The first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament concluded Friday night with eight games nationwide.
Three of those games involved Texas colleges as Houston, Texas A&M, and TCU started their quests.
A&M, the No.9 seed in the South Region, was up first against No.8 seed Nebraska. The Aggies continued their recent tear — scoring 58 points in the first half en route to a 98-83 victory as they shot over 50% from three-point range and dominated the game.
The Aggies will face the Houston Cougars on Sunday after the No.1 seed steamrolled No.16 seed Longwood 86-46. The winner of that game will reach the Sweet 16 in the South Region, which will be hosted at the American Airlines Center here in Dallas on Friday.
Meanwhile, TCU struggled to find its rhythm and get into its transition offense as it was eliminated by Utah State, 88-72. The Utah State win means three Mountain West Conference teams (Utah State, Colorado State, and San Diego State) will advance to the second round for the first time in conference history.
James Madison and Grand Canyon came up with the big upsets of the night, knocking off No.5 seeds Wisconsin and St. Mary’s. James Madison earned its 32nd win of the year and advanced in the South Region to play Duke for a spot in the Sweet 16. Grand Canyon will face Alabama, who beat Charleston on Friday, for a place in the Sweet 16 in the West Region.
Purdue, the No.1 seed in the Midwest Region, also advanced with ease against Grambling.
The NCAA Tournament’s second round, or round of 32, will be played on Saturday and Sunday. Texas will play on Saturday, while Baylor, Texas A&M, and Houston will play on Sunday.
Here is the schedule for the second round:
SATURDAY
Dayton vs. Arizona, 11:45 a.m. CT, CBS
Gonzaga vs. Kansas, 2:15 p.m. CT, CBS
Michigan State vs. North Carolina, 4:30 p.m. CT, CBS
Washington State vs. Iowa State, 5:10 p.m. CT, TNT
Oakland vs. North Carolina State, 6:10 p.m. CT, TBS/truTV
Texas vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m. CT, CBS
Duquesne vs. Illinois, 7:40 p.m. CT, TNT
Oregon vs. Creighton, 8:40 p.m. CT, TBS/truTV
SUNDAY
Marquette vs. Colorado, 11:10 a.m. CT, CBS
Purdue vs. Utah State, 1:40 p.m. CT, CBS
Duke vs. James Madison, 4:15 p.m. CT, CBS
Baylor vs. Clemson, 5:10 p.m. CT, TNT
Alabama vs. Grand Canyon, 6:10 p.m. CT, TBS
UConn vs. Northwestern, 6:45 p.m. CT, truTV
Houston vs. Texas A&M, 7:40 p.m. CT, TNT
Yale vs. San Diego State, 8:40 p.m. CT, TBS
