The wait is finally over: March Madness tips off with Day 1 of the men’s 2025 NCAA tournament — and we’re here to track all the action.
We have more than 12 hours of hoops in store. Whether you’re watching all 16 first-round games or refreshing score pages, consider this your guide to all the major highlights and results, along with reactions and on-site reporting from ESPN writers across the country.
Jump to: Live updates | Results and takeaways
(12) UCSD vs. (5) Michigan, 10 p.m. (TBS)
(14) UNCW vs. (3) Texas Tech, 10:10 p.m. (truTV)
Day 1 Results
Most recent games listed first.
Final: Texas A&M beats Yale, 80-71
How Texas A&M won: Texas A&M was simply too efficient on offense when it mattered, and too much of a swarming riddle on defense for Yale to find a solution. The Aggies shot 51.7% from the field as Pharrel Payne led a balanced group with 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting to go with his 10 rebounds. They held Yale to 29% shooting in the opening half and the Bulldogs spent much of the remainder of the game trying to dig out of those troubles. They did close the gap to 58-52 with just a little more than eight minutes to play, but got no closer with the Aggies pushing the lead back to 15 three minutes later. In addition to Payne’s efforts, Wade Taylor IV added 16 for the Aggies. Texas A&M also forced Yale’s leading scorer, John Poulakidas — who averaged 19.2 points coming into Thursday night — into a 7-of-18 shooting night on to way to his team-leading 23 points.– Jeff Legwold
Final: Arkansas beats Kansas, 79-72
How Arkansas won: In a thrilling game that came down to the final three minutes, No. 10 Arkansas found its rhythm when it needed it most to pull away from No. 7 Kansas. After shooting 54.3% from the floor in the first half, Kansas’ zone was effective in slowing the Razorbacks down to 30% shooting in the second half — until the final minutes, when they closed it out on a 15-5 run. According to ESPN Research, Kansas played zone on just seven possessions this season, so it was a notable change-up. But the Jayhawks, who took a 67-64 lead with just less than five minutes to play, seemed to be impacted by the loss of forward KJ Adams in crunch time. Adams was helped off the court and taken to the locker room with what appeared to be a significant injury. Jonas Aidoo led Arkansas with 22 points, while Johnell Davis had 18, including a clutch 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining to put the Razorbacks up 71-67. They put it away from there. — Mike Reiss
Final: Tennessee beats Wofford, 77-62
How Tennessee won: This was one of those games where the talent discrepancy was apparent from the opening tip. Though Wofford did its best to hang around and kept Tennessee honest, the Volunteers didn’t look bothered at any point — and it was hard for the Terriers to combat the Vols’ plethora of scoring options. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier scored a game-high 29 points, the third highest in a NCAA tournament game in school history. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler had a double-double with 12 points and 12 assists. Overall, it was an impressive showing. By adding Lanier last offseason, the North Florida transfer could be the player who pushes Tennessee to its first Final Four in school history. — Ben Baby
Final: Gonzaga beats Georgia, 89-68
How Gonzaga won: Operating from the less familiar role of tournament sleeper, Gonzaga still has the look of a team that has been here before. The 8-seed Bulldogs turned 13 turnovers into 25 points and blitzed Georgia from deep, finishing 12-of-20 from 3-point range to secure an intriguing second-round date with No. 1 seed Houston. Sixth-year guard Khalif Battle led the shooting barrage with four triples, part of a game-high 24-point performance to go with eight rebounds. A 20-point, 12-rebound effort from Georgia freshman Asa Newell provides only a sliver of solace for Mike White’s Bulldogs, who missed 21 of their 26 3-point attempts in the programs first tournament game in a decade. One more note on Gonzaga: Ryan Nembhard’s eight assists on the day take his assist tally to 333 on the year, drawing the senior guard level with Avery Johnson (Southern, 1986-87) for fifth all-time among the NCAA’s single-season assist leaders. — Eli Lederman
(11) VCU vs.(6) BYU
Final: BYU beats VCU, 80-71
How BYU won: As VCU head coach Ryan Odom had warned, BYU was indeed a team of flurries. The Cougars closed out the first half on a 12-2 run before opening the second half with a 13-6 push on the way to a first-round win in Denver. By the time Odom called a timeout three minutes and 15 seconds into the second half, the Cougars had built a 52-34 lead, and the Rams did not narrow the gap to less than 10 points until Zeb Jackson hit a 3-pointer to make it 75-66 with 55 seconds to play. The BYU backcourt — Egor Demin and Richie Saunders — combined for 31 points as the Cougars shot 50% from the field, with Fousseyni Traore adding 13. The Rams did have four players with at least 10 points, led by Jackson’s 23. — Jeff Legwold
