Best Moments From the Second day of the 2024 NCAA Tournament

On Friday the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament concluded, and it was a doozy. After an opening day that featured a 17-point second half comeback and the Horizon League champion stunning a blue blood, it was going to be hard for Friday's slate to match that excitement.

But Friday's games absolutely delivered. Here are the best moments from the second day of the 2024 NCAA Tournament...

Yale tames the Tigers

Another highly-seeded team saw its season come to an end in the First Round of the Big Dance at the hands of a mid-major. The Ivy League's Yale Bulldogs took down 4-seed Auburn 78-76 on Friday. Yale guard John Poulakidas had a heroic performance, leading all scorers with 28 points and connecting on 6-9 three-point attempts.

Auburn led by 10 with 7:35 left in the game, but a run of turnovers let Yale back into the game. The Bulldogs grabbed the lead on a Poulakidas three with 2:11 remaining. Auburn had several good chances to tie the game late at the free throw line and off of second-chance opportunities, but they couldn't connect.

This is the second-straight season that the Ivy League champ has pulled an opening round upset, with Princeton knocking off Arizona in 2023 en route to a Sweet 16 run. Auburn's loss adds to a largely terrible First Round for the SEC, which went just 3-5 over the first two days.

Colorado prevails in wild shootout

Speaking of the SEC having a rough start to the 2024 tournament, Florida certainly wished for a better outcome than what they got Friday. The 7-seed Gators lost a heartbreaker to 10-seed Colorado, 102-100.

This was an incredible game throughout. The Buffaloes shot a ridiculous 63% from the floor. The Gators had no answer for guard KJ Simpson and center Eddie Lampkin Jr., who combined for 44 points.

Florida had a great offensive day in their own right, led by guard Walter Clayton Jr.'s valiant 33-point effort. Clayton Jr. scored Florida's final 16 points of the game, including draining a long-range three to tie the game at 100 with 11 seconds left.

But there was too much time left for Colorado. In the final seconds, Simpson put up a contested jumper that hit seemingly every part of the basket before falling through the net, and the Buffs shocked the Gators.

With the win, a team that played in the First Four has now advanced to the Round of 32 every season but two since 2011.

12-seeds have their day

One of the first things you'll be told when looking for tips on how to fill out a NCAA Tournament bracket is to always pick at least one "12 over 5" upset. It's almost an annual occurrence that a 12-seed will pull off a first round win over a 5-seed, and on Friday, we saw two.

First, James Madison took down Wisconsin, 72-61. The most popular "12 over 5" pick by fans and prognosticators going into the tournament, the Dukes proved their believers to be right. The JMU defense forced 19 Wisconsin turnovers for 27 points and held the Badgers to just 38% shooting.

And to close out the First Round, Grand Canyon defeated Saint Mary's, 75-66. Tyon Grant-Foster led the Lopes with 22 as GCU put togther a dominant second half to pull off the upset. Again, turnovers made a big difference. GCU forced 13 for 17 points. But free throws were vital. GCU got to the line three times as much as the Gaels, making 28 of them.

JMU and GCU will get massive opportunities on Sunday against Duke and Alabama, respectively. And at this point, we can't rule out either of them making the second weekend.