SPOKANE, Wash. — A year ago, Yale's August Mahoney and John Poulakidas were stuck at home watching the Ivy League champion make a magical NCAA tournament run.
The two Bulldogs wanted a taste of what that was like. Given the opportunity Friday, they helped Yale become the latest Ivy champ to bust some brackets in March Madness.
Poulakidas scored 28 points, Samson Aletan made a key block during a wild scramble in the final seconds, and 13th-seeded Yale rallied in the final five minutes to take down No. 4 seed Auburn 78-76 in an East Region first-round matchup Friday.
For the second straight year, the Ivy League tourney champion took down one of the favorites from the 68-team field. Last year it was Princeton toppling Arizona. This time, it was Yale's turn.
"Princeton made the Sweet 16 last year, and we were at home, they beat us in the championship, and each and every one of the guys in the locker room were just itching to get our opportunity," Mahoney said. "Our opportunity presented itself. We know how good we are, so we believed."
The Bulldogs (23-9) won an NCAA tourney game for the second time in school history, rallying from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half. Yale will face No. 5 seed San Diego State in the second round Sunday.
"It's a great opportunity to be here. I think after I hit my first couple shots, obviously the flood gates opened," Poulakidas said. "But I'm just so glad that we had this opportunity first and could capitalize on it tonight."
Poulakidas hit big shot after big shot. His step-back 3-pointer with 2:10 left gave the Bulldogs a 73-72 lead. Yale never trailed again, despite a chaotic final stretch that included Auburn (27-8) getting off two shots in the closing seconds after a missed free throw, one of which was rejected by Aletan.
K.D. Johnson had a contested look for a winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer that was off line.
Johni Broome led the Southeastern Conference tourney champs with 24 points and 13 rebounds, but he was crumpled on the court after the loss. It looked as if he might have injured his right knee in the final scrum. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl was uncertain when asked about the severity of the injury.
Auburn played most of the game without starting wing Chad Baker-Mazara after he was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul in the opening minutes. Pearl agreed it was a flagrant foul, but he didn't believe it should have been raised to the level of an ejection.
"It was inappropriate. Clearly a Flagrant 1. The fact that it was elevated to a Flagrant 2 was a decision that the official had to make, but it obviously had tremendous impact on the outcome," Pearl said.
Auburn's loss contributed to a devastating first round for the SEC, which tied the Big Ten with eight NCAA bids, the most for any league in this year's field. The Tigers joined fellow SEC programs Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State and South Carolina in early exits, with Tennessee on Thursday and Alabama and Texas A&M on Friday winning to advance and keep the conference afloat.
Auburn led 68-58 with 7:27 left after Denver Jones hit a 3-pointer, but the Tigers were outscored 20-8 the rest of the way. Auburn did itself no favors by missing five free throws in the final 3 1/2 minutes.
Yale's rally started with a 3-pointer from Bez Mbeng, a 24% shooter from beyond the arc this season. Poulakidas hit a couple of jumpers, and Dustin Wolf's free throws pulled Yale even at 70-70.
Broome scored for Auburn, but Poulakidas answered with his 3 and the Bulldogs were 5-for-6 at the foul line in the final minute.
Mahoney added 14 points and Wolf finished with 13 before fouling out late.
"I don't know if that's the best win in Yale basketball history, but I will tell you that's the best basketball team that we've beaten in Yale basketball history, as far as I'm concerned," Bulldogs coach James Jones said.
Jones scored 17 for Auburn and Jaylin Williams added 13, but the Tigers clearly missed Baker-Mazara. Replays showed that Baker-Mazara appeared to throw an elbow toward Mahoney as the pair ran down the court, and officials had a lengthy review before announcing the ejection.
AP photo by Ted S. Warren / Auburn forward Jay Pal drives to the basket against Yale's Danny Wolf during an NCAA tournament first-round game Friday night in Spokane, Wash.San Diego State 69, UAB 65
SPOKANE, Wash. — Jaedon LeDee dominated inside on the way to 32 points, while Lamont Butler added 15 as San Diego State (25-10) held off the University of Alabama at Birmingham (23-12), the American Athletic Conference tourney champion and a No. 12 seed.
A year after marching to the national title game, also as a No. 5 seed, the Aztecs' 12-point second-half lead disappeared before they put together a late surge on the strength of LeDee, their star 6-foot-9 forward, to avoid a March Madness surprise in the first round.
