NCAA Tournament Roundup

EAST REGION

TOP-SEEDED SYRACUSE SURVIVES SCARE

RECAP: At Pittsburgh, reserve forward James Southerland had 15 points and a season-high eight rebounds as Syracuse avoided becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 when it rallied for a 72-65 victory over North Carolina Asheville.

The Orange (32-2) entered the tournament without starting center Fab Melo, who was declared ineligible for academic reasons. Syracuse also overcame 5-for-23 shooting from 3-point range to beat the much-smaller Bulldogs (24-10).

J.P. Primm had 18 points for UNC Asheville, which led 34-30 at halftime. But the Orange went up for good with 6:17 left on a turnaround jumper by Southerland. The Bulldogs were within three points three times in the final 1:04 but got no closer as Syracuse made its free throws and the officials made a couple of controversial calls.

The first call was a lane violation with 1:20 left. Syracuse's Scoop Jardine missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Primm was called for passing the head of the key before Jardine let the shot go. Jardine got to shoot the front end again, made it and made the second for a 64-58 lead.

With 35 seconds left and the Orange leading 66-63, the ball appeared to go out of bounds off Syracuse's Brandon Triche, but the officials gave it to the Orange. Jardine made two free throws a second later.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "I don't think luck had anything to do with this game today, and I think the better team won. ... The fact that this game was close had nothing -- nothing -- to do with the center position." -- Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim

NEXT FOR SYRACUSE: Eighth-seeded Kansas State (22-10), 9:15 a.m. Saturday, CBS (8)

KANSAS STATE HOLDS OFF SOUTHERN MISS

RECAP: At Pittsburgh, Rodney McGruder scored 30 points, and Jordan Henriquez added 15 points, nine rebounds and six blocks to lead eighth-seeded Kansas State over ninth-seeded Southern Mississippi, 70-64.

Freshman point guard Angel Rodriguez overcame early jitters to score seven of his 13 points in the final 2:10 for the Wildcats (22-10), who moved past their opening tournament game for the third straight year. Rodriguez air-balled two early shots but hit five free throws in the final 57 seconds.

Neil Watson led Southern Miss (25-9) with 16 points, LaShay Page had 15, and Kentucky transfer Darnell Dodson scored all 14 of his points in the second half.

Several members of Southern Miss' pep band chanted "where's your green card" at Rodriguez, who is from Puerto Rico, while he was at the free-throw line in the first half. Southern Miss president Martha Saunders said in a statement that the school "deeply regrets" the remarks, apologized to Rodriguez and said the school will take "quick and appropriate disciplinary action."

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "It's not like I trust him with 10 minutes to go and not trust him with two minutes to go. I've got tremendous faith in him. That's why you saw him out there making the plays he made towards the end of the game." -- Kansas State coach Frank Martin, on Wildcats freshman point guard Angel Rodriguez

NEXT FOR KANSAS STATE: Top-seeded Syracuse (32-2), 9:15 a.m. Saturday, CBS (8)

WISCONSIN ENDS MONTANA'S 14-GAME RUN

RECAP: At Albuquerque, N.M., Ryan Evans scored 18 points, and Jordan Taylor added 17 points and six assists as fourth-seeded Wisconsin routed 13th-seeded Montana 73-49 to end the Grizzlies' school-record 14-game winning streak.

The Badgers (25-9) improved to 10-1 in NCAA Tournament openers under Bo Ryan, the program's winningest coach. They are in the tournament for the 14th straight season.

Art Steward's 18 points led the Grizzlies (25-7), who were familiar with the Badgers' style because one of their assistants, Freddie Owens, played at Wisconsin from 2001 to 2004.

Montana shot 38 percent overall and 29 percent in the second half against the nation's No. 1 scoring defense. The Grizzlies' leading scorer, Will Cherry, who had averaged 16 points per game, was held to nine points on 3-for-14 shooting and had no assists.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "They weren't turning the ball over. We sped them up at times, but I felt like they always kicked it to an open shooter who made a dagger 3 and put a little damper in our comeback." -- Montana guard Will Cherry

NEXT FOR WISCONSIN: Fifth-seeded Vanderbilt (25-10), 3:10 p.m. Saturday, TNT (18)

FIELD-GOAL DROUGHT DOESN'T STOP VANDY

RECAP: At Albuquerque, N.M., John Jenkins made all six of his free throws down the stretch and finished with 27 points to help fifth-seeded Vanderbilt hold off 12th-seeded Harvard 79-70 in a game billed as "The Brain Bowl."

Brad Tinsley scored 16 for the Commodores (25-10), who followed last weekend's stunner over top-ranked Kentucky with a win over a school many consider to be a No. 1 -- in the classroom, that is.

Vanderbilt's senior-heavy group won its NCAA opener after the Commodores went winless in the tournament in 2008, '10 and '11 despite being seeded fourth, fourth and fifth.

The Crimson (26-5) made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1946. Laurent Rivard led Harvard with 20 points, but the Commodores built an 18-point lead and then held on despite not making a field goal for the last 5:22.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "We probably didn't feel pressure, but we understand that people were looking at us as an upset trend in recent years. But we play the game looking forward, not looking backward. So this is a different year." -- Vanderbilt forward Lance Goulbourne

NEXT FOR VANDERBILT: Fourth-seeded Wisconsin (25-9), 3:10 p.m. Saturday, TNT (18)

BALANCED GONZAGA ROUTS WEST VIRGINIA

RECAP: At Pittsburgh, Gonzaga flew 2,200 miles looking for a fight. The Bulldogs never got one; West Virginia left all its moxie on the bus. Robert Sacre and Gary Bell Jr. scored 14 points apiece as seventh-seeded Gonzaga routed the 10th-seeded Mountaineers, 77-54. Kevin Pangos added 13 points and five assists for the Bulldogs (26-6).

Gary Browne led West Virginia (19-14) with 15 points off the bench, and Kevin Jones scored 13 in his final game for the Mountaineers, dealt their most decisive postseason loss in 28 years despite a decided home-court advantage.

Gonzaga took control during a 13-0 run midway through the first half and cruised, shooting 56 percent from the floor. West Virginia shot just 32 percent (16 of 49) from the field and made only 3 of 17 3-pointers.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "Hit 'em is all you've got to say. Hit 'em, be physical, let everything else work itself out. As long as you're physical, that's all that matters. Show that Gonzaga's not soft." -- Robert Sacre, Gonzaga center

NEXT FOR GONZAGA: Second-seeded Ohio State (28-7), approximately 11:45 a.m. Saturday, CBS (8)

OHIO STATE HAS NO TROUBLE WITH LOYOLA

RECAP: At Pittsburgh, Deshaun Thomas scored a career-high 31 points and had 12 rebounds to lead second-seeded Ohio State to a 78-59 victory over 15th-seeded Loyola, Md.

Jared Sullinger added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Buckeyes (28-7), who dominated the smaller Greyhounds inside, finishing with a 49-24 rebound advantage.

Ohio State twice took a 15-point lead in the first half. The Greyhounds got within 42-31 at halftime, but the Buckeyes went on to lead by as many as 20 in the second half.

Erik Etherly had 19 points for the Greyhounds (24-9), who were in the tourney for the second time and first since 1994.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: "I mean, I was just trying to get in the right spots at the right time, run a play, run with pace like Coach (Thad Matta) always tells us. Then I was just knocking 'em down. I was just feeling it a little bit.'" -- Ohio State forward Deshaun Thomas

NEXT FOR OHIO STATE: Seventh-seeded Gonzaga (26-6), approximately 11:45 a.m. Saturday, CBS (8)