Nashville, Tenn. ? Drew Nicholas wasn’t supposed to have the ball. Good thing the intended play didn’t work out.

Nicholas dribbled nearly the length of the court and swished a desperation three-pointer as the horn sounded, giving defending national champion Maryland an improbable 75-73 victory Friday night over North Carolina Wilmington at the NCAA South Regional.

The sixth-seeded Terrapins (20-9) wanted Steve Blake to have the ball on the final play, but UNC-Wilmington’s swarming defense kept him from getting it.

So Nicholas got the inbounds pass and took off up the right side of the court. With less than a second remaining, he managed to launch a fallaway three-pointer off his back foot with Anthony Terrell right in his face.

“I took the ball as far as I could and tried to make something happen,” Nicholas said. “I know the shot probably didn’t look the prettiest, but it went in. I really couldn’t believe it when it went through.”

Neither could UNC Wilmington coach Brad Brownell, who collapsed to the court in disbelief.

“We did everything we could,” he said. “Give credit to Drew Nicholas. He made the game-winner.”

Aaron Coombs sank two free throws with five seconds left, giving the 11th-seeded Seahawks a 73-72 lead and putting them in position to pull off a tourney surprise for the second year in a row.

Instead, Maryland avoided becoming the first defending champion since UCLA in 1996 to get knocked out in the first round.

After Nicholas’ shot, several Maryland players raced off the court in delirium, while the Seahawks stood around in a daze.

Maryland forward Nik Caner-Medley, bottom, fights UNC Wilmington forward Craig Callahan for the ball. The sixth-seeded Terrapins held off the No. 11 Seahawks, 75-73, Friday at the NCAA South Regional in Nashville, Tenn.

The officials called everyone back to look at the video replay. It clearly showed that Nicholas got the shot off with a 0.5 seconds to spare, giving Maryland a chance to celebrate again.

UNC Wilmington freshman John Goldsberry nearly stole the show. He set a tournament record by going 8-of-8 from outside the three-point arc, finishing with a career-high 26 points. He broke the 7-of-7 mark set by Florida State’s Sam Cassell in 1993.

Goldsberry stepped up when Brett Blizzard, the Seahawks’ leading scorer, struggled most of the night.

“I’d rather just pass the ball, to tell you the truth,” Goldsberry said. “I had some open looks and fortunately they were going in.”

Nicholas scored 22 points, including 5-of-8 shooting from outside the arc, as the Terrapins advanced to meet third-seeded Xavier in the second round Sunday.

A year ago, UNC Wilmington (24-7) opened with a 93-89 overtime victory against fourth-seeded Southern California. The Seahawks had another favored team on the ropes, but couldn’t finish the job this time.

Maryland encountered a less-serious bit of adversity — three white uniforms were stolen from the team’s downtown hotel earlier in the day.

The Seahawks, who were scheduled to wear their road uniforms as the lower-seeded team, agreed to switch to home white so Maryland could wear red outfits.

Xavier 71, Troy State 59

Nashville, Tenn. — Xavier’s David West, the Atlantic 10 player of the year, was slowed by foul trouble and scored only 12 points. Lionel Chalmers hit five three-pointers to lead the Musketeers with 20, and Romain Sato added 18 as Xavier won for the 17th time in its last 18 games. The Musketeers (26-5) never had been seeded higher than sixth in the tournament, and they appeared just as nervous in the opening minutes against 14th-seeded Troy State (26-6), whose only previous NCAA Tournament experience came in Division II.

Purdue 80, LSU 56

Birmingham, Ala. — Ninth-seeded Purdue scored the first 13 points of the second half to begin a 28-8 tear that turned a tie game into a rout. Melvin Buckley finished with a career-high 20 points for the Boilermakers (19-10), matching his combined total from the last six games and nine more than his previous best. He went 5-of-6 from three-point range and made all three in the second half. Jaime Lloreda carried the Tigers (21-11) with 21 points and 14 rebounds but hit just five of 11 free throws. Torris Bright finished with 10 points.

Florida 85, Sam Houston State 55

Tampa, Fla. — Sophomore David Lee scored a career-high 23 points, helping the second-seeded Gators upend 15th-seeded Sam Houston State.

Florida (25-7) was the only team to come into the NCAA Tournament with three straight losses.