2023 March Madness scores, takeaways: Fairleigh Dickinson shines in the moment as fantastic first round ends

Friday's first-round NCAA Tournament action delivered everything a college basketball fan could ask for from the first weekend of the Big Dance. While No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson's stunning upset of No. 1 seed Purdue stood out from a jam-packed day of action, it was hardly the only drama.

No. 3 seed Xavier needed a late rally to avoid a shocking loss to No. 14 seed Kennesaw State, and No. 5 seed Miami also had to mash the gas pedal in the closing minutes to overcome No. 12 seed Drake. In the late-night window, No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic escaped with a dramatic win over No. 8 seed Memphis and No. 6 seed TCU got a late bucket to escape a late charge from Arizona State. A few big-name programs also began their tournament journeys with solid results.

No. 2 seed Marquette and No. 3 seed Baylor each cruised to double-digit victories, and blue-blood programs Kentucky and Michigan State also emerged with wins. The No. 6 seed Wildcats dominated No. 11 seed Providence on the glass in a 61-53 win while No. 7 seed Michigan State got 17 points from Joey Hauser in a 72-62 victory over USC.

CBS Sports is with you all tournament long with news, highlights and analysis from the NCAA Tournament. 

Here are a few more takeaways from Friday's first-round action.

No No. 12s win

At least one No. 12 seed had defeated a No. 5 seed in 31 of the past 36 NCAA Tournaments entering this week. But this season marked the rare year in which every No. 5 seed escaped upset. On Thursday, No. 5 seed Duke crushed Oral Roberts, and San Diego State handled Charleston.

Then, on Friday, Saint Mary's stifled VCU and Miami rallied from a late deficit to defeat Drake. The Bulldogs led 55-47 with under six minutes to play but couldn't close the deal against the Hurricanes, who outscored Drake 16-1 to close the game with a 63-56 win.

There were plenty of other major upsets in the first round this season, but none of them came from the fabled No. 12-seed line.

Pitt finally advances again

After a decade of frustration, Pittsburgh is dancing past the first round of the NCAA Tournament again. The Panthers crushed No. 6 seed Iowa State 59-41 after taking out Mississippi State in a First Four game on Wednesday. Fifth-year coach Jeff Capel entered this season squarely on the hot seat but is up to 24 victories on the season now.

The Panthers will play a Xavier team in the second round that is coming off a narrow victory over Kennesaw State on Friday. There is a precedent of teams coming from the First Four and making a run. UCLA (2021) and VCU (2011) each made the Final Four after playing in the First Four, and Syracuse (2018), Tennessee (2018) and La Salle (2013) reached the Sweet 16 after playing in the First Four. The Panthers will have a shot to build on that legacy of success. 

Saint Mary's validates seeding

Saint Mary's resided near the top of most college basketball rankings throughout the season. The Gaels and their slow, defensive-oriented style made them the darling of computer models and advanced analytics gurus. But their lofty standing in various metrics stood juxtaposed with non conference losses against Washington, New Mexico and Colorado State, none of whom reached the NCAA Tournament.

While Saint Mary's shared the WCC regular-season crown with Gonzaga, it ended up losing its season series against the Zags by falling to them in the WCC Tournament title game. Long story short, Saint Mary's needed to provide some validation for its No. 5 seed, and that's exactly what it did Friday in a defensively dominant 63-51 win over No. 12 seed VCU.

The next step for the Gaels will be reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010. Friday's performance was a start, but beating UConn is what will truly open some eyes around the country as to how strong a program Randy Bennett has built at Saint Mary's

2023 March Madness live updates

All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule | LIVE bracket

CBS Sports will be with you the entire way updating this story with the latest from every first-round game on Friday. Keep it locked here for scores, analysis and highlights throughout the evening.

