Wisconsin-Milwaukee sends fifth-seeded Alabama home

Wisconsin-Milwaukee's players didn't madly chase each other around the floor or do anything extraordinary to celebrate the biggest win in school history.

The Panthers are above all that. This was business as usual.

"We expected this," forward Joah Tucker said. "It's wasn't a big surprise for us."

Wisconsin-Milwaukee, whose players were briefly barred from practicing Wednesday when they couldn't produce their student IDs, pulled off the first stunner of the NCAA tournament, beating Alabama 83-73 on Thursday in Cleveland.

Tucker and Ed McCants scored 21 points apiece as Milwaukee (25-5) won its first NCAA tourney game in its second try. Two years ago, the 12th-seeded Panthers nearly knocked off Notre Dame, losing 70-69.

The underrated Horizon League champions finished the job this time, continuing a trend of No. 12s beating No. 5s in March. That first-round matchup has produced an upset in 16 of the past 17 tournaments, the only exception being in 2000.

Boston Coll. 85, Penn 65

The 14th-ranked Eagles, a No. 4 seed after limping in with a 4-4 finish, got back to dominating Thursday, rolling to a victory over Pennsylvania and setting up a second-round game with Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Jared Dudley led a balanced attack with 18 points.

Nevada 61, Texas 57

The Wolf Pack made an improbable comeback in the final 2 minutes, scoring the last eight points of the game to beat eighth-seeded Texas for their second straight first-round victory in Indianapolis.

Kevinn Pinkney scored 15 points for Nevada (25-6).

Arizona 66, Utah St. 53

The Wildcats made a complete turnaround after halftime, quickly erasing a three-point deficit and dominating the Aggies the rest of the way in a win in the Chicago Regional.

UAB 82, LSU 68

Marvett McDonald had 21 points and hit five 3-pointers, and 11th-seeded Alabama-Birmingham used its stingy defense to pull off an upset in Boise, Idaho.

Kentucky 72, Eastern Kentucky 64

Kelenna Azubuike and Chuck Hayes each scored 16 points and second-seeded Kentucky dominated the middle to hold off state rival Eastern Kentucky.

Kentucky (26-5) extended its record for NCAA tournament victories to 94 and is now 37-9 in NCAA tournament openers. The Wildcats advanced to Saturday's second round of the Austin Regional and will face Cincinnati.

Cincinnati 76, Iowa 64

Jason Maxiell had 22 points, nine rebounds, six blocked shots and a pair of steals for seventh-seeded Cincinnati (25-7).

Utah 60, UTEP 54

Andrew Bogut had 24 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks to lead sixth-seeded Utah (25-8).

Oklahoma 84, Niagara 64

Drew Lavender led six Sooners in double figures with 17 points in third-seeded Oklahoma's victory in an Austin Regional game at Arizona's McKale Center.

The Sooners (25-7) struggled with 46 percent field-goal shooting, but harassed the Eagles into 16 turnovers.

Washington 88, Montana 77

With a flurry of steals, layups and 3-pointers, the Washington Huskies seemed well on their way to quieting critics who questioned their pick as a No. 1 seed. Following it up with an inconsistent finish is certain to keep the conversation going.

After charging out to a 19-point lead in the first nine minutes, Washington played well enough the rest of the way to open the NCAA tournament with a harder-than-expected victory.

Pacific 79, Pittsburgh 71

Pacific coach Bob Thomason described the Tigers' first half against Pittsburgh as nearly perfect. The second half? Well, it was good enough.

The Tigers held off the Panthers to advance in the Albuquerque Regional after letting a 15-point halftime lead dwindle to five in the final few minutes.

Christian Maraker led Pacific (27-3) with 17 points, coming back after hitting his head hard on the court in the first half.

Wake Forest 70, Chattanooga 54

Chris Paul returned from a one-game suspension for punching a player and he and the second-seeded Demon Deacons shook off a horrible first half for a win over Chattanooga.

Paul scored 20 points -- 13 in the second half -- and added six rebounds and five assists to pace Wake Forest (27-5).

Wake Forest advanced to face seventh-seeded West Virginia in the Albuquerque Regional.

W. Virginia 63, Creighton 61

Tyrone Sally blocked Nate Funk's 3-point attempt, then raced downcourt for a fast-break dunk with 2.9 seconds to go, leading seventh-seeded West Virginia (22-10) past Creighton.

Gonzaga 74, Winthrop 64

Fourteenth-seeded Winthrop flirted with a Gonzaga-like upset against the third-seeded Bulldogs on Thursday night before the Zags grabbed control late and won in the Albuquerque Regional.

Adam Morrison led the Zags with 27 points.

Gonzaga will face sixth-seeded Texas Tech in the second round Saturday.

Texas Tech 78, UCLA 66

Ronald Ross scored 28 points and sixth-seeded Texas Tech (21-10) shot a season-high 62 percent.