);]] >
Day 1 Outcomes Latest games noted first.Final: Tennessee beats Wofford, 77-62 How Tennessee won: This was among those games where the skill disparity appeared from the opening tip. While Wofford did its best to spend time and kept Tennessee honest, the Volunteers didn’t look bothered at any point– and it was difficult for the Terriers to combat the Vols ‘wide variety of scoring alternatives. 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. In general, it was an outstanding proving. By adding Lanier last offseason, the North Florida transfer could be the piece who presses Tennessee to its first Last 4 in school history.– Ben Child Final: Gonzaga beats Georgia, 89-68 How Gonzaga won: Running from the less familiar role of competition 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 variety to secure an interesting second-round date with No. 1 seed Houston. Sixth-year guard Khalif Fight led the shooting barrage with four triples, part of a game-high 24-point efficiency to go with eight rebounds. A 20-point, 12-rebound effort from Georgia freshman Asa Newell provides just 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 years. Another note on Gonzaga: Ryan Nembhard’s eight helps on the day take his assist tally to 333 on the year, drawing the senior guard level with Avery Johnson (Southern, 1986-87 )for 5th all-time amongst 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 undoubtedly a team of flurries. The Cougars closed out the first half on a 12-2 run before opening the 2nd half with a 13-6 push on the method to a first-round win in Denver. By the time Odom called a timeout three minutes and 15 seconds into the 2nd half, the Cougars had actually constructed a 52-34 lead, and the Rams did not narrow the space to less than 10 points up until Zeb Jackson struck a 3-pointer to make it 75-66 with 55 seconds to play. The BYU backcourt– Egor Demin and Richie Saunders– integrated for 31 points as the Cougars shot 50% from the field, with Fousseyni Traore including 13. The Rams did have four players with at least 10 points, led by Jackson’s 23. — Jeff Legwold
Last: McNeese beats Clemson, 69-67
How McNeese won: McNeese head coach Will Wade noted the difference in between his group entering this year’s competition compared to in 2015, saying he felt the 12th-seeded Cowboys were “more about company” after simply moring than happy to be there in 2015. They took care of their organization in excellent fashion versus fifth-seeded Clemson, publishing a 69-67 win that wasn’t as close as the score suggests. The Cowboys, who won their very first tournament game in school history, burst a 6-6 tie early to take a 31-13 lead at the half before holding back a Tigers surge as things got all of a sudden interesting in the final 2 minutes. Brandon Murray scored a team-high 21 points off the bench, while Quadir Copeland included 16 and Christian Shumate had 13 points and 11 rebounds. — Mike Reiss
Last: Auburn beats Alabama State, 83-63
How Auburn won: The crucial to any great upset is the underdog putting constant and meaningful pressure on the favorite, but that didn’t happen here, as things wound up being quite comfy for 1-seed Auburn. Tigers senior guard Miles Kelly led all players with 23 points, with eight of his made buckets originating from behind the 3-point line. The Hornets were on the verge of taking the lead in the first half but couldn’t strike the needed complimentary throws– that was their best punch, and Auburn ultimately reacted by closing the half on a 9-0 run. It was a spirited effort from the 16-seed SWAC champs, however it’s going to take more than that to beat the top general seed. The win sets up a very intriguing match against 9-seed Creighton; the Bluejays showed they have the offensive firepower to truly evaluate the Tigers in the win over Louisville earlier today. — Ben Infant
Last: Houston beats SIUE, 78-40
How Houston won: Houston leaves to a perfect start to its third consecutive tournament as a 1-seed. A searing first-half shooting efficiency (61.3%) raised 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, travelling to the program’s second-largest triumph 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 deal with the winner of No. 8 Gonzaga and No. 9 Georgia.How J’Wan Roberts
played: Roberts, who missed out on Houston’s previous two games after rolling his right ankle in the team’s Huge 12 Competition opener, logged 20 minutes and amounted to 6 points with three rebounds in his first action since March 13 while using only a soft brace on his hurt ankle. That bodes well for the fifth-year senior and Cougars progressing. — Eli Lederman
Final: Wisconsin beats Montana, 85-66
How Wisconsin won: The drumbeat of Wisconsin’s size and earnestness on offense was excessive for the upstart Grizzlies. The Badgers had 2 7-footers– Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter Season– in the beginning 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 flooring over 6-5. And while Montana cut the result in four points two times early in the second half, the Badgers kept boning up on ruthlessly efficient 55.4% shooting. John Blackwell led U-W with 19 points as Crowl ended up with 18 and Tonje with 15. The Badgers obstructed 6 shots and outrebounded Montana 40-29. — Jeff Legwold
Last: Purdue beats High Point, 75-63
How Purdue won: High Point played the function of the bothersome underdog well, keeping things close in the 2nd half. But in the end, Purdue used 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 definitive stat that tells the story: Purdue had a 45-24 rebounding edge. Peak’s last lead was at the 12:19 mark of the first half (14-13), and while the Panthers sufficed to three with simply less than 8 minutes in policy, they could not get over the hump. — Mike Reiss
Final: Creighton beats Louisville, 89-75
How Creighton won: In what was essentially a roadway game, 9-seeded Creighton beat 8-seeded Louisville in a first-round match that wasn’t close once again after the middle of the very first half. Creighton senior guard Jamiya Neal scored a game-high 29 points with some massive containers late that assisted stifle Louisville’s momentum. This draw is a mixed bag for top-seeded Auburn if it beats Alabama State, however the Bluejays showed they have the firepower to genuinely challenge the Tigers.— Ben Infant