LEXINGTON, Ky. - Central Connecticut doubled up on Greg Oden in his first NCAA tournament game, so he doubled up, too.
Ohio State's freshman sensation had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the top-seeded Buckeyes' 78-57 win over the Blue Devils on Thursday in the South Regional's opening round.
Oden earned his 12th double-double of the season. But as the Buckeyes (31-3) showed during their somewhat workmanlike victory over the Northeastern Conference champions, they are hardly a one-prodigy show.
Jamar Butler scored 17 points and Ron Lewis added 13 as the Buckeyes quickly dispatched the game but ultimately overmatched the Blue Devils (22-12). Ohio State needed less than 5 minutes to build a double-digit lead and kept the pressure on well into the second half.
Javier Mojica led Central Connecticut with 19 points.
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Louisville 78, Stanford 58: Louisville did just fine in its odd Kentucky home. Stanford seemed all too eager to flee back to the West Coast.
Playing at Rupp Arena - home to archrival Kentucky - Louisville got 16 points from both Edgar Sosa and David Padgett to rout Stanford.
Texas A&M 68, Penn 52: Acie Law, known as "Captain Clutch," is perhaps the nation's best point guard. He needed plenty of help from his teammates, though, to get Texas A&M past upset-minded Penn.
The Aggies, seeded third in the South, got two key dunks from Joseph Jones and a game-clinching 3-pointer from Dominique Kirk to defeat 11th-seeded Pennsylvania.
Xavier 79, Brigham Young 77: Strong veteran leadership, timely 3-point shooting and six clutch points in the final two minutes from the smallest player on the floor. Xavier always seems to have what it takes to be successful in the NCAA tournament.
Drew Lavender, a 5-foot-7 transfer from Oklahoma, made two floaters in the lane, then grabbed a crucial rebound and sank two free throws with 11 seconds left to help the ninth-seeded Musketeers beat eighth-seeded Brigham Young.
