Fort Worth, Texas - The Baylor Bears got their quest for a second-straight men's basketball title off to a big start after blowing out the Norfolk State Spartans 85-49 in Thursday’s March Madness first-round action.

The Bears, who are top-ranked in the tournament’s East Region, spent the first five minutes of the game settling in, building a small lead along the way.

It was a lead that they never let go through the entirety of the game.

Unfortunately for the Spartans, it very quickly became pretty clear who was the better team.

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The defending champs spent the rest of the first half expanding their lead with dominant offensive play, led by senior guard Matthew Mayer (22).

Mayer finished the game with 8-for-12 shooting from the field, including a 4-for-7 effort from three-point land for a career-best 22 points, six rebounds, and two steals.

After Baylor went into halftime with a 16-point advantage, the Bears carried on in the second half with a repeat performance of the first half, just a point shy of doubling up their 43 first-half points.

Up next, the Bears will face the North Carolina Tar Heels in second-round action on Saturday.

A couple of five-seeds were bitten by the upset bug as the 12th-seeded Richmond Spiders did away with the Iowa Hawkeyes 67-63, behind senior guard Jacob Gilyard’s game-high 24 points.

And the UConn Huskies couldn’t do enough in the second half to get past the 12th-seeded New Mexico State Aggies, falling 70-63 in a close one.

The number-three Tennessee Volunteers easily defeated the Longwood Lancers 88-56 while the North Carolina Tar Heels routed the Marquette Golden Eagles 95-63.

The Providence Friars earned a spot in the second round with a 66-57 win over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

The Memphis Tigers have advanced after beating the Boise State Broncos 64-53.

And the Michigan Wolverines overpowered the Colorado State Rams 75-63 for a spot in the second round on Saturday.

Day two of first-round action in the men’s bracket tips off on Friday afternoon.