After the Providence Friars fell to the USC Trojans, the hope for the Big East’s reps on Thursday was for them not to follow in their footsteps. Well, consider that mission accomplished. Despite the fact that ‘Nova had a scare put into them by Mount Saint Mary’s, the Wildcats ultimately prevailed and advanced as the No. 1 seed should. The Xavier Musketeers got the upper hand after trading blows with the Maryland Terrapins in Orlando. And the Butler Bulldogs pieced together probably the most impressive performance, drubbing the Winthrop Eagles from bell to bell.
The top seeds survived the scares -- for the most part
Three 5-12 matchups went down and only the Minnesota Golden Gophers were on the receiving end of a loss.