College basketball highlights: Texas A&M-CC wins; Pitt-Miss St. battling

Get your brackets ready, ladies and gentlemen. The 2023 NCAA Tournament is officially underway!

A pair of First Four games kick off the action on Tuesday. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won the first battle of the 16 seeds, holding off Southeast Missouri State’s late comeback to win 75-71. It’ll take on No. 1 overall seed Alabama in the opening round. 

Following that, Pittsburgh takes on Mississippi State in a battle of 11-seeds. The winner of that matchup will go up against 6-seed Iowa State in the Midwest.

We’ve got you covered with the top moments from Tuesday’s games.

[View the full bracket here]

Mississippi State vs. Pittsburgh

Opening from downtown

Shakeel Moore made the 3-pointer in rhythm to get things going in the second game of the evening and give Mississippi State the lead to start.

3s everywhere!

Both teams traded some 3-pointers in the early minutes, combining to hit four 3-pointers in less than two minutes. The 3-point barrage gave Mississippi State an early 14-8 lead.

Make the 3 and the foul!

Greg Elliott made the tough 3-pointer and was fouled in the process to give Pitt a five-point lead after trailing early.

Air McNair with the block

Will McNair elevated to stuff Guillermo Diaz Graham‘s dunk attempt and keep Mississippi State’s lead at three.

Taking the lead into the break

Nelly Cummings slipped past the screen to drain the 3-pointer from straight away to give Pitt a one-point lead going into the break.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 75, Southeast Missouri State 71

March Madness has begun!

The ball’s been tipped and arguably the greatest time of the year is here!

A putback to get it started

De’Lazarus Keys got the offensive rebound and made the easy putback to give Texas A&M-Corpus Christi the first bucket of the tournament. 

Big man coming through!

Phillip Russell cut to the rim to receive the dish, allowing him to score an easy slam for Southeast Missouri State.

Islanders on the move

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi got the first big run of the game late in the first half, going on a 9-0 streak to get some separation before the break.

All about the hustle!

Southeast Missouri moved the ball around and got a couple of good looks, but didn’t hit its jump shots. However, a pair of offensive rebounds kept the possession alive and Dylan Branson got a putback to make it a 33-27 game before the break.

CC sees its lead expand

The Islanders went on a quick 8-0 run in the middle of the second half to take a 53-43 lead, their largest lead of the game. The Islanders made three consecutive layups as they remained aggressive to expand their lead.

From the logo!

Trevian Tennyson drained the jumper from the logo to hit a key shot for the Islanders as they’ve struggled from deep in the second half, extending their lead to nine with the shot.

Comeback time?

Chris Harris was on fire in the second half, scoring 17 points in roughly 15 minutes to help Southeast Missouri State make it a one-point game with just under five minutes left.

Tennyson hitting the angles

Tennyson was somehow able to hit the tough layup to extend Texas A&M-CC’s lead to three late. 

Holding on for the victory!

With Southeastern Missouri down by three, Russell was able to get a good look up in the final seconds with his step-back jumper. But his game-tying attempt didn’t get the bounce he was looking for, allowing Texas A&M-CC to ice the game at the free-throw line and win its first NCAA Tournament game in school history.

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