Bodog Beat

Scottie Reynolds dishes off during Villanova’s victory. (AP Images)

The story of the game was the underdog Villanova Wildcats upsetting a team many experts considered to be a dark horse Final Four candidate.

The story of the day, though, was what transpired in the four NCAA Tournament contests held in Tampa, Fla. For the first time in March Madness history, all four lower seeds playing in one site advanced to the second round.

The No. 12 Wildcats topped off the night with a 75-69 victory over the fifth-seeded Tigers in the Midwest Region on Friday. Clemson was favored on the point spread by six, but blew a 36-18 lead as Villanova chipped away then hit its free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Point guard Scottie Reynolds had 21 points to lead the way, including a spectacular three-point play midway through the second half that gave Villanova the lead for good. Reynolds banked the shot off the glass while being fouled.

Freshmen Corey Fisher (17 points) and Antonio Pena (12) also scored in double figures.

Villanova of the Big East will face No. 13 Siena on Sunday.

The other upsets in Tampa included No. 12 Western Kentucky beating No. 5 Drake in overtime and No. 13 San Diego upsetting No. 4 Connecticut in West Region games.

In late action in the South Region:

No. 1 Memphis 87, No. 16 Texas-Arlington 63: The Tigers’ big three of Chris Douglas-Roberts, Derrick Rose and Antonio Anderson nearly outscored the Mavericks by themselves. Douglas-Roberts had 23 points and Rose and Anderson added 17 apiece to lead Memphis. A dumb foul by Memphis’ Jeff Robinson with six seconds to play cost Tigers’ bettors. Memphis was favored by 25 but after Texas-Arlington closed the game with two free throws, meaning the final margin was 24 points.

Get complete March Madness first round results and NCAA basketball lines for the second-round games of the NCAA Tournament. The tournament continues with games on Saturday afternoon.