March Madness Live Updates: NCAA Tournament Scores by Region

Neither team could pull away in this game. No. 10 Oklahoma led by 4 at the half, behind 4-for-4 shooting by Young. In the second half he ramped up his point total and finished with 28 and seven assists.

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Rhode Island was the team with a chance to win it in regulation however. After Young made two free throws to tie it at 69-69, Rhode Island missed a jumper by Jeff Dowtin and a Stanford Robinson put back.

In overtime, Rhode Island was the better team, winning, 83-78. The extra period included two long, long 3 point tries by Young, both with Oklahoma leading and both of which missed. A 3 by E.C. Matthews was the killer that won it for Rhode Island. Young finished with a game-high 28 and seven assists, and Matthews had 16 for Rhode Island.

• Meanwhile, no problems for Tennessee against Wright State; the final score was 73-47. Lamonte Turner scored 19 points off the bench.

Kansas Settles Down, Leads Penn at Halftime

After jumping ahead, 21-13, over top-seeded Kansas, No. 16-seed Penn seemed to have that look.

That familiar, underdog look. Confident, stoic, unafraid. Ivy League teams have had it in recent years in this tournament. But it’s extremely rare for a 16-seed to ever show it against a powerhouse like the Jayhawks.

They were hitting 3-pointers and flustering Kansas on the defensive end. There was a sense that, if Penn could potentially go into halftime with a lead, or only slightly trailing, the thought of losing to a 16-seed (for the first time in N.C.A.A. tournament history) would be enough to completely rattle the Jayhawks.

But Kansas recovered, and just in time. The Jayhawks leaned on their star guard, Devonte Graham, who scored six straight points to ignite a 17-2 run that seems to have erased that look that Penn mustered earlier. At least, for now.

Whatever the result, Penn did accomplish something. Kansas’ 7-foot center, Udoka Azubuike, with a brace protecting his sprained left knee, wasn’t expected to play much Thursday unless there was an emergency. Well, in the first half, Coach Bill Self determined there was an emergency situation underway. Credit Penn for sounding the alarm.

Gonzaga Recovers Against U.N.C.-Greenboro

Gonzaga appears en route to their 15th straight win. The defending national finalists trailed for the first 10 minutes, with six turnovers, as the U.N.C.-Greensboro press gave the Bulldogs some early trouble. But they kept their poise and built their lead to 32-23 at halftime This veteran team has seen just about every defense at this point.

If No. 13 U.N.C.-Greensboro starts to hit some shots (0-13 3-point range) maybe they can tighten up the score in the second half. But Gonzaga also left points on the board inside. They look to be in control at halftime.

No. 16 Penn Leads No. 1 Kansas Early

Could it really be happening?

Penn has opened up 3 for 3 from beyond the arc to take an early (very early) 12-7 lead over top-seeded Kansas five minutes into their game in Wichita.

Kansas’ player of the year candidate Devonte Graham has missed 3 of his first 4 shots.

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First-Round Schedule Thursday

12:15 p.m. — No. 7 Rhode Island vs. No. 10 Oklahoma (CBS)

12:40 p.m. — No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 14 Wright State (truTV)

1:30 p.m. — No. 4 Gonzaga vs. No. 13 UNCG (TNT)

2 p.m. — No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Pennsylvania (TBS)

After URI-Oklahoma — No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Iona (CBS)

After Tenn.-Wright St. — No. 6 Miami vs. No. 11 Loyola (Ill.) (truTV)

After Gonzaga-UNCG — No. 5 Ohio St. vs. No. 12 South Dakota State (TNT)

After Kansas-Penn — No. 8 Seton Hall vs. No. 9 NC State (TBS)

6:50 p.m. — No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 16 Radford (TNT)

7:10 p.m. — No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Davidson (CBS)

7:20 p.m. — No. 6 Houston vs. No. 11 San Diego St. (TBS)

7:27 p.m. — No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin (truTV)

After Villanova-Radford — No. 8 Virginia Tech vs. No. 9 Alabama (TNT)

After UK-Davidson — No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Buffalo (CBS)

After Houston-San Diego St. — No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 Montana (TBS)

After Texas Tech-SFA — No. 6 Florida vs. No. 11 St. Bonaventure (truTV)