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Fairleigh Dickinson makes history

Final: Fairleigh Dickinson 63, Purdue 58

Fairleigh Dickinson just became the second No. 16 seed to ever beat a No. 1 seed. The Knights outmuscled the Boilermakers in the most stunning result yet from the 2023 NCAA Tournament. FDU is the smallest team in the nation but somehow overtook Purdue and 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey. FDU forced 16 turnovers and got 19 points from Sean Moore. Unbelievable.

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Indiana moves on with historic game from TJD

Final: Indiana 71, Kent State 60

The Golden Flashes were a trendy upset pick, but they never threatened the Hoosiers in the final finish of the night on a crazy Friday. Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five blocks. According to OptaStats, he's the first player in NCAA Tournament history to ever record that stat line, dating back to blocks becoming an official stat in 1985-86. Indiana will move on to play Miami on Sunday in a great 4/5 matchup. The Hoosiers' program rebuild under Mike Woodson continues, and you know what? With Zach Edey out of the tournament, Trayce Jackson-Davis might have a case to wrangle NPOY from him if IU goes deep in the bracket. 

 
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Kansas State rolls

Final: Kansas State 77, Montana State 65

Kanas State scooted past Montana State without too much drama. The Bobcats had it down to four early in the second half and were within eight with under three minutes remaining. Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell were solid as usual though, combining for 35 points.

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Another dramatic finish

Final: TCU 72, Arizona 70

JaKobe Coles scored a go-ahead floater with 1.5 seconds left to lift No. 6 seed TCU to a 72-70 win over TCU. The Horned Frogs led by eight with under five minutes to go, but Arizona State rallied to tie it on a DJ Horne 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining. But TCU came up with the clutch bucket in the end. Mike Miles led the Horned Frogs with 26. Key stat: Arizona committed 17 turnovers vs. just 5 for TCU.

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FAU does it

Final: Florida Atlantic 66, Memphis 65

FAU got a go-ahead bucket with 2.5 seconds left from Nick Boyd to escape from a game that was within five points for the entire second half. Memphis committed a confounding late turnover and then broke down defensively on the final possession. The Owls will take on Fairleigh Dickinson in the second round on Sunday. 

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Indiana in control

Half: Indiana 35, Kent State 27

Kent State is shooting just 26.3% from the floor and should feel lucky to be within striking distance of Indiana after such a poor offensive half. A 9-3 edge in second-chance points helped the Golden Flashes keep it close entering the break, but the Hoosiers' front court is feasting. Race Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis have combined for 23 points so far for IU.

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Sun Devils on a run?

Halftime: Arizona State 44, TCU 37

It's been a big day for team from the First Four, and Arizona State hopes teams like Fairleigh Dickenson and Pitt won't get to have all the fun on Friday. The Sun Devils are up on TCU at the half thanks to a hot shooting start, with this team hitting 60% from both the floor and from beyond the arc. 

 
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Montana State hanging tough

Half: Kansas State 34, Montana State 28

Kansas State shot 51.7% from the floor in the first half and got 10 points each from Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson. But despite the strong efforts from K-State's guard, Montana State is hanging around. RaeQuan Battle scored 13 for the Bobcats on 5 of 9 shooting. Both teams struggled with turnovers in the first half and the squads combined to make just 3 of 9 free throws.

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Memphis rallies

Halftime: Memphis 35, FAU 31

Memphis trailed 25-15 midway through the first half, but the Tigers finished the half on a 16-4 run to take a 35-31 lead on the Owls into the locker room. Kendric Davis has 9 points and the Tigers have committed just two turnovers. The Owls started hot but head to the locker room just 4 of 14 from beyond the arc. The winner of this game will get…Fairleigh Dickinson. Great path to the Sweet 16 for whoever emerges here.

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Miami survives

Final: Miami 63, Drake 56

Drake led 55-47 with under six minutes remaining but could not close it out against No. 5 seed Miami as the 'Canes finished on a 16-1 run to win 63-56. Miami will play either Indiana or Kent State in the second round. Nijel Pack led Miami with 21 points and Wooga Poplar added 15. What a gut-wrenching end for the Bulldogs, who missed their final seven shots from the field. Darnell Brodie led Drake with 20.

