WICHITA, Kan. — Rob Gray drove for a wind-milling layup that just trickled over the rim with 1.1 seconds left, and Trey Kell’s off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer was no good, giving No. 6 seed Houston a 67-65 victory over 11th-seeded San Diego State in a West Region game in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday night.
Devin Watson had just tied the game for the Aztecs with a turnaround 3-pointer, his second in a matter of seconds, when Gray dribbled up floor with 29 seconds left. He allowed the clock to tick down to six before crossing over, scooting under two defenders and scooping up his shot.
The layup gave him 39 points and the Cougars (27-7) their first tournament win since 1984.
Jalen McDaniels had 18 points to lead San Diego State (22-11).
(4) GONZAGA 68, (13) UNC GREENSBORO 64: Zach Norvell Jr. hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 20.8 seconds left to help Gonzaga (31-4) escape a major scare against UNC Greensboro (27-8) at Boise, Idaho.
The Bulldogs trailed 64-62 with 1:48 left after squandering a 12-point lead taken early in the second half.
(5) OHIO STATE 81, (12) SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 73: Kam Williams made a tiebreaking four-point play with 1:36 left, then added a trio of free throws after being fouled on another 3-point attempt to lift the Buckeyes (25-8) over South Dakota State (28-7) at Boise.
Ohio State built a 13-point lead by reeling off 16 straight points midway through the second half.
EAST REGION
(1) VILLANOVA 87, (16) RADFORD 61: Jalen Brunson scored 16 points and the Wildcats (31-4) hit 14 3-pointers to rout Radford (23-13) at Pittsburgh.
(3) TEXAS TECH 70, (14) STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 60: Keenan Evans scored 19 of his 23 points after halftime and the Red Raiders (25-9) surged late to top Stephen F. Austin (28-7) at Dallas.
Big 12 runner-up Texas Tech closed the game on a 13-2 run.
SOUTH REGION
(5) KENTUCKY 78, (12) DAVIDSON 73: The Wildcats (25-10) got past Davidson (21-12) at Boise, despite failing to make a single 3-pointer, snapping a nation-best streak of 1,047 games with a 3 that began in 1988.
The Wildcats went 0 for 6 from behind the line and didn’t even try one over the final 8:46.
Kevin Knox led the Wildcats with 25 points, as they pulled away after Davidson tied things at 54 with 8:01 remaining.
(3) TENNESSEE 73, (14) WRIGHT STATE 47: Admiral Schofield had 15 points and 12 rebounds as Tennessee (26-8) advanced by overwhelming Wright State (25-10) at Dallas.
Lamonte Turner had 19 points and a career-high nine assists for the Volunteers.
MIDWEST REGION
(1) KANSAS 76, (16) PENN 60: Devonte Graham ignited the sluggish Jayhawks (28-7) midway through the first half, pouring in 29 points to lift his team past the Quakers (24-9) at Wichita.
(2) DUKE 89, (15) IONA 67: Marvin Bagley III dominated in his tournament debut, pouring in 22 points to go with seven rebounds as Duke (27-7) rolled past Iona (26-7) at Pittsburgh.
Bagley made 10 of 14 shots in 32 minutes and grabbed seven rebounds.
(8) SETON HALL 94, (9) NORTH CAROLINA STATE 83: Khadeen Carrington scored 26 points, Desi Rodriguez added 20 and Seton Hall (22-11) won a foul-filled first-round matchup with North Carolina State (21-12) at Wichita.
Myles Powell added 19 points for the Pirates, who led the entire way a year after a late meltdown cost them against Arkansas.
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