Utah State guard MJ Collins (2) dunks against Villanova during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 20, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

ST. LOUIS — Santa Clara thought it had knocked Kentucky out of the NCAA Tournament when freshman Allen Graves answered a tying basket by Wildcats star Otega Oweh with a 3-pointer in front of his own bench with 2.4 seconds left in regulation.

The problem for the Broncos: There were still 2.4 seconds left in regulation.

As coach Herb Sendek tried to call timeout, Kentucky quickly got the ball into the hands of Oweh, who raced across the midcourt line and heaved up a 3-pointer, which banked through the bucket to tie the game at 73-all. The buzzer sounded when the ball was in midair.

The kind of shot that puts the madness into March Madness didn’t exactly end Santa Clara’s postseason hopes — that didn’t come until Kentucky scored eight consecutive points in OT to pull away. But the sequence of shots in those wild last few seconds of regulation will be remembered much longer than the 89-84 final score Friday, which sent the No. 7 seed Wildcats into a matchup with No. 2 seed Iowa State or No. 15 seed Tennessee State in the Midwest Region.

“You know,” Sendek said afterward, “it was a really euphoric high followed by a tough one to swallow.”

The No. 10 seed Broncos certainly gave everything they had — everything built up over the 30 years since Steve Nash last led them to the NCAA Tournament — in trying to knock off one of college basketball’s bluebloods inside the packed Enterprise Center.

The game was tied 12 times. The lead changed hands 20 times. Santa Clara led by two at halftime as the West Coast Tournament runner-up went toe-to-toe with Kentucky, which was making its record-extending 63rd NCAA Tournament appearance.

Yet the first 59 minutes merely set the stage for the dramatic conclusion.

In other games:

NO. 2 IOWA ST. 108, NO. 15 TENNESSEE ST. 74: Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson left in the first half of the Cyclones’ romp past Tennessee State with a left ankle injury Friday, leaving the All-American’s status for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament in doubt.

Jefferson landed awkwardly after a layup just 2:30 minutes into the first-round matchup in the Midwest Region. The 6-foot-9 senior had to be helped by trainers to the X-ray room, emerged about 10 minutes later using crutches, and watched the second half from the end of the Iowa State bench with his ankle in a bulky gray boot.

NO. 3 VIRGINIA 82, NO. 14 WRIGHT ST. 73: Jacari White hit six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, and Virginia avoided yet another early NCAA Tournament exit, beating a resolute Wright State in the first round.

Virginia won its first NCAA Tournament game since it won the 2019 national title. The Cavaliers lost in the first round or the First Four in 2021, 2023 and 2024, and title-winning coach Tony Bennett abruptly retired before last season. Ryan Odom took over this season and quickly turned the program around.

NO. 4 ALABAMA 90, NO. 13 HOFSTRA 70: Labaron Philon Jr. scored 29 points and Alabama rallied from an early double-digit deficit to beat Hofstra in a first-round game in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama ended the opening half on a 19-7 run to wipe out a 10-point deficit, then built its own lead to 13 before Hofstra (24-11) mounted one last push for a possible upset.

Freshman Preston Edmead had 24 points for the Pride, and his basket pulled the Pride within 67-62 with just over seven minutes remaining.

NO. 5 TEXAS TECH 91, NO. 12 AKRON 71: Jaylen Petty scored 24 points, Christian Anderson added 18 and Texas Tech beat Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Playing without All-America guard JT Toppin, who tore the ACL in his right knee last month, Texas Tech got double-figure scoring from five players. Josiah Moseley had 16 points, Donovan Atwell scored 15 and LeJuan Watts added 14. Amani Lyles led Akron with 26 points and Shammah Scott had 20.

NO. 6 TENNESSEE 78, NO.11 MIAMI (OHIO) 56: Ja’Kobi Gillespie hit six 3-pointers and scored 29 points as Tennessee ended a fabulous season for Miami (Ohio) with a win.

Gillespie hit five 3s in the first half to help the Vols push ahead by 20 and squash any chance the 11th-seeded RedHawks (31-2) could carry over the confidence gained from their First Four win and pull off a signature victory.

J.P. Estrella had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Vols.

Peter Suder was the lone Miami player in double digits with 27 points.

No. 1 ARIZONA 92, NO. 16 LONG ISLAND 58: Brayden Burries hit four 3-pointers while scoring 18 points, Koa Peat added 15 points and top-seeded Arizona opened its NCAA Tournament run with a over Long Island on Friday.

Ivan Kharchenkov had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion Wildcats (33-2), who quickly showed why they’re the tournament’s second overall seed behind Duke.

Pushing the pace on offense and stifling the Sharks with defense, Arizona went up by double digits in the opening minutes and led the Sharks by 27 in the first half while delighting the thousands of fans who filled Viejas Arena with red.

NO. 9 UTAH STATE 86, NO.8 VILLANOVA 76: MJ Collins’ steal and emphatic one-handed slam dunk with 1:13 left gave him 20 points and Utah State opened its fourth straight NCAA Tournament by beating Villanova.

