Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum hosted first-round games for the Men’s NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2022. Four games were played on Friday, March 21 with no surprises; the higher-seeded teams winning all four games. Marquette University was chosen to host the games, but their basketball team was selected to play their first-round games at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena.
No. 3 Seed Iowa State Cyclones vs. No. 14 Seed Lipscomb Bison
This game had deep Wisconsin connections as both team’s leading scorers grew up in Southeast Wisconsin. Senior forward Jacob Ognacevic led the way for the Bison, fresh off of being named the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year. Ognacevic, a Sheboygan native, had a solid game totaling 18 points on 7 for 11 shooting, but the Bison were just outmatched in this game.
Iowa State came into the tournament ranked as the 12th-best team in the country, and they showed that they were deserving of that ranking in this game. After a back-and-forth start, the Cyclones took the lead with 11:37 left in the first half and did not give it up for the rest of the game. Pewaukee native Milan Momcilovic led the Cyclones in scoring, the 6-foot-8 sophomore finished with 20 points on 8 for 14 shooting, as well as five rebounds. The Cyclones finished the game with a dominating 82-55 win to move on to the second round of the tournament.
“It’s cool to have all the fans come, and I’m glad I put on a show for them,” Momcilovic told the media.
No. 6 Seed Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 11 Seed North Carolina Tarheels
North Carolina’s selection to this tournament was controversial, as many thought that their season was lackluster and there were more deserving teams that were left out. The Tarheels shut up the haters in their First Four matchup against San Diego State, beating the Aztecs 95-68 to earn their spot in this game.
Unfortunately for Tarheel fans, North Carolina did not come out playing like they did in the previous game. Ole Miss took command early, scoring the first points and holding the lead till the end of the first half. North Carolina just could not get shots to fall, finishing the half 9 for 26 from the field and down 20 points to the Rebels.
North Carolina found their groove in the second half, cutting Ole Miss’ lead down to just two points in the final minute of the game before Sean Pedulla hit a three-pointer to ice the game for the Rebels. Ole Miss would end the game on top with a final score of 71 to 64. The Rebels had a very well-rounded scoring effort, with Pedulla, Dre Davis and Jaemyn Brakefield all finishing in double digits. RJ Davis led North Carolina in points with 15 in the loss.
“We knew the comeback was coming, and sure enough it did,” Ole Miss Head Coach Chris Beard told the media. “Really impressed with the poise of our guys in the last couple minutes.”
No. 3 Seed Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 14 Seed Troy Trojans
This was another game where the higher seed led the way throughout the game. Troy hit an early three to start the game on top, but it was all Kentucky for the rest of the game. The Wildcats took the lead at the 18:21 mark in the first half and did not give it up for the rest of the game. Troy kept the game close through the first but could never take the lead back from Kentucky.
“I thought we stayed very connected as a team,” Kentucky Guard Collin Chandler told the media. “The leaders on our team that have been here before helped us come together and I thought it was a great team effort.”
Kentucky started the second half with an 8-point lead and continued to build on it; finishing with a 19-point lead to beat the Trojans 76 to 57. Otega Oweh put up an elite performance, totaling 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Koby Brea, Andrew Carr and Brandon Garrison all finished with double-digit points for the Wildcats.
No. 6 Seed Illinois Fighting Illini vs. No. 11 Seed Xavier Musketeers
This game was very back-and-forth in the beginning, with six early lead changes before Illinois took charge mid-way through the first half. Xavier trailed closely behind them, but could not string together enough shots to overcome the Fighting Illini’s offensive attack. Illinois could never put the game out of reach, but played solid basketball down the stretch and sent the Musketeers home with a final score of 86-73.
“We had an answer for everything,” Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood told the media. “Every time they made a run, we were good enough to pull away.”
The Fighting Illini had a very balanced offensive output, having four players finish with double-digit points. Tomislav Ivisic and Will Riley finished with over 20 points each, and Kylan Boswell added another 15. The star of the show for Illinois was Kasparas Jakucionis with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists; finishing one rebound shy of a triple-double.