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Gonzaga advances

Final: Gonzaga 82, Grand Canyon 70

Overlooked in the madness of Fairleigh Dickinson taking down Purdue from earlier, No. 3 seed Gonzaga built a 22-point advantage on Grand Canyon and cruised to an 82-70 victory. Julian Strawther led the Zags with 28 points and 10 rebounds while Drew Timme contributed21. The Zags shot 53.6% from the floor while continuing with the momentum they built coming into the Big Dance. 

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Wildcats get tourney monkey off back

Final: Kentucky 61, Providence 53

Though much of Kentucky's regular season was a mess, the Wildcats have advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Antonio Reeves led all Wildcats with 22 points, and Oscar Tshiebwe had 25 boards and nearly notched a double-double. For Providence, the focus now switches to coach Ed Cooley, who has been linked heavily to the Georgetown vacancy. 

 
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Featured NCAA Tournament picks

(4) Indiana vs. (13) Kent State

Friday, 9:55 p.m. | TBS, March Madness LiveWhat we've seen from Indiana the last month is equal parts encouraging and terrifying if you're projecting its prospects ahead to the tourney. There's no telling what you're getting from this team. But in this spot, with a lot of people thinking Kent State can pull this off, coach Mike Woodson will have IU ready. Big game from Trayce Jackson-Davis incoming, big second half from Jalen Hood-Schifino -- and an IU win (by more than the number). Pick: Indiana -4

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Featured NCAA Tournament picks

(8) Memphis vs. (9) Florida Atlantic

Friday, 9:20 p.m. | TNT, March Madness Live: FAU has 31 wins on the season rolling into the NCAAs after dominating Conference USA with a nice blend of balance on offense and defense. The sticking point here in taking FAU is fading Memphis guard Kendric Davis -- a do-it-all scorer and creator who might be the best at his position -- but I'm betting coach Dusty May has a game plan to at least make things difficult on him. I like the Owls to win this one outright, so I'll take the 2.5 points. Pick: FAU +2

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Miami starts cold

Halftime: Drake 30, Miami 25

Miami shot just 23.3% from the floor in the first half and made only two 2-point attempts. Darnell Brodie is leading Drake with 11 points.

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Gonzaga in a battle 

Halftime: Gonzaga 40, Grand Canyon 36

Gonzaga closed the first half by making seven of its final nine shots from the floor to build a 40-36 edge against No. 14 seed Grand Canyon. The Antelopes led it 28-21 at one point after using a 10-0 run behind some hot 3-point shooting. Julian Strawther led Gonzaga with 16 points while Anton Watson added 11. Drew Timme contributed six for the Zags. Chance McMillan has 11 to lead GCU. Looks like a good second half is in store.

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Kentucky up at half

Halftime: Kentucky 38, Providence 31

Jared Bynum drilled a step-back 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to help Providence gain some momentum, but Kentucky took a 38-31 lead into the locker rooms behind a big half from Antonio Reeves. He scored 14 on 4 of 7 shooting from 3-point range, and Jacob Toppin added 12. The Wildcats outscored Providence 13-2 in second-chance points behind 13 boards from Oscar Tshiebwe. Bryce Hopkins has just five points on 2 of 7 shooting for the Friars as he faces his old team.

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Fairleigh big upset brewing ...

Halftime: Fairleigh Dickenson 32, Purdue 31

The top-seeded Boilermakers have a fight on their hands, down by a point to 16-seed FDU after 20 minutes of play. Expected National Player of the Year Zach Edey is doing his part with 12 points and 6 boards, on track for another double-double, but the Boilers are also cold from 3-point land on just 2-of-11 shooting. Purdue has a massive size advantage over FDU -- quite literally the biggest in Division I -- so this first-half result is surprising to say the least. 