Quiet for most of the second half, LeDee scored on three straight possessions for the Mountain West Conference tourney champs after UAB had taken a 56-53 lead. Butler hit a difficult fallaway, and LeDee climbed for an offensive rebound and was fouled with 1:01 left. LeDee hit both free throws to give the Aztecs a 66-63 lead, and he added two more with 20 seconds left.
UAB's Efrem Johnson had a contested look at a tying 3-point attempt with eight seconds left, but it rimmed off, and Reese Waters' free throw with three seconds remaining allowed the Aztecs a chance to exhale.
Johnson led UAB with 19 points, but he was scoreless over the final nine minutes.
UConn 91, Stetson 52
NEW YORK — Donovan Clingan scored 19 points and Cam Spencer added 15 as the University of Connecticut, the overall No. 1 seed, began its bid to repeat as national champion by cruising past 16th-seeded Stetson.
The Huskies (32-3), who have won seven straight NCAA tournament games by double digits, will face ninth-seeded Northwestern on Sunday.
Stephan Swenson scored 20 points for the Hatters (22-13), the ASUN champions from Deland, Florida, who were making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament. They never had a chance against UConn, which scored the first eight points and went on to its most lopsided NCAA victory since beating the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga by 56 in the first round of the 2009 tournament.
Less than a week after the Huskies won the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden, they were back in New York City, a few subway stops south at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
As usual, their fans showed up in droves. They were loud early but ended up settling in for a relaxing couple of hours that probably felt more like a November nonconference game than the start of March Madness.
Northwestern 77, FAU 65 (OT)
NEW YORK — Ryan Langborg scored 12 of his career-high 27 points in overtime, and Northwestern finally put away Florida Atlantic University, a No. 8 seed that received an at-large bid out of the AAC.
The injury-depleted Wildcats (22-11) recovered after squandering a nine-point lead late in the second half as Brooks Barnhizer's driving layup tied it with nine seconds left in regulation. Next up for the Big Ten program is an attempt to make its third trip to the NCAA tourney also its first appearance in the Sweet 16.
Boo Buie had 19 of his 22 points after a quiet first half, and Barnhizer added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Northwestern, which advanced for the second consecutive season.
Vlad Goldin had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Owls (25-9), who returned nearly their entire team from a surprising Final Four run last year but were unable to muster that same March magic this time — although they certainly tried.
The Owls brought back 14 of 15 players under coach Dusty May this season and were one of only five Division I men's programs that didn't have a single player enter the transfer portal.
Down by nine with less than seven minutes to go in the second half, the Owls scored eight straight points to grab a 58-56 lead on Johnell Davis' driving basket with 1:04 remaining. Barnhizer tied it at the other end, and Davis missed a long 3-pointer that was contested just before the buzzer.
Northwestern made all five of its shots from the field in OT and seven of eight free throws.
WEST REGION
Alabama 109, Charleston 96
SPOKANE, Wash. — Mark Sears led the highest-scoring offense in the country with 30 points, and fourth-seeded Alabama (22-11) had no problem making shots in its NCAA tourney opener, leading by as many as 31 while racing past No. 13 seed Charleston (27-8).
Sears was the catalyst, turning a close game into a blowout with a pair of surges late in the first half and to begin the second. The AP All-America second-team selection hit the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season and helped get others involved. Sears was 9-of-13 from the field and 9-for-11 at the foul line, and he was equally troublesome for Charleston whether spotting up from deep or driving to the rim.
Sears posted his 23rd 20-point game of the season, tying the school record set by Reggie King in 1978-79.
Sears also drew the primary task of trying to slow down Charleston's leading scorer, Reyne Smith. He and his teammates succeeded as Smith finished with 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had 17 points and Aaron Estrada scored 13 for Alabama, which came in averaging 90.8 points per game this season and topped 100 for the 10th time while setting a school record for scoring in the NCAA tourney. The Tide will face Grand Canyon in the second round.
Ben Burnham led Charleston with 19 points and Frankie Policelli scored 15 for the Colonial Athletic Association champions, who missed 16 of their first 18 attempts from 3-point range after hitting 34.5% for the season.
Grand Canyon 75, Saint Mary's 66
SPOKANE, Wash. — Tyon Grant-Foster scored 22 points, and Grand Canyon joined the list of schools to win an NCAA tourney game as the 12th-seeded Antelopes (30-4) knocked off No. 5 seed Saint Mary's (26-8).
Grand Canyon became the second No. 12 seed to pull a late-night upset after James Madison took down Wisconsin. The Antelopes did it with style, slashing and shooting their way to expose the No. 2 scoring defense in the country.
