The first round of the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament continued on Friday. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers of the day. 

Winner: Finally some dramatic finishes 

With most of the first-round games being one-sided blowouts, Friday’s slate of games finally brought a little of drama to the tournament thanks to a couple of tight, last second-finishes that came down to the buzzer.

No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s was able to advance when No. 10 seed Vanderbilt missed a last-second three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Gaels a 59-56 win.

It was a similar finish for No. 9 seed Baylor in its 75-72 win over No. 8 seed Mississippi State.

We still have not seen a lot of the buzzer-beating, game-winning or game-tying shots, but Friday at least gave us some close games. 

Loser: NCAA selection committee

Yes, this is all about No. 11 seed North Carolina losing to No. 6 Ole Miss, 71-64. The Tar Heels were the most controversial selection for the tournament and did not have the resume to get a spot in the field over teams like West Virginia. 

North Carolina’s First Four win against San Diego State might have felt like vindication for the Tar Heels and the committee, but that was never going to be enough. They had to do something else beyond that. They didn’t, and even though Friday’s game was relatively close, the Tar Heels needed a furious second-half rally to make it close after a dreadful start. 

Winner: Duke and Cooper Flagg

Even though Duke earned a No. 1 seed, there was still a dark cloud over the Blue Devils given the injury concern for their best player, Cooper Flagg. 

Well, we can probably put those concerns to bed after Duke’s dominant 93-49 win over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s. 

Duke didn’t need to use its starters for the entire game, and Flagg only played 22 minutes, but he still looked like the top-tier player he is with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in those minutes. If he is healthy and plays like that, Duke will be one of the toughest outs in the tournament.

Loser: Robert Jones’ anger

Before the tournament, No. 16 seed Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones said he was “angry” that his team was more than a 20-point underdog against No. 1 seed Florida. 

He very well might have been, and he probably did feel a little disrespected.

Unfortunately for him, the oddsmakers were right as the Gators ended up winning by 26 points in a 95-69 rout. 

Winner: New Mexico’s potential Cinderella run

The No. 10 seed Lobos were a popular pre-tournament pick to go on a Cinderella-type run deep into the tournament, and things got off to a great start for them on Friday with an impressive 75-66 win over No. 7 seed Marquette. 

Donovan Dent was the standout player of the game with 21 points and six assists in the win.

Loser: West region chalk picks

While most of the field has been short on major upsets, the one exception to that has been in the West region where three double-digit seeds have advanced, with No. 10 Arkansas,  No. 11 Drake and No. 12 Colorado State all still dancing.