(3) Kansas 84, (14) North Dakota State 74
Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich are the primary holdovers from last season’s championship team for No. 3 Kansas, and the seasoned veterans helped a young Jayhawks team get past No. 14 North Dakota State 84-74. Senior guard Ben Woodside nearly willed the Bison to a huge first-round upset, scoring 37 points on 13-of-23 shooting. However, for nearly every drive through the lane for a layup by Woodside, Collins answered at the other end with a contested jumper or tough drive to the basket. Collins finished with 32 points and eight assists. Several of those assists went to Aldrich, who had 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Bison had no answer for Aldrich’s size and couldn’t make enough shots to pull off the upset.
