Nashville, Tenn. ? Utah coach Rick Majerus was making up new plays on the fly.

With three players fouled out and Britton Johnsen only available for cheerleading, it was time to improvise.

“We were playing with every possible combination,” Majerus said. “We were drawing things up. We didn’t have plays. We don’t have plays when you have two point guards, two 2s and a 3 out there. But we did a great job playing through adversity.”

Nick Jacobson scored 23 points and hit two of three free throws with 14.4 seconds left, helping the ninth-seeded Utes overcome their worst shooting performance of the season to beat Oregon, 60-58, Friday in the Midwest Regional.

The eighth-seeded Ducks had a chance to win, but James Davis missed two three-pointers in the final seconds.

Johnsen is sidelined by an enlarged spleen from mononucleosis. Playing without its second-leading scorer, Utah (25-7) won for the ninth time in 10 first-round games under Majerus.

But this one wasn’t pretty.

“I like the tag of winning,” Jacobson said. “I don’t care how it goes.”

It was a disappointing loss for Pac-10 tournament champion Oregon (23-10), a team ranked as high as fifth in the nation in December. Luke Ridnour, the Pac-10 player of the year, had one of his worst games of the season — fouling Jacobson on a three-pointer as the clock ticked down.

After the game, Davis stood near midcourt as Utah cheerleaders celebrated nearby until freshman Adam Zahn hugged him. The Ducks gathered around Davis near their basket before he left the floor.

The Utes won despite missing their first nine shots and hitting just 29.5 percent (18-of-61). Utah’s only first-round loss under Majerus came last year to eventual runner-up Indiana.

Oregon center Matt Short (5) consoles teammate Luke Ridnour. Utah defeated the Ducks, 60-58, Friday at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Nashville, Tenn.

The Utes will play top-seeded Kentucky — a 95-64 winner over IUPUI — in the second round Sunday.

“I’d prefer not to play Kentucky, but you have to play someone,” Majerus said. “That’s just the draw.”

Kentucky 95, IUPUI 64

Nashville, Tenn. — Top-seeded Kentucky extended its winning streak to 24 with another rout. Kentucky (30-3) hasn’t lost since Dec. 28, and the Wildcats weren’t about to slip against the Jaguars. They shot a staggering 62 percent, hitting 40 of 65 attempts from the field. IUPUI (20-14) was making its first NCAA appearance, having won the Mid-Continent Conference tournament. Kentucky, which breezed through the brutal Southeastern Conference with a perfect record, was playing its 128th tournament game.

Pittsburgh 87, Wagner 61

Boston — Pittsburgh ruined Wagner’s first NCAA Tournament. The Panthers (27-4) had balanced scoring as eight players each scored at least eight points. Donatas Zavackas had 16, Carl Krauser 12, Jaron Brown 11 and Brandin Knight 10. Wagner (21-11) was led by Jermaine Hall with 17 and Dedrick Dye with 15.

Indiana 67, Alabama 62

Boston — Bracey Wright scored all 17 of his points after halftime, and Tom Coverdale had 23 points, eight assists and the game’s final rebound to lead Indiana. Maurice Williams had 26 points, and Erwin Dudley had 18 points and nine boards for Alabama, which was the No. 1-ranked team in the country on New Year’s Day before falling apart in the second half of the season. The 10th-seeded Crimson Tide (17-12) led by 11 at the half but trailed the No. 7 seed by six until Williams hit a long three-pointer at the 1:00 mark to make it 65-62.