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Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship: First Four Recap

The First Four kicked off the March Madness Tournament with four games played earlier this week before the Round of 64. Alabama State, North Carolina, Mount St. Mary’s, and Xavier all advanced to the Round of 64, with games scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

(No. 16) Alabama State Hornets def. (No. 16) St. Francis (PA) Red Flash 70-68

Alabama State secured a 70-68 win over Saint Francis (PA) to advance to the Round of 64. With the score tied at 68 in the final seconds, Alabama State forced a turnover and had possession under their own basket. Micah Simpson launched a full-court inbounds pass toward a crowd of players in the lane at the other end, where Ammar Knox grabbed the ball and scored the game-winning basket with one second left in regulation.

Knox led the team in scoring with 16 points, shooting 8-of-15 from the field. Alabama State will now face No. 1 seed Auburn on Thursday in a South Region matchup in Lexington, Kentucky.

(No. 11) North Carolina Tar Heels def. (No. 11) San Diego State Aztecs 95-68

North Carolina cruised to a dominant 27-point win over San Diego State, securing their spot in the Round of 64. RJ Davis led the Tar Heels with 26 points, shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from three-point range.

San Diego State entered the game with the nation’s top-ranked field goal percentage defense but allowed a season-high 96 points. Their previous high was 80 points in a loss to then-No. 3 Gonzaga in November.

UNC’s selection for the tournament was considered controversial, but they silenced any doubts with a dominate performance, shooting 52.6% from the field and 58.3% from beyond the arc. North Carolina advances to face No. 6 Ole Miss in a South Region matchup in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

(No. 16) Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers def. (No. 16) American University Eagles 83-72

Mount St. Mary’s secured an 83-72 victory over American University to advance to the Round of 64. Dola Adebayo and Jedy Cordilla led the Mountaineers in scoring with 22 points each.

American’s leading scorer, Matt Rogers, who averaged 17 points per game, suffered a right knee injury just four minutes into the game. He left the game with 5:28 remaining in the first half and did not return, dealing a major blow to American’s offense.

Mount St. Mary’s will face No. 1 seed Duke in an East Region matchup in Raleigh, North Carolina.

(No. 11) Xavier Musketeers def. (No. 11) Texas Longhorns 86-80

Xavier pulled off its biggest comeback of the season, rallying from a 13-point deficit to defeat Texas 86-80. Marcus Foster led the Musketeers with 22 points, while Zach Freemantle added 15.

Texas held a 47-39 lead at halftime, marking the first time Xavier trailed at the break since their January loss to Creighton. The Musketeers mounted a strong second-half comeback, with Freemantle breaking a 78-all tie with a turnaround jumper at the 1:48 mark. He then hit two clutch free throws to extend Xavier’s lead to 82-79 with 1:09 remaining.

Texas kept the game within five points in the final 20 seconds, but Xavier held on to secure the win. The Musketeers advance to face No. 6 seed Illinois in a Midwest Region matchup in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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