Sports

North Carolina A&T has its first ever NCAA Tournament victory.  The Aggies narrowly defeated Liberty University, 73-72, last night to advance.  A last-second shot by Liberty missed as time expired to preserve the A&T win. 

Before last night, the Aggies had never won in nine trips to the tournament.  Head coach Cy Alexander said his team didn't fold under pressure.

"I thought our young men showed a lot of resilience because Liberty didn't back down and we would go up a little bit and they would keep coming back," Alexander said.

You don’t have to be a basketball fan to participate in this March Madness bracket, just a public radio listener. Southern California public radio station KPCC has created an alternative competition pitting 32 public radio shows against one another. Listeners can vote for their favorites on their website.

NC A&T will tip it off against Liberty tonight in Dayton, OH as part of the First Four. The Aggies surprised everyone last week when they seized the MEAC championship in a 57-54 win against Morgan state.

Last year Norfolk State represented the MEAC in the NCAA Tournament. As a 15-seed the Spartans defeated 2-seed, Missouri, 86-84. It is one of only six upsets where a 15-seed knocked off a 2-seed. With a victory tonight, North Carolina A&T would meet 1-seed Louisville on Thursday. A 16-seed has never beaten a one-seed.

Five North Carolina teams made the NCAA men's basketball tournament, including the ACC's Big Three in the Triangle. 

Duke is a number 2 seed in the Midwest region and faces Albany Friday afternoon.

"We're excited with the position we're in," forward Ryan Kelly tells GoDuke.com.

"We've got some time to prepare and every team we face from this point on is capable of being us and we're certainly capable of beating them.  That's how we have to approach it.  A loss is the end of your season, so we just have to keep winning."