FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Remy Martin had 15 points and Christian Braun 14 to lead five players scoring in double figures for top-seeded Kansas, and the Jayhawks opened their 50th NCAA Tournament with an 83-56 victory over Texas Southern. The SWAC champion Tigers had their only lead over the Big 12 champs after Bryson Etienne made their first shot of the game. Kansas is 29-6 and plays its second-round Midwest Regional game Saturday against ninth-seeded Creighton. John Walker III had 13 points for the Tigers.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Matthew Mayer scored a career-high 22 points and defending national champion Baylor opened the NCAA Tournament with an 85-49 victory over Norfolk State. Freshman standout Jeremy Sochan added 15 points and seven rebounds. The top-seeded Bears are 27-6. Baylor traveled less than 100 miles from its campus in Waco, Texas, to open the East Regional in Fort Worth. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year Joe Bryant had 15 points for Norfolk State.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Second-seeded Kentucky suffered an 85-79 overtime loss to St. Peter’s in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Darryl Banks poured in 27 points as the Peacocks became the 10th No. 15 seed to win a first-round game since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Banks’ two free throws with 1:45 left in overtime gave Saint Peter’s the lead for good. Oscar Tshiebwe had 30 points and 16 rebounds for Kentucky (26-8) but his pair of missed free throws early in overtime was costly.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gonzaga struggled to shake No. 16 seed Georgia State for 30 minutes before going on a 24-1 run in a 93-72 victory in the opening round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Drew Timme scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half and finished with 13 rebounds. The Zags were sluggish early and couldn’t make a basket for a long stretch of the first half.
UNDATED (AP) — A pair of fifth seeds were knocked out of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Jacob Gilyard scored 24 points and 12th-seeded Richmond leaned on its graduate senior-experienced lineup to defeat Big Ten champion Iowa, 67-63. Teddy Allen scored 37 points and New Mexico State won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in almost three decades, 70-63 over No. 5 Connecticut.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Santiago Vescovi scored 18 points and Tennessee pounded Longwood 88-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, showing exactly why it felt it deserved better than a No. 3 seed. The Volunteers shot 60% from the field and had four players score in double figures. The runaway victory came just four days after the school won the Southeastern Conference Tournament for its first conference tourney crown in 43 years. Next up for the Vols is 11th-seeded Michigan on Saturday. No. 14 seed Longwood was led by Justin Hill with 13 points in the school’s first NCAA tourney appearance.
MOSCOW (AP) _Russia’s Tass news agency says a court near Moscow announced it has extended the detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner until May 19. Griner was detained at a Moscow airport, reportedly in mid-February, after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges as allegedly containing oil derived from cannabis. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. The 31-year-old Griner is one of the most recognizable players in women’s basketball. The seven-time All-Star has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S.. and a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury.
THURSDAY NCAA TOURNAMENT SCORES
SOUTH
Final Michigan 75 Colorado St. 63
Final Tennessee 88 Longwood 56
MIDWEST
Final OT Creighton 72 San Diego St. 69
Final Kansas 83 Texas Southern 56
Final Providence 66 S. Dakota St. 57
Final Richmond 67 Iowa 63
EAST
Final Baylor 85 Norfolk St. 49
Final North Carolina 95 Marquette 63
Final OT St. Peter's 85 Kentucky 79
Final OT Murray St. 92 San Francisco 87
Final Saint Mary's (Cal.) 82 Indiana 53
Final UCLA 57 Akron 53
WEST
Final Memphis 64 Boise St. 53
Final Gonzaga 93 Georgia St. 72
Final New Mexico St. 70 UConn 63
Final Arkansas 75 Vermont 71