The first game of the Tournament delivered. Alabama State and Saint Francis were the two lowest-rated teams in the field in both the NET and KenPom, but it didn’t play that way on the court — even with that wild, last-second, tip-drill game-winner.

Both teams shot better than 40 percent from the floor, with SFU converting 50 percent overall and 10-for-22 from 3-point range. The Red Flash even had a 14-4 advantage at the charity stripe over Alabama State, which didn’t even attempt a free throw until the final five minutes of the game.

Turnovers were the difference. The Hornets, one of the best teams in the country at taking care of the ball this season, gave it away just six times and scored 26 points off of 15 giveaways by SFU. That disparity, and a 6-0 run late in the second half, was enough for Alabama State to overcome a hot-shooting Saint Francis and notch the Hornets’ first-ever NCAA Tournament win.

I wouldn’t expect Alabama State — located in Montgomery, about an hour west of Auburn — to give the top-seeded Tigers much trouble Thursday, but whenever Tony Madlock’s squad bows out, they’re heading home with a March Madness victory and a memorable finish.