The Latest on the first full day of the men's NCAA Tournament, including games being played in Providence, Rhode Island, Raleigh, North Carolina, Des Moines, Iowa and Denver. (All times EDT):
2:02 p.m.
Duke looks to be taking charge over UNC Wilmington in the second half of their NCAA Tournament game in Providence, Rhode Island.
After trailing by three at the half, Duke was up 70-62 with less than eight minutes to go. A thunderous dunk by Marshall Plumlee had gotten the lead up to 12 points, but UNC Wilmington wasn't quitting in only the second game between the schools.
There was a scary collision near mid-court between UNCW Chris Flemmings and Duke's Derryck Thornton. Both players stayed down on the floor for about a minute, but were able to make it to their bench under their own power. They appear to be OK.
- Kyle Hightower, reporting from Providence, Rhode Island
---
1:43 p.m.
There's a reason the NCAA Tournament keeps coming to North Carolina seemingly every year.
PNC Arena was about three-quarters full for the first game of the day, an 8-9 game between Butler and Texas Tech.
Fans of the Bulldogs and Red Raiders showed up, of course, but there was no doubt that the two anchor teams here are North Carolina and Virginia.
It helps that three of the eight schools here are only a short drive away - the Tar Heels, Cavaliers and 16th-seeded Hampton.
- Joedy McCreary reporting from Raleigh, North Carolina.
---
1:40 p.m.
California will be without point guard Tyrone Wallace for the NCAA Tournament.
Wallace broke a bone in his right hand in practice on Wednesday. The Golden Bears play Hawaii in a first-round game on Friday in Spokane, Washington.
He averaged a team-high 15.3 points and 4.4 assists per game, along with 5.4 rebounds.
- Tim Booth reporting from Spokane, Washington.
1: 25 p.m.
Those Tobacco Road rivalries never stop.
A few North Carolina fans who showed up early at PNC Arena gathered around the huge video board near the tailgate area outside the gates.
They were loving what they saw - Duke losing to UNC Wilmington.
There were audible cheers when Chris Flemming's basket put UNCW up by four points with a stickback slam dunk late in the first half.
- Joedy McCreary reporting from Raleigh, North Carolina.
1:18 p.m.
Duke has five national titles. UNC Wilmington is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time.
And then there's this: At the half, it's UNC Wilmington 43, Duke 40 in an East Regional at Providence, Rhode Island.
UNC Wilmington, about 160 miles from the Duke campus in Durham, played the defending national champions only once before. And Duke needed overtime to pull out a 67-57 win on Feb. 8, 1982, one of only 10 victories for the Blue Devils in coach Mike Krzyzewski's second season.
Maybe the Seahawks remember.
---
12:51 p.m.
Every year, it seems like one host city for the NCAA Tournament gets a lucky draw for the first two rounds.
Des Moines, Iowa, hit the jackpot this March.
The city's first shot at hosting the tournament drew top-seeded Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana and Connecticut. Those programs have combined to win 20 national championships, including the Jayhawks in 2008, Kentucky in 2012 and Connecticut two years ago - over the Wildcats, no less.
Naturally, such big programs are led by big stars. Perry Ellis, Yogi Ferrell, Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray are among the talents sharing the same arena Thursday - along with unheralded guys like Stony Brook's Jameel Warney and Austin Peay's Chris Horton hoping to steal the spotlight.
''I'd I think this is one of those rare moments where we're all in one place together, and it should be exciting because it should be some great basketball,'' Kentucky coach John Calipari said.
- Luke Meredith reporting from Des Moines, Iowa.
---
12:39 p.m.
Our first basket on the first full day of the NCAA Tournament was a jumper by Duke's Brandon Ingram 43 seconds into the game against UNC Wilmington.
Fans are streaming into Dunkin' Donuts Center for the first of four games. It's St. Patrick's Day, and the place already is packed. All tickets have been sold.
With under nine minutes left in the half, the game was tied at 19.
- John Kekis reporting from Providence, R.I.
---
11:50 a.m.
We're a few minutes away from tipoff on the first full day of the NCAA Tournament, which just happens to fall on St. Patrick's Day.
So if you're looking for a little luck o' the Irish, you may have to wait until Friday when Notre Dame (Fighting Irish) plays Michigan in an East Regional game in New York.
The early games Thursday are UNC-Wilmington vs. Duke in Providence (12:15 p.m.); Texas Tech vs. Butler in Raleigh (12:40 p.m.); Colorado vs. UConn in Des Moines (1:30 p.m.); and Iowa State vs. Iona in Denver.
In downtown Providence, though, tourney-goers will mingle with crowds of St. Patrick's Day partiers. Although alcohol sales aren't allowed at the games, the city temporarily suspended a law prohibiting open containers of alcohol in two neighborhoods Thursday through Saturday.
