Worcester, Mass. ? Tom Brennan would have retired a happy man regardless. But his 264th victory at Vermont made his impending departure a whole lot sweeter.

The wildly popular coach cried openly Friday night after his 13th-seeded Catamounts earned their biggest victory in school history. Germain Mopa Njila and T.J. Sorrentine hit consecutive three-pointers in a 48-second span of overtime, and Vermont upset Big East champion Syracuse, 60-57, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

“When that went in, I thought I might burst,” Brennan said of Sorrentine’s long three from the top of the key. “I thought you might find me in pieces around the arena because there’s no drug, nothing in the world that is that feeling. There’s nothing that can make you feel like that except competition and going through a lot with your guys, especially ones you love.”

When Gerry McNamara missed a desperation three from the top of the key in the final seconds, the Cats (25-6) had their first NCAA Tournament victory. They swarmed together and hugged in celebration, jumping up and down as Brennan raised his right arm in a triumphant salute to the team’s legion of fans shouting in the stands.

“People are going to say we shocked the world, but to this group of guys, we knew we had a shot to win this game,” reserve Alex Jensen said as the players doused each other with water in the jubilant locker room. “Everybody was sending Syracuse to the Final Four, but we knew we could win this game if we played the way we did.”

Austin Regional

No. 15 Michigan State 89, Old Dominion 81

Worcester, Mass. — Fifth-seeded Michigan State couldn’t pull away until the final minutes, when Shannon Brown made a spinning layin to start a three-point play that helped the Spartans beat Old Dominion.

Michigan State (23-6) managed to avoid a second consecutive first-round exit and instead gave coach Tom Izzo, whose NCAA record is second only to Mike Krzyzewski’s, his 20th tournament win.

Duke 57, Delaware State 46

Vermont players celebrate after beating fourth-seeded Syracuse in their first-round NCAA Tournament game. The No. 13 seed Catamounts won, 60-57 in overtime, Friday at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.

Charlotte, N.C. — Shelden Williams had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and the top-seeded Blue Devils gave Coach K his 65th career victory in the tournament. In 21 trips, coach Mike Krzyzewski is 65-17, tying Dean Smith’s total for the most career victories. This one certainly was expected, even though Duke (26-5) had a hard time in the Austin Regional. The Blue Devils struggled throughout with the Hornets (19-13).

Mississippi State 93, Stanford 70

Charlotte, N.C. — Winsome Frazier made six three-pointers and scored 20 points to lead the Bulldogs. Lawrence Roberts, the 2004 Southeastern Conference player of the year, led the Bulldogs (23-10) with 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Syracuse Regional

Florida 67, Ohio 62

Nashville, Tenn. — Florida blew a 20-point lead, but Anthony Roberson converted a three-point play with 42.3 seconds left to help the Gators advance. Fourth-seeded Florida (24-7) hung on after blowing a 55-35