 
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UConn wins first NCAAT game in 2,556 days; Pitino Watch is on

Final: UConn 87, Iona 63

At least Dan Hurley vs. Rick Pitino gave us a great first 20 minutes. UConn-Iona had pace, high energy, great shot-making ... and then halftime interrupted the proceedings. The Huskies outscored Iona 50-24 in the second half and are screaming into their second-round matchup with No. 5 Saint Mary's. Adama Sanogo was a beast, scoring a game-high 28 points and snaring 13 rebounds. The Huskies shot 48% from the field, 44% from 3 and, as many anticipated, dominated inside with 36 points in the paint. It's the program's first tournament win since 2016 and Hurley's first tournament win at UConn. 

Now: Rick Pitino Watch begins in earnest. He's been linked to the vacant St. John's opening, in addition Texas Tech gauging interest. Might another school emerge? I'd expect this process to move quickly. 

One more thing: Hurley's the most entertaining watch in coaching. To wit: Friday's telecast gave us these phenomenal 12 seconds. 

 
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Iowa State wilts 

Final: Pittsburgh 59, Iowa State 41

The Cyclones missed their first 11 shots from the field and fell into a 22-2 deficit vs. Pittsburgh, and things never improved. The Cyclones shot just 23.3% for the game and were also just 11 of 19 from the free-throw line. Event staff came out before the game to evaluate whether one of the rims may not be level, and Iowa State was reportedly offered additional time to warm up after the inconvenience. However, the Cyclones declined. Ultimately, they shot horribly on both baskets. Pitt will play Xavier in the second round on Sunday.

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Kalkbrenner goes off

Final: Creighton 72, NC State 63

Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 31 points on 11 of 14 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots as the Bluejays bested NC State 72-63. Terquavion Smith countered with 32 points and some highlight-reel plays for the Wolfpack, but Creighton was just too efficient in the second half. Kalkbrenner scored 20 ofter the break while thoroughly out-dueling NC State big man DJ Burns. Creighton will play No. 3 seed Baylor in a compelling second-round matchup.

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Iona leads UConn

Halftime: Iona 39, UConn 37

Iona made 6 of 11 attempts from 3-point range in the first half, opening up a 39-37 lead on UConn entering halftime. Berrick JeanLouis scored 11 for the Gaels, who committed just three turnovers in the half. UConn made 7 of 16 from deep in the half, so both teams are emphasizing the long-ball and having success. Big men Donovan Clingan and Adama Sanogo combined for 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting for UConn, which has a size advantage on the Gaels. The Dan Hurley vs. Rick Pitino matchup is living up to the hype so far.

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Marquette cruises

Final: Marquette 78, Vermont 61

At one point in the second half, Kam Jones scored 18 straight points for Marquette as the Golden Eagles cruised to a 78-61 victory over No. 15 seed Vermont. The Catamounts had no answer for Marquette's dynamic attack as coach Shaka Smart's club shot 51.8% from the floor and hit 10 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc. Marquette committed just five turnovers and got double figures from five different players. They will play Michigan State on Sunday in the second round.

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Physical battle

Halftime: Creighton 28, NC State 26

These teams combined to make just 1 of 18 attempts from 3-point range in the first half and are tied in paint points at 16-16 entering the locker rooms. Terquavion Smith has 14 to lead the Wolfpack on 7 of 15 shooting and Ryan Kalkbrenner has 11 for Creighton. Outside of those two, offense has been hard to find for both teams. There were just eight total turnovers in the half, so it's not as though these teams are giving away the basketball. But for the most part, it's been one shot and then a defensive rebound as there have been just four total offensive boards.

