The Peacocks, led by coach Shaheen Holloway, are a hard-nosed defensive team that allows 63 points per game.
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Holloway said many of his players believe they belong at big-time basketball programs.
“And I give the guys freedom to play offense,” he said. “As long as they do what they have got to do for me on defense, on offense, they have their freedom.”
Three No. 1 seeds will be on display.
While underdogs stole a lot of attention on Thursday, many favorites still took care of business.
No. 1 seeds Gonzaga, Kansas and Baylor won by a combined 84 points. The fourth No. 1 seed, Arizona, was matched up against No. 16 Wright State on Friday night in the first round.
Gonzaga overcame a somewhat slow start to roll Georgia State by 21 points, Kansas routed Texas Southern by 27 and Baylor, the reigning national champion, romped past Norfolk State by 36.
Things figure to get more interesting for the top contenders as the tournament progresses.
Gonzaga, which got a combined 51 points and 30 rebounds from its frontcourt duo of Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren, will face Coach Penny Hardaway and Memphis, a confident team that has won 13 of its last 15 games.