Top 5 moments from Day One of 2023 NCAA Tournament

By Elijah Campbell | Mar 17, 2023

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 16: Players of the Furman Paladins celebrate their 68-67 victory against the Virginia Cavaliers in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 16, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

1 of 5

NCAA Tournament Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer Russell Lansford-USA TODAY Sports /

The first day of the NCAA Tournament is in the books and we already have some memorable tournament moments after 16 games! Late game heroics, shocking results, and a smidge of history were made during the first day of games.

The first day of the tournament is magical in its own way as we get blessed with non-stop basketball from noon eastern time to midnight. There’s so much to unpack and it’s literally impossible to see everything in the days of the first round. In case you missed much of the action, or just want to relive it with me here, I’ll break down the top five moments from the opening day of the opening round of the greatest postseason in all of sports.

Jon Scheyer gets first career NCAA Tournament win

One of the biggest storylines coming into the season was the future of one of the sport’s blue blood programs: Duke. For the first time since 1980, the Blue Devils are being coached by someone not named Coach K.

It took new head coach and K successor, Jon Scheyer, awhile to get his team to gel but with their ACC Tournament championship, they have looked like one of the hottest teams in all of college hoops. On Thursday night, Scheyer picked up a new milestone: an NCAA Tournament win.

The Blue Devils jumped out to a huge lead to start the game and never relinquished control of the game, leading by as many as 27 points midway through the second half. It was a statement game for Duke and a memorable first for the new shot caller in Durham, North Carolina.

Home/March Madness