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Pitt, Iowa State in ugly-off

Halftime: Pitt 30, Iowa State 23

We've got ourselves a momentum-swinging rollercoaster in Greensboro! No. 11 seed Pitt opened with a 22-2 lead (!!!) to open the game, but No. 6 seed Iowa State has, against all odds, clawed its way back into this thing somehow fueled by a big run in the final 10 minutes. At one point, that included nine straight Cyclones points, culminating with a 21-9 run before the break. Pitt closed with 10 misses from the field in its last 11 shots and did not make a field goal over the final 6:14 of game time. 

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Saint Mary's wins defensive square-off

Final: SMC 63, VCU 51

ALBANY, N.Y. — Hello from MVP Arena in New York's capital. The first game of the day here wasn't high on drama. This fifth-seeded Gaels team is rugged, opportunistic and bruising. It didn't help that VCU's star player, Ace Baldwin Jr., went down with a lower-leg injury in the second half. Baldwin, the only VCU player who hit double figures with 13 points, returned, but it wasn't enough. The Gaels held VCU to 37% shooting — and only had two fast-break points to lock up a comfortable victory. Saint Mary's big Mitchell Saxen was an ox, scoring a game-high 17 in addition to 7 boards and 4 assists. How about star freshman Aidan Mahaney not even scoring a point? SMC will face with the winner of UConn-Iona. The Gaels are trying to get to their first Sweet 16 since 2010.

 
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Marquette in command

Halftime: Marquette 39, Vermont 30

Marquette shot 50% from the floor and used an 8-0 edge in second-chance points to take a 39-30 lead on Vermont into the break. The Catamounts are 6 of 12 from 3-point range but will need more stops in the second half if they are going to follow Princeton's lead and stun a No. 2 seed. The Catamounts did not a single free-throw in the first half in a statistic that demonstrates just how reliant they were upon the outside shot. 

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Baylor dominates second half

Final: Baylor 74, UCSB 56

After struggling defensively in the first half, Baylor came to life to dominate UC Santa Barbara and avoid its first Round 1 exit since 2016. After allowing the Gauchos to make 61% of their shots in the first half, Baylor held UCSB to just seven total field goals in the second half behind a stifling defensive effort. UCSB didn't score a field goal for nine minutes to end the game before Matija Belic scored a layup with 22 seconds remaining. 

The Bears outscored UCSB 39-20 in the second half thanks to a 14-2 run down the stretch with all 14 points scored by Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer. The superstar guard combo finished with 33 points on just 23 combined shot attempts. Forward Caleb Lohner had the best game of his Baylor career with 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting. The Bears will move on to play the winner of Creighton/NC State in the second round and try to avenge a second round loss to North Carolina in 2022. 

 
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No. 12 seed VCU pushing Saint Mary's

Halftime: (5) Saint Mary's 29, (12) VCU 28

A trendy 12-over-5 pick this week, VCU is giving No. 5 seed Saint Mary's a run for its money in Round 1 as it takes a one-point deficit into halftime. VCU entered the tourney on a nine-game winning streak that included a run through the A-10 Tournament, and it has been hot today. Ace Baldwin Jr. has 11 of the team's 28 at the break. Saint Mary's has won with its defense all season, though, and this has been the style of fight it has typically won -- low scoring, ugly affairs -- throughout the year. 

March 17, 2023, 7:07 PM
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Kennesaw State's upset bid falls short

Final: Xavier 72, Kennesaw State 67

It wasn't to be for Cinderella hopeful and No. 14 seed Kennesaw State. No. 3 seed Xavier fell behind by as many as 13 points midway through the second half, but the Musketeers marched all the way back to take the lead late. Souley Boum made a pair of free throws to give X a 3-point cushion in the final seconds, and Kennesaw State's halfcourt attempt to tie it at 70 and push it to overtime came up well short.

Boum finished with 17 points in the win behind teammate Jerome Hunter, who had a game-high 24 points. Xavier advances into the next round, where it will face the winner of No. 11 seed Pitt and No. 6 seed Iowa State on Sunday.

March 17, 2023, 6:59 PM
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