Kyan Evans made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 23 points to lead No. 12 seed Colorado State past fifth-seeded Memphis 78-70 in the first round of the West Region of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Seattle.

Nique Clifford, the Mountain West Tournament MVP, had his quietest scoring night in a month, finishing with 14 points, eight on free throws. He added eight rebounds and six assists for the Rams (26-9), who extended their winning streak to 11 games and advanced to face Maryland in the second round on Sunday.

This 12-over-5 result was no shocker, with Colorado State a 21/2-point favorite according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Coach Penny Hardaway’s Tigers (29-7) were not at full strength, with veteran guard and third-leading scorer Tyrese Hunter sidelined by a left foot injury.

Jalen Lake pitched in with 14 points for Colorado State and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson scored 12.

Florida 95, Norfolk State 69 >> First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points and the Gators (31-4) defeated Norfolk State (24-11), ensuring all four No. 1 seeds made it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament unscathed.

Alijah Martin added 17 points for the Southeastern Conference champions, who built a 32-point lead in the first half en route to their seventh straight win.

Maryland 81, Grand Canyon 49 >> Julian Reese had 18 points and nine rebounds, and the fourth-seeded Terrapins (26-8) pounded No. 13 seed Grand Canyon in the first round in Seattle.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 16 points for the Terrapins, who will play No. 12 Colorado State Sunday in the second round of the West Region.

Derik Queen, the Big Ten freshman of the year, finished with 12 points and 15 boards, becoming the first Maryland freshman with a double-double in the tournament since Jalen Smith in 2019. Tyon Grant-Foster led Grand Canyon with 23 points.

EAST REGION

Alabama 90, Robert Morris 81 >> All-America guard Mark Sears scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half and the second-seeded Crimson Tide (27-8) pulled away late to escape 15th-seeded Robert Morris (26-9) in the first round in Cleveland.

The Colonials gave the Crimson Tide (27-8) all they could handle and even took their first lead at 65-64 on a layup by Josh Omojafo.

Alabama responded behind Sears, who had seven points during an 11-2 surge that gave the Crimson Tide some breathing room against the Horizon League champs.

“(I) kept playing the right way, and then the game repaid me back,” said Sears, who also had five rebounds and 10 of Alabama’s 25 assists.

Robert Morris entered as a 22 1/2 point underdog, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

Baylor 75, Mississippi State 72 >> Robert Wright scored 19 points, V.J. Edgecombe added 16 and the Bears (20-14) squeaked past the Bulldogs (21-13) in the first round in Raleigh, N.C.

Langston Love added 15 points and Norchad Omier had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Bears, who led by 11 points in the second half but had to hold off the Bulldogs in the final seconds — and even tenths of seconds.

Josh Hubbard had 26 points to lead the Bulldogs, who were seeking their first March Madness win since 2008.

Duke 93, Mount St. Mary’s 49 >> Tyrese Proctor had 19 points and freshman star Cooper Flagg returned from an ankle injury as the No. 1 seed Blue Devils (32-3) beat the Mountaineers (23-13) in the first round in Raleigh, N.C.

Flagg had 14 points and seven boards for the Blue Devils, the East bracket headliner opening a push for a sixth national title roughly a half-hour’s drive from its Durham campus. Duke jumped to a 13-2 lead in a dominant first half marked by clean execution on the way to a big lead.

The Blue Devils cooled after the break, but finished at 50% shooting with 14 3-pointers to cruise toward a second-round date with Baylor. Proctor went 6 for 8 from deep.

Arizona 93, Akron 65 >> Jaden Bradley, Trey Townsend and Caleb Love hit 3-pointers within the first 2 minutes, and the No. 4 seed Wildcats (23-12) Arizona easily dismissed 13th-seeded Akron in the first round in Seattle. Bradley finished with 19 points, Townsend had 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Carter Bryant scored 12 and Love and KJ Lewis each had 10 for the Wildcats, who reached the second round of March Madness for the third time in coach Tommy Lloyd’s four seasons.

SOUTH REGION

New Mexico 75, Marquette 66 >> Donovan Dent scored 21 points and the No. 10 seed Lobos (27-7) took control late in the second half to defeat seventh-seeded Marquette in the first round in Cleveland. Richard Pitino joined his father in the second round after New Mexico snapped a four-game NCAA Tournament losing streak and won its first game since 2012.

Mississippi 71, North Carolina 64 >> Sean Pedulla made a critical 3-pointer with 52.8 seconds left, and the Rebels topped the Tar Heels after squandering most of a 22-point lead in the second half in Milwaukee.

The Rebels are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. They hadn’t won an NCAA Tourney game since beating BYU 94-90 in the First Four in 2015, and they hadn’t advanced beyond the round of 64 since 2013.

Pedulla finished with 20 points. Dre Davis had 15 for Ole Miss, and Jaemyn Brakefield added 12 points.

Iowa State 82, Lipscomb 55 >> Milan Momcilovic scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half, and the Cyclones (25-9) routed Lipscomb 82-55 in the first round in Milwaukee.

Curtis Jones had 17 points as Iowa State bounced back nicely after dropping four of seven going into the tourney. Joshua Jefferson finished with 10 points and eight assists.

MIDWEST REGION

Kentucky 76, Troy 57 >> Otega Oweh scored 20 points, Andrew Carr had 13 and the third-seeded Wildcats (23-11) won in the first round in Milwaukee. Oweh added eight assists and six rebounds, and Amari Williams grabbed 13 boards for Kentucky.