NCAA Tournament 2018 Schedule and Scores Tracker: Friday's First-Round Games

Keep track of all 16 games on Friday's NCAA tournament schedule with our live recaps as the results go final.

The first full day of the NCAA tournament is in the books, and Thursday’s slate, while light on upsets, was high on drama and close finishes. Arizona was the highest seed to fall, blown out by Buffalo in Boise, and Loyola-Chicago sent Miami home with a last-second three. Now what’s in store for Friday? Before No. 1 overall seed Virginia tips off tonight, the defending national champs begin their repeat bit when North Carolina hosts Lipscomb. Later on, top NBA prospects Mo Bamba (Texas) and Michael Porter Jr. (Missouri) make their tournament debuts in Nashville.

Below you’ll find recaps of every game of the first round’s second day, along with a full schedule and TV guide for a look at what’s ahead. Follow along for results and updates on all of the games as the final buzzer sounds, and click here for a live look at the bracket.

Friday's Results

Texas A&M 73, Providence 69

The SEC has extended its record in this year’s first round to 5–0 after Friday’s first game, which found a measure of continuity at last down the stretch. Texas A&M missed its first 10 shots of the game, needing over six minutes of action to score, but the Friars failed to take advantage, trailed by one at halftime and ultimately couldn’t find the firepower once the Aggies started hitting shots. A&M’s two best pro prospects Robert Williams and Tyler Davis dominated inside, combining for 29 rebounds and 27 points.

Purdue 74, Cal State Fullerton 48

No. 2-seed Purdue looked a little bit rusty early—perhaps expected given the long layoff since their loss in the Big Ten final to Michigan more than 10 days ago—but the Boilermakers locked in after the half. The Edwards combo of Vincent and Carsen (no relation) finished with 15 points each, but Boilermakers big man Isaac Haas took a hard fall and left the court with ice on his elbow. Purdue awaits the Arkansas-Butler winner.

Marshall 81, Wichita State 75

A gripping second-half three-point shootout (with several exhausting breaks for replay reviews at the scorer’s table) ended with the Thundering Herd’s first NCAA tournament win in six tries, the second 13-4 upset of the first round. Locked in a showdown with Shockers sharpshooter Conner Frankamp, Marshall junior Jon Elmore scored 27 points and drew the attention of the Wichita State defense away from Ajdin Penava for a dunk off an inbounds play with 34 seconds left, and the Shockers’ shots from outside finally stopped falling.

Cincinnati 68, Georgia State 53

Cincinnati entered Friday’s game as a top 2-seed for the first time since 2002, when it was knocked out in the first round, while No. 15 Georgia State was no stranger to winning NCAA tournament games as a double-digit seed. Ron Hunter’s upset-minded squad hung with the defensive-minded Bearcats for the first half, but the AAC champs pulled away in the second half, thanks in part to Gary Clark’s fourth-straight double-double performance, and in part to the Panthers going cold in the last minutes of the game.

North Carolina 84, Lipscomb 66

The defending national champs are off and running, shrugging off an early volley of three-pointers from a 15-seed making its first NCAA tournament appearance and pulling away late to advance to a Sunday matchup with Texas A&M. Junior guard Kenny Williams continued the hot streak he came out of the ACC tournament on, leading all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.

Butler 79, Arkansas 62

The SEC undefeated first-round streak in this year’s tournament is no more: The Razorbacks were the first team from the conference fall, succumbing to LaVall Jordan’s press-heavy squad. At one point in the first half, Butler led 21-1 before Arkansas outscored the Bulldogs 28–7 to even the score. After the break, the Razorbacks put up a fight but Butler ultimately pulled away behind a combined 51 points from Kamar Baldwin and Kelan Martin. On Sunday, the Bulldogs get a Purdue team without senior center Issac Haas, who will miss the rest of the tournament with a fractured elbow.