Mason Falslev, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, scored 22 and helped bring the Aggies back from a 10-point deficit early in the second half.

Utah State (29-6), the No. 9 seed in the West Region, will play No. 1 seed Arizona in the second round on Sunday. The Wildcats beat No. 16 Long Island 92-58 on Friday.

Collins converted a three-point play with 2:53 left to give the Aggies a 78-73 lead.

ST. JOHN’S 79, NORTHERN IOWA 53: Zuby Ejiofor had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and fifth-seeded St. John’s beat Northern Iowa for its second NCAA Tournament victory since 2000.

Oziyah Sellers scored 11 points for Rick Pitino’s gathering Red Storm (29-6), who have won 20 of 21 since early January in increasingly impressive fashion. With a fluid, balanced offensive effort against the nation’s stingiest scoring defense, St. John’s jumped to a huge early lead at Viejas Arena and never trailed the 12th-seeded Panthers (23-13).

The New York City program revitalized by Pitino ended its 25-year March Madness victory drought last season. After rolling through the Big East tournament last week, Pitino’s current team is one win away from the Johnnies’ first trip to the Sweet Sixteen in the 21st century.

PURDUE 104, QUEENS 71: Braden Smith scored 26 points and became the Division I career leader in assists, guiding No. 2 seed Purdue to a win over Queens University in the NCAA Tournament.

The Boilermakers seized control with a pair of 10-0 runs, once in the waning moments of the first half and in the opening minutes of the second half. Trey Kaufman-Renn’s basket after an offensive rebound capped the second surge and stretched Purdue’s lead to 58-36 with 16:27 to play. Purdue (28-8) led by at least 20 the rest of the way. About eight minutes in, Smith handed out his 1,077th career assist, breaking the record previously held by Duke’s Bobby Hurley. The milestone came when Smith, wearing glittering black Nike sneakers, set up a layup by Kaufman-Renn that gave Purdue a 17-12 advantage.

Smith finished with eight assists and made 10 of 15 shots as Purdue converted at a 63% clip from the field, including 58% from 3-point range. Kaufman-Renn contributed 25 points and nine rebounds, and Oscar Cluff had nine points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks for Purdue. Jordan Watford and Nasir Mann, the younger brother of Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann, led the 15th-seeded Royals (21-14) with 10 points apiece.

IOWA 67, CLEMSON 61: Bennett Stirtz scored 16 points and No. 9 seed Iowa weathered his erratic shooting to hold off eighth-seeded Clemson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes (22-12), making their March Madness debut under coach Ben McCollum, move on to a second-round South Region meeting against either top-seeded and defending national champion Florida or No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M. Stirtz made two free throws with 10.9 seconds remaining help put the game away after Clemson (24-11) rallied to within 61-57 in the closing minutes. But Iowa’s leading scorer had an off night, going 3 for 10 on 3-point attempts and 1 for 7 inside the arc.

UCLA 75, CENTRAL FLORIDA 71: Eric Dailey Jr. scored 20 points, Xaiver Booker had 15 points and eight rebounds to make up for the absence of leading scorer Tyler Biloudeau and seventh-seeded UCLA withstood every serious challenge and beat 10th-seeded UCF in the NCAA Tournament. Jordan Burks scored 22 points and hit six 3-pointers — including one that made it 72-69 with 10 seconds left — to almost single-handedly carry UCF (21-12) into the second round. However, down the stretch, the Bruins converted their free throws and ran out the clock to win for the seventh time in nine games.

Elsewhere:

— The NCAA filed a complaint in federal court Friday seeking an emergency restraining order to stop online sportsbook DraftKings from using registered trademarks associated with the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

The complaint for trademark infringement was filed in the Southern District of Indiana and requests that DraftKings stop using terms including “March Madness,” “Final Four,” “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen” or variations of them in sports betting products, promotional campaigns or marketing.

A message seeking comment was sent after business hours to DraftKings’ general media relations address.

The NCAA said in the complaint its trademarks are used to identify, brand, advertise and distinguish the tournaments across broadcast media, digital platforms, merchandise, sponsorships and licensed commercial activities.

“On the eve of the Tournaments, DraftKings deliberately adopted and prominently began using the NCAA’s iconic NCAA Basketball Marks, including confusingly similar variations thereof, to trade on — and usurp — the immense goodwill, recognition, and consumer trust embodied in those Marks at the precise moment of peak public attention,” the complaint said.

Screenshots of DraftKings wagering platforms were included in exhibits attached to the complaint.

“DraftKings’s unlawful use quickly proliferated across its consumer-facing websites and mobile applications, embedding the marks and logos into betting menus, promotional graphics, and marketing publications, to deliberately exacerbate consumer confusion and reinforce a false association with or sponsorship by the NCAA in order to continuously capitalize on the goodwill of the NCAA,” the complaint said.

The NCAA said it avoids any appearance of affiliation with gambling companies and has declined sportsbook sponsorships, banned sports betting by athletes and staff and publicly opposed prop bets and micro-bets. The NCAA noted it has launched initiatives to prevent harassment and improper influence in college sports and preserve the integrity of its competitions.