Grant-Foster was the instigator with skills that will likely land him a spot at the next level. He scored 13 points in the second half, including a 3-pointer and a thunderous lob dunk during the Antelopes' decisive 15-1 run that gave them a 50-35 lead with less than 12 minutes remaining.
Gabe McGlothan matched the physical post players for Saint Mary's and added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Ray Harrison finished with 17 points, including a spinning basket on the block with 1:40 left that gave the Antelopes a 69-60 lead. Aidan Mahaney's 3-point attempt was blocked at the other end — the ninth block for Grand Canyon — and the Antelopes started to enjoy what they were on the cusp of accomplishing.
The Antelopes were just the seventh team this season to reach the 70-point mark against the regular-season and tournament champions of the West Coast Conference.
Baylor 92, Colgate 67
MEMPHIS — Jalen Bridges scored 23 points, Ja'Kobe Walter added 19 and third-seeded Baylor (24-10) pasted 14th-seeded Colgate (25-10).
Jayden Nunn added 15 points, going 4-of-5 from 3-point range, and RayJ Davis finished with 10 points and nine assists for coach Scott Drew's Bears of the Big 12, who have won their past six first-round games in NCAA tourney play.
Keegan Records led Colgate with 14 points, Sam Thomson had 11 and Braeden Smith scored 10.
Baylor will play Clemson in the second round.
Colgate, which dominated the Patriot League in the regular season and won the conference tournament, fell to 0-7 all-time in the NCAA tourney. The Raiders had lost only once in their previous 18 games.
Clemson 77, New Mexico 56
MEMPHIS — Chase Hunter scored 21 points and sixth-seeded Clemson ended No. 11 seed New Mexico's hopes of repeating the Mountain West's run in the NCAA tourney.
The Lobos (26-10) came in as a popular pick to be this tournament's version of San Diego State and were favored by 2 1/2 points against Clemson (22-11), according to FanDuel Sportsbook. New Mexico won its league tournament, beating a trio of teams that also earned March Madness berths.
Clemson dominated on both ends, though leading by 19 points in the first half and 23 in the second. The Tigers also held New Mexico to its worst shooting performance this season at 29.7% from the field and 13% (3-of-23) from 3-point range.
Ian Schieffelin had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Clemson, while PJ Hall added 14 points despite foul trouble.
SOUTH REGION
Houston 86, Longwood 46
MEMPHIS — LJ Cryer and Damian Dunn scored 17 points each as top-seeded Houston (31-4) built an easy double-digit lead and pounded No. 16 seed Longwood (21-14).
Coach Kelvin Sampson's Cougars lived up to their reputation for smothering defense. They led 10-0 less than four minutes into the game and held the Lancers to 16 points on 26.3% shooting in the first half.
Emanuel Sharp added 13 points and Jamal Shead finished with 11 points and nine assists for Big 12 tournament runner-up Houston.
Johnathan Massie led Longwood, the Big South champion, with 10 points.
Texas A&M 98, Nebraska 83
MEMPHIS — Wade Taylor IV scored 25 points and No. 9 seed Texas A&M (21-14) sent eighth-seeded Nebraska (23-11) home still looking for its first NCAA tourney victory.
The SEC's Aggies added insult to injury by beating their Big Ten opponent after unexpectedly hiring athletic director Trev Alberts away from Nebraska, his alma mater, for the same job last week.
Manny Obaseki added 22 points for Texas A&M, which put five players in double figures and reached its season high in points.
Duke 64, Vermont 47
NEW YORK — Jared McCain and Mark Mitchell each had 15 points, and No. 4 seed Duke (25-8) opened with an uneven performance before finally pulling away from 13th-seeded Vermont (28-7).
Jeremy Roach scored 14 for the Atlantic Coast Conference's Blue Devils, who were able to advance without much offensive production from star center Kyle Filipowski. The sophomore took only one shot and scored a career-low three points, though he did grab 12 rebounds.
Duke, seeking its sixth national championship, is set for a second-round pairing with James Madison.
Shamir Bogues had 18 points for Vermont, playing in its third consecutive NCAA tourney as the America East champion. Aaron Deloney added 14 for the Catamounts, who had won 10 straight games.
James Madison 72, Wisconsin 61
NEW YORK — Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 14 points and James Madison University (32-3) pulled off the first 12-5 upset of this year's NCAA tourney by beating Wisconsin (22-14).
