DENVER, COLO. -- Ryan Kalkbrenner had a career-high 31 points to lead sixth-seeded Creighton men's basketball to a 72-63 win over 11th-seeded NC State on Friday afternoon at Ball Arena in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Kalkbrenner's outburst sur[assed Creighton's single-game scoring record for an NCAA Tournament game set by Doug McDermott in 2013.
Creighton (22-12) will now face Baylor, which defeated 74-56 in the first game of the day in Denver. NC State ends its season with a 23-11 mark.
Creighton raced to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes, keyed by a 3-pointer from Baylor Scheierman just 12 seconds into the game.