No March Madness here: No. 1 seed Florida rolls past Norfolk State 95-69 for 7th straight win

First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points and Florida defeated Norfolk State 95-69 on Friday, ensuring all four No. 1 seeds made it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament unscathed. Alijah Martin added 17 points for the Southeastern Conference champions, who built a 32-point lead in the first half en route to their seventh straight win. Christian Ings scored 16 points and Jaylani Darden added 15 for 16th-seeded Norfolk State (24-11).

Auburn’s Johni Broome, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner centers of attention in March Madness matchup

Johni Broome and Ryan Kalkbrenner are big men with big-time experience on the March Madness stage. Just not against each other, which makes Saturday night's NCAA Tournament second-round South Region showdown between overall top seed Auburn and No. 9 seed Creighton so compelling. Plot lines abound thanks to the Tigers’ and Blue Jays’ multiple strengths, but the matchup of main men in the middle is the most intriguing.

Julian Reese and Maryland blow out Grand Canyon 81-49 in March Madness

Julian Reese had 18 points and nine rebounds, and fourth-seeded Maryland pounded No. 13 seed Grand Canyon 81-49 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Ja'Kobi Gillespie added 16 points for the Terrapins (26-8), who will play No. 12 Colorado State on Sunday in the second round of the West Region. Derik Queen, the Big Ten freshman of the year who was averaging 16.3 points and nine rebounds a game, finished with 12 points and 15 boards, becoming the first Maryland freshman with a double-double in the tournament since Jalen Smith in 2019.

Rick Pitino and John Calipari share a mutual respect. Just don’t call them friends

The Hall of Fame coaches will renew their occasionally acrimonious rivalry on Saturday when Pitino’s second-seeded St. John’s faces Calipari’s No. 10 seed Arkansas for the chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. The matchup has been anticipated since the March Madness brackets were announced, and sealed on Thursday when Arkansas beat Kansas and St. John’s dispatched Omaha in the first round in Providence – where Pitino hung his first Final Four banner. The two have crossed paths over the decades from summer camp to UMass – Pitino’s alma mater and Calipari’s first head coaching job – to the NBA and, most notably, to one of basketball’s most heated rivalries: Kentucky and Louisville.