The 12th-seeded Dukes, who had not been in the tournament since 2013, are into the second round for the first time since 1983, bringing with them a 14-game winning streak that is the longest in the nation.
Max Klesmit kept fifth-seeded Wisconsin within striking distance with 18 second-half points. The Badgers were a 5 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Klesmit cut the Dukes' lead to six with 8:54 left, but Noah Freidel answered with a 3-pointer about a minute later to make it 55-46.
The Badgers never got closer than seven again, and the chants of "J-M-U" echoed through the Barclays Center as if it was the Atlantic Union Bank Center, the Dukes' home in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Colorado 102, Florida 100
INDIANAPOLIS — KJ Simpson rattled in a tiebreaking jumper from the baseline with two seconds left, and 10th-seeded Colorado (26-10) beat seventh-seeded Florida (24-12) in a thriller.
Simpson finished with 23 points as the Pac-12's Buffaloes and SEC's Gators (24-12) put on the most impressive offensive display of this year's tournament to that point. Colorado extended its single-season school record for wins two days after beating Boise State in the First Four. The Buffs advance to face Marquette on Sunday.
Walter Clayton Jr. scored the last 16 points for Florida, including a 3-pointer to tie the game at 100-all with 9 seconds left. He finished with a career-high 33 points, but his half-court heave at the buzzer didn't hit the rim.
The Gators made a run to the SEC title game last weekend in Nashville, playing four games in as many days in the league tourney, but they had a one-and-done trip to the Big Dance.
Marquette 87, Western Kentucky 69
INDIANAPOLIS — Kam Jones scored 28 points and Tyler Kolek made a successful return from an oblique injury, finishing with 18 points and 11 assists in his first game since Feb. 28 while helping No. 2 seed Marquette (26-9) rally for a victory over No. 15 seed Western Kentucky (22-12).
The Golden Eagles trailed 43-36 at halftime, but they overwhelmed the Hilltoppers in the second half, using a 15-2 run to open an 87-67 cushion on the way to their second consecutive first-round victory in the NCAA tourney. Jones scored 18 in the second half.
Next up for Marquette is a push for the program's first Sweet 16 berth since 2013.
Tyrone Marshall scored a career-high 21 points for Western Kentucky (22-12), which seized momentum from Marquette midway through the first half in its first NCAA appearance since 2013.
MIDWEST REGION
Purdue 78, Grambling 50
INDIANAPOLIS — Zach Edey had the first 30-point, 20-rebound game in the NCAA tourney since 1995, delivering on his promise to end the discussion about first-round March Madness exits by leading No. 1 seed Purdue (30-4) past 16th-seeded Grambling (21-15).
The greatest scorer and rebounder in Boilermakers history finished with 30 points and 21 rebounds in 30 minutes, shooting 11-of-17 from the field. When he did miss, he often scored on putbacks or drew fouls. Defensively, he constantly challenged the Tigers with his 7-4, 300-pound body, blocked shots, and gobbled up even more rebounds.
The last player with a 30-20 game in the tournament before Friday was Joe Smith of Maryland on March 18, 1995.
Purdue tied the program's single-season record for victories, doing so 372 days after falling to Fairleigh Dickinson to become the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 in the NCAA tourney. The Boilermakers play again Sunday against Utah State.
Tra'Michael Moton scored 21 points to lead the Tigers, the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament champs and first-time NCAA tourney participants who beat Montana State in overtime in the First Four earlier this week.
Utah State 88, TCU 72
INDIANAPOLIS — Isaac Johnson scored 19 points, including 12 straight early in the second half, and eighth-seeded Utah State (28-6) shot 55% percent to pull away and beat No. 9 seed Texas Christian University (21-13) and end a 10-game NCAA tourney losing streak.
The Aggies hadn't earned a March Madness victory since beating Ohio State 77-68 in overtime in 2001, and they had lost in the first round four of the past six seasons. Utah State players and coach Danny Sprinkle had heard more than their share of questions about their March futility and were determined to end the slide once and for all.
Ian Martinez scored 21 points to lead the Aggies, who will face top-seeded Purdue on Sunday in the second round of the Midwest Region.
The Horned Frogs led most of the first half before the Aggies took the lead for good at 37-35 on Martinez's 3-pointer with 3:22 left before halftime. Leading 43-37 at the break, the 7-foot Johnson took charge from there, making two 3-pointers along with two other baskets and a pair of free throws for a double-digit lead that steadily increased.