North Carolina A&T edges Liberty, 73-72 in First Four opener

The North Carolina A&T Aggies advanced to play Louisville in the NCAA Tournament. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Did you really expect anything different once

The North Carolina A&T Aggies advanced to play Louisville in the NCAA Tournament. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Did you really expect anything different once the NCAA tournament began?

A wild, unpredictable season saw its national championship event tip off with a wire job in Dayton, Ohio. North Carolina A&T, the MEAC tournament champions, held off upstart Liberty, the 20-loss auto-bid holders from the Big South, 73-72, when Liberty's John Caleb Sanders missed a driving layup in the final seconds. The Aggies advance to Friday's matchup with Midwest No. 1 seed Louisville in Lexington, Ky.

The Aggies could have made things easier on themselves, but they missed the front ends of two one-and-ones in the final 19 seconds and also nearly threw away an inbounds pass under Liberty's basket. The ensuing scrum, with the Flames trailing by one, caused a held ball, but the Aggies retained possession.

Sanders, part of a three-guard attack that fueled the Flames, finished with 21 points and nine assists. Jeremy Underwood came off the bench for North Carolina A&T and provided 19 big points on 6-for-6 shooting.