Jacksonville , Fla. ? Maybe the Big East was overrated.
It would be hard to argue against that after the opening day of the NCAA Tournament.
Acie Law scored 23 points, including a dozen in the final 2:25, and helped 12th-seeded Texas A&M upset fifth-seeded Syracuse, 66-58, Thursday night in the Atlanta Regional.
It was the third loss in three games for the new expanded Big East, which sent a record eight teams into the field of 65.
It’s the first NCAA Tournament victory for the Aggies (22-8) since 1980.
“I don’t think a whole lot of people around the country think we’re a powerhouse program, so if we win a couple of games, it’s going to surprise some people,” guard Chris Walker. “We enjoy that. We enjoy opening people’s eyes, doing things that they didn’t expect us to do.”
Terrence Roberts led the Orange (21-12) with 16 points.
Next up for the Aggies is LSU.
LSU 80, Iona 64
Jacksonville, Fla. – Glen Davis scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half, and the fourth-seeded Tigers (24-8) overcame a sluggish start to advance.
Steve Burtt and Ricky Soliver, the highest-scoring guard tandem in Division I, did all they could to keep No. 13 seed Iona (23-8) in the game. Burtt had 23 points and Soliver 14 in their final college contests.
Duke 70, Southern 54
Greensboro, N.C. – Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick combined for all but 12 of Duke’s points to overcome a sluggish start and beat the Jaguars.
The rest of the top-seeded Blue Devils (31-3) were 2-for-12 from the field.
Chris Alexander had 19 points for the Jaguars (19-13).
Next up for Duke is George Washington.
George Washington 88, UNC Wilmington 85, OT
Greensboro, N.C. – Maureece Rice scored 20 points and had a key defensive play in overtime to help the Colonials rally from an 18-point deficit.
Omar Williams had 16 points and nine rebounds for the eighth-seeded Colonials (27-2).
T.J. Carter scored 25 points to lead the ninth-seeded Seahawks (25-8).
