After jumping out to a 23-9 lead, No. 6 Marquette looked ready to cruise to victory against No. 11 Utah State. But the Aggies answered with a 19-6 run to cut the lead to one, and neither team led by more than five the rest of the way in the Golden Eagles’ 58-57 win.

No. 3 Syracuse squashed No. 14 Stephen F. Austin 59-44 by holding the Lumberjacks to 25 percent shooting from the field. Stephen F. Austin tried to rally from a double-digit deficit by launching three-pointers but had little success, making only 2-of-21.

No. 3 Kansas’ seasoned veterans, Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, 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.

Akron was in control for a lot of the game against Gonzaga, and for good reason. But the Bulldogs got their sense of urgency and came alive, and ended the Zips’ season in Portland.

No. 10 Michigan frustrated No.7 Clemson’s shooters, leading to Terrence Oglesby’s ejection, and had just enough offense in the second half to squeak by with a 62-59 win. The Wolverines held Clemson to 33 percent shooting and 5-of-22 shooting from beyond the arc.

On pace to fall victim to a massive upset, No. 3 Villanova shifted course in the second half against No. 14 American and surged to an 80-67 win. Villanova’s defense clamped down on American’s shooters, holding them to only two second-half three-pointers.

After No. 13 Mississippi State needed a run to the SEC Tournament title to earn the conference’s automatic bid, No. 4 Washington quickly ended the Bulldogs’ NCAA Tournament run in a 71-58 victory. The Huskies’ defense stymied the Bulldogs all afternoon, holding Mississippi State to 35 percent shooting.

No. 10 Maryland provided the first upset of the tournament — unless you count No. 9 Texas A&M’s win against No. 8 BYU — by beating No. 7 California 84-71. Junior guard Greivis Vasquez had another sensational day for the Terrapins with 27 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Coach Jim Calhoun missed his No. 1 Connecticut Huskies’ 103-47 romp against No. 16 Chattanooga because he had to go to the hospital with an illness. Connecticut held Chattanooga without a field goal for 13 minutes and went on a 46-7 run to blow open the game.

No. 1 North Carolina opened the NCAA Tournament with an impressive 101-58 win against No. 16 Radford, even though junior point guard Ty Lawson missed the game with a toe injury. Senior forward Tyler Hansbrough became the ACC’s all-time scoring leader on a free throw a few minutes into the game, passing Duke’s J.J. Redick for the record.