Here’s What to Expect in the First Round

Best Game: Kentucky vs. Davidson, 7:10 p.m. ET

The 12-5 game is historically ripe for an upset pick because it features a middling high-major team against a red-hot mid-major team. Not this year. The young Kentucky Wildcats just won the SEC tournament, and they have enough talent (as usual) to go deep. Davidson, fresh off winning the Atlantic 10 tournament, possesses a potent offense. Also, it’s been 10 years since a certain guard took the Wildcats to the Elite Eight. What was his name again? Curry? Wonder what happened to him…

Could It Happen? No. 16 Penn vs. No. 1 Kansas, 2 p.m. ET

Could a No. 16 seed actually beat a No. 1 seed? It has never happened in the men’s tournament, but more and more prognosticators are saying that Penn has a fighting chance against Kansas. In their reckoning, Kansas is a weak No. 1 seed, and Penn a strong No. 16. Kansas also loves to shoot 3s and Penn excels at defending them.

Still, as Fivethirtyeight.com said, while Penn has the best chance of a 16 in many years, they are still only about 5 percent likely to win.

Best Fashion: Michigan

Those baggy shorts that Michigan’s Fab Five made famous almost 30 years ago? No thanks. This year’s team sports a much more tailored look.

“They’re a backlash to the oversized and baggy,” said men’s wear expert Mark-Evan Blackman, an assistant professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. “They’re neater, there’s more thought put into them. They’re stepping against the tide. They’re perceived as more finished, more professional.”

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What About Trae Young? Rhode Island vs. Oklahoma, 12:15 p.m. ET

There is more attention than usual on the first game of the round of 64 at 12:15 Eastern in Pittsburgh. The reason is not seventh-seeded Rhode Island, despite its admirable 25-7 record. Rather all eyes are on Oklahoma, which in January looked like one of the best teams in the country and by March only barely squeaked into the tournament.

Oklahoma is led by Trae Young, a freshman guard who leads the nation in points and assists. And, unfortunately, turnovers.

Which team will show up on Thursday? You could see Young having a huge game or three and Oklahoma making a tournament run. You could also see Oklahoma capitulate by 11 as they did in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.

Rhode Island is a 2-point favorite. It is the only game of the first four with a point spread less than 12.

Best Name: Admiral Scofield, Tennessee

His father was in the military for 24 years. But Scofield is actually named after an insurance commercial (Admiral Insurance) his parents heard on the radio while stationed overseas in England. He’ll be commanding the paint for the third-seeded Volunteers, who face No. 14 Wright State at 12:40 p.m.

Best Defending the 3: Penn

Penn’s opponents shot only 29 percent from outside the 3-point line. Top-seeded Kansas (40 percent on the season) will test that in the first round.

Best Offense: Villanova

Villanova averages 122.7 points per 100 possessions, the best figure in Division I. That is also the highest offensive rating since 2009-10, when College-Basketball-Reference began keeping the stat. That’s bad news for Radford, who plays the Wildcats at 6:50 p.m. ET.

Worst Offense: Wright State

The Raiders, the No. 14 seed in the South Region, are averaging 102.3 points per 100 possessions, better than more than 100 Division I schools, but worst among those in the tournament.

Best Ivy League team: Penn

Well, there’s only one. And they’re a long-shot to beat top-seed Kansas as a No. 16 seed (tipoff at 2 p.m.). That’s never happened before in 132 tries. Two years ago, No. 12-seeded Yale knocked off Baylor. Two years before that, it was 12th-seeded Harvard upsetting Cincinnati. Maybe even years are the charm? Here’s why they could win.

Best Player: Collin Sexton, Alabama, 9:20 p.m. ET

You could certainly make the case for Trae Young, the Oklahoma guard who led the nation in scoring and assists. And Arizona’s Deandre Ayton will almost undoubtedly be the top pick in the draft. But nobody is more fun to watch — or has more potential to be a breakout star of this tournament — than Alabama’s freshman guard, averaging 25.5 points on 51.7 percent shooting in his past four games.

Best Player You’ve Never Heard of: Mike Daum, South Dakota State

He’s already scored more than 2,200 points in his career, and he’s only a junior. He also averaged 10.4 rebounds per game this season, en route to winning his second Summit League player of the year award. Daum will be a handful for a struggling Ohio State team.

Best Chance for an Upset: Loyola-Chicago vs. Miami, 3:10 p.m.

There are a few in play on Thursday (be warned, Houston), but Loyola-Chicago might become your favorite team by the weekend. If the 98-year-old nun on the sidelines isn’t enough, they’re catching Miami without Bruce Brown, the Hurricanes’ second-leading scorer.

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