Sport

2023 March Madness live updates: Vermont-Marquette, Pitt-Iowa State, more

17.03.2023

If Day 1 of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was any indication of how Friday will play out, college hoops fans are in for a real treat, and we’ve got you covered with all the top moments from start to finish!

Action kicked off with No. 7 Michigan State taking down No. 10 USC in the East Region, followed by the Midwest’s 3-seed Xavier narrowly escaping 14-seed Kennesaw State, which made its first tournament appearance in program history.

Elsewhere, in the East Region, 15-seed Vermont is taking on 2-seed Marquette, while No. 11 Pittsburgh is up against No. 6 Iowa State in the Midwest and 11-seed North Carolina State faces 6-seed Creighton in the South.

Later, the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers will take on No. 16 seed Farleigh Dickinson at 6:50 p.m. ET in the East, while No. 4 Indiana goes up against No. 13 Kent State at 9:55 p.m. in the Midwest Region.

Follow along with the most up-to-date bracket here.

Here are the highlights!

11. North Carolina State vs. 6. Creighton

Making history

Creighton came out strong against NC State, setting a new program record right off the bat.

11. Pittsburgh vs. 6. Iowa State

Hot start!

Pittsburgh was on fire to start Friday’s game, sinking one big-time bucket after another right out of the gate.

Pulling away early

Pitt took a quick double-digit lead over Iowa State, draining three 3-pointers in the first few minutes with ease.

15. Vermont vs. 2. Marquette

Slam!

Vermont got the opening bucket, but Marquette took the lead within the game’s opening minute and never lost it in the first half.

Within arm’s reach

The Golden Eagles put some distance between them and the Catamounts, taking a 39-30 lead into the break.

Stay tuned for details!

5. Saint Mary’s 63, 12. VCU 51

Neck and neck

It was a back-and-forth battle from the jump between VCU and Saint Mary’s, with the two teams trading the lead numerous times in the first half.

Anyone’s game

The Rams picked it up in the second half, but the Gaels held a one-point lead at halftime, 29-28.

Under pressure

Saint Mary’s continued to apply pressure on VCU as the second half got underway, coming up with one clutch bucket after another to keep things close. In the end, the Gaels punched their ticket to the next round with a solid double-digit win.

3. Baylor 74, 14. UC Santa Barbara 56

Battling early

As the first half got underway, UC Santa Barbara didn’t let Baylor get more than eight points ahead. Midway through the opening frame, the Gauchos found a groove and took the lead.

UCSB led by one point at halftime, 36-35.

Seeing green

Baylor kicked it into high gear in the second half, cruising to double-digit win with ease.

3. Xavier 72, 14. Kennesaw State 67

Power moves

Xavier jumped out to a 7-0 lead right out of the gate, setting the tone early.

It was a fast-paced battle from the tip-off, and both sides were showing off in a big way early. Exhibit A:

Heating up

Xavier was commanding the court from the start, but Kennesaw State hit back-to-back 3s midway through the first half to knot things up en route to taking its first lead of the game, 25-23.

Kennesaw State continued to heat up as things wound down, grabbing a seven-point lead at the break, 43-36.

No quit

The Owls picked up where they left off as the second half got underway, exploding for a 13-point lead over Xavier.

Wild ending!

There was no quit in the Musketeers as the second half wound down, coming up with a 13-0 run late in the frame.

Kennesaw State retook the lead with two minutes to go, but Xavier still had a few tricks up its sleeve. In the end, the Musketeers narrowly escaped defeat, 72-67, to advance to the second round.

7. Michigan State 72, 10. USC 62

We’re off!

USC was first to score, but Michigan State found a rhythm early and went on a 6-0 run to grab a quick first-half lead.

The Spartans extended their lead to double-digits midway through the opening frame.

Boom!

Both teams traded off huge dunks late in the first half, with Michigan State holding a slight advantage. Then, USC answered with an 8-2 run to pull within three points as the first half winded down. Things were tied 34-all at the break.

Making a statement

The Spartans extended their lead to nine points, 49-40, early in the second half, courtesy of Carson Cooper‘s wild dunk.

From that point on, Michigan State never relinquished the lead, cruising to a double-digit win.

COMING UP:

13. Iona vs. 4. UConn