Knox’s last-second layup lifts Alabama St. over Saint Francis

DAYTON, Ohio>> Amarr Knox’s layup with a second left lifted Alabama State to its first NCAA Tournament win Tuesday, 70-68 over Saint Francis (PA) in a matchup of No. 16 seeds at the First Four.

Knox scored 16 points to help the Hornets earn a date with No. 1 overall seed Auburn on Thursday in a South Region game at Lexington, Ky.

Saint Francis, which lost its season opener at Dayton, made an unlikely return to the same arena as the 19th team to enter the NCAA Tournament with a losing record.

Those teams are now 0-19.

After forcing a turnover in the final seconds, Alabama State had the ball out of bounds under its own basket.

With the score tied, Micah Simpson threw a long pass nearly the length of the court toward a scrum of players in the lane at the other end — not unlike a Hail Mary in football.

The ball deflected off a teammate and right into Knox’s hands near the rim, giving him a simple layup for the winning bucket.

North Carolina 95, San Diego State 68 >> RJ Davis scored 26 points and went 6 of 6 from 3-point range to help North Carolina silence some skeptics with a dominant 95-68 victory over San Diego State.

Davis’ six 3-pointers tied Caleb Love’s program record for an NCAA Tournament game.

Love had six against UCLA in 2022.

Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis went 5 for 5 from deep against Eastern Michigan in 1991.

The 14 made 3-pointers were the most for North Carolina in an NCAA Tournament game. The Tar Heels hit 13 against Marquette in 2022.

Seth Trimble had 16 points for North Carolina in a matchups of No. 11 seeds.

The Tar Heels were a controversial selection for the NCAA Tournament, and they played like a team with something to prove.

— The Associated Press