Final: McNeese beats Clemson, 69-67
How McNeese won: McNeese head coach Will Wade noted the difference between his team entering this year’s tournament compared to last year, saying he felt the 12th-seeded Cowboys were “more about business” after simply being happy to be there last year. They took care of their business in impressive fashion against fifth-seeded Clemson, posting a 69-67 win that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. The Cowboys, who won their first tournament game in school history, broke open a 6-6 tie early to take a 31-13 lead at the half before holding off a Tigers surge as things got unexpectedly interesting in the final two minutes. Brandon Murray scored a team-high 21 points off the bench, while Quadir Copeland added 16 and Christian Shumate had 13 points and 11 rebounds. — Mike Reiss
Final: Auburn beats Alabama State, 83-63
How Auburn won: The key to any good upset is the underdog putting constant and meaningful pressure on the favorite, but that didn’t happen here, as things ended up being pretty comfortable for 1-seed Auburn. Tigers senior guard Miles Kelly led all players with 23 points, with eight of his made buckets coming from behind the 3-point line. The Hornets were on the verge of taking the lead in the first half but couldn’t hit the necessary free throws — that was their best punch, and Auburn ultimately responded by closing the half on a 9-0 run. It was a spirited effort from the 16-seed SWAC champs, but it’s going to take more than that to beat the top overall seed. The win sets up a very intriguing matchup against 9-seed Creighton; the Bluejays showed they have the offensive firepower to really test the Tigers in the win over Louisville earlier today. — Ben Baby
Final: Houston beats SIUE, 78-40
How Houston won: Houston gets off to an ideal start to its third consecutive tournament as a 1-seed. A searing first-half shooting performance (61.3%) lifted the Cougars to a 28-point halftime lead and meant they never had less than a double-digit lead in the final 34 minutes of action, cruising to the program’s second-largest victory in an NCAA tournament game. Junior guard Milos Uzan dropped 16 points to lead four scorers in double figures for the Cougars, who advance to Saturday’s second round, where they will face the winner of No. 8 Gonzaga and No. 9 Georgia.
How J’Wan Roberts played: Roberts, who missed Houston’s previous two games after rolling his right ankle in the team’s Big 12 Tournament opener, logged 20 minutes and totaled six points with three rebounds in his first action since March 13 while wearing only a soft brace on his injured ankle. That bodes well for the fifth-year senior and Cougars moving forward. — Eli Lederman
Final: Wisconsin beats Montana, 85-66
How Wisconsin won: The drumbeat of Wisconsin’s size and earnestness on offense was too much for the upstart Grizzlies. The Badgers had two 7-footers — Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter — in the starting lineup around the Big Ten’s fifth-leading scorer, John Tonje. The Grizzlies tried to counter with their four-guard lineup, with the 6-foot-8 Te’Jon Sawyer often the only Montana player on the floor over 6-5. And while Montana cut the lead to four points twice early in the second half, the Badgers kept grinding away on ruthlessly efficient 55.4% shooting. John Blackwell led U-W with 19 points as Crowl finished with 18 and Tonje with 15. The Badgers blocked six shots and outrebounded Montana 40-29. — Jeff Legwold
Final: Purdue beats High Point, 75-63
How Purdue won: High Point played the role of the pesky underdog well, keeping things close in the second half. But in the end, Purdue wore the Panthers down with junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (21 points, 8 rebounds) and junior guard Braden Smith (18 points, 6 assists) leading the charge. The decisive stat that tells the story: Purdue had a 45-24 rebounding edge. High Point’s last lead was at the 12:19 mark of the first half (14-13), and while the Panthers cut it to three with just less than eight minutes in regulation, they couldn’t get over the hump. — Mike Reiss
Final: Creighton beats Louisville, 89-75
How Creighton won: In what was essentially a road game, 9-seeded Creighton beat 8-seeded Louisville in a first-round matchup that wasn’t close again after the middle of the first half. Creighton senior guard Jamiya Neal scored a game-high 29 points with some massive buckets late that helped stifle Louisville’s momentum. This draw is a mixed bag for top-seeded Auburn if it beats Alabama State, but the Bluejays showed they have the firepower to truly challenge the Tigers. — Ben Baby
