Connecticut Gets a Scare

Connecticut relied on its skill and experience to avoid a historic upset.

Marcus Williams scored a season-high 21 points and Denham Brown added 17, helping the top-seeded Huskies overcome a 12-point second-half deficit to beat 16th-seeded Albany, 72-59, on Friday night in Philadelphia.

An overwhelming underdog in its first NCAA tournament appearance, Albany spent a week proclaiming, “Why not us?� The Great Danes then went out and made a good run at becoming the first 16th-seeded team to beat a No. 1 in the NCAA tournament.

“They shocked us into such a state that they put us in a situation where I witnessed our poorest offensive effort in 20 years at UConn,� Husky Coach Jim Calhoun said. “I never saw us look like that. They were magnificent for the first 30 minutes. We were equally magnificent for the final 10.�

Jamar Wilson had 19 points for Albany (21-11), which had a 50-38 lead 8 1/2 minutes into the second half, before the Huskies (28-3) went on a 20-4 run.

A 21 1/2 -point favorite, Connecticut led only 31-30 at halftime. A 13-0 run early in the second half gave Albany a 43-33 lead.

Kentucky 69, Alabama Birmingham 64 -- Bobby Perry scored 19 of his career-high 25 points in the second half, nine straight early in the half, and made all 10 of his free-throw attempts to lead the eighth-seeded Wildcats in Philadelphia. He had little help offensively, with no other Kentucky player in double figures.

Neither team could build much of a lead. With Kentucky (22-12) seemingly safe in the final minute, Marvett McDonald made a three-pointer with 19.2 seconds left to make the score 67-64.

Rajon Rondo, a 57% free-throw shooter, missed one of two free throws. McDonald missed a three-pointer. The Wildcats rebounded -- they had a 47-38 edge on the boards -- and the game was theirs.

North Carolina 69, Murray State 65 -- Murray State, a team with one NCAA victory in its history, took third-seeded North Carolina down to the closing seconds in Dayton, Ohio, before the Tar Heels pulled out the victory.

Tyler Hansbrough scored 24 points for North Carolina (23-7), his 14th 20-point game -- a Carolina freshman record.

Trey Pearson led Murray State (24-7) with 18 points, but he missed a three-point attempt in the closing seconds. Carolina got the rebound and Marcus Ginyard was fouled, going to the line for his clinching free throws.

George Mason 75, Michigan State 65 -- Folarin Campbell scored 21 points and the 11th-seeded Patriots used hot shooting, a balanced attack and a surprising 40-24 rebounding advantage to upset sixth-seeded Michigan State in Dayton.

The Patriots (24-7) didn’t make it easy on themselves, making only 10 of 21 free throws over the final 3 1/2 minutes. But they made 59% of their shots from the field (29 of 49).

Maurice Ager scored 10 consecutive points and 13 of 15 to lead the Spartans (22-12) back to a 52-51 lead with 6:41 left. But the Patriots made two more three-pointers to help put the game out of reach.