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Day 1 of the First Four contests delivered two games that were decided by a total of eight points. And the first game of Tuesday evening’s doubleheader in Dayton between N.C. Central and UC Davis continued that trend of closely contested games.

Unfortunately, it was anything but exciting. 

N.C. Central hit only 5 of its 26 3-point attempts, and UC Davis turned the ball over a total of 18 times. It was sloppy basketball with careless mistakes and costly turnovers. But someone had to win it. And UC Davis pulled it out 67-63 by making clutch free throws.

1. It was a game of firsts for UC Davis.

UC Davis had never been to the Big Dance before punching its ticket out of the Big West earlier this week. And in the program’s inaugural appearance on the big stage, the Aggies delivered with a tourney victory. First Four game or not, they now have a 1.000 winning percentage in the NCAA Tournament. How about that.

2. N.C. Central was actually the favorite.

Being that UC Davis had never been to the NCAA Tournament before, this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. But N.C. Central was a 3-point favorite in most places, with more believers than doubters in what it could do to a newbie on the big stage.

But N.C. Central struggled to hit shots from the floor all night, and its inability to finish around the rim might have been the difference maker. The Eagles missed six point-blank shots and somehow still outscored UC Davis in the paint. The missed opportunities were too costly to overcome.

So if you were in the minority who took UC Davis and the three points, you’ve got some spending money. Spend it wisely.

3. No. 1 seed Kansas awaits

This was the play-in game to see which lucky team gets a crack at No. 1 seed Kansas on Friday, where UC Davis will advance as a guaranteed double-digit underdog.

Looking back on UC Davis’ season, there’s absolutely zero way of projecting how it might perform against the Jayhawks.

The Aggies played only one top-100 opponent all season -- Cal, a team that didn’t make the tournament -- and lost by 25. But they have already won four consecutive games that no one gave them a chance of competing in, and they’ve lost only once since mid-February. If they turn it over 18 times against Kansas, it might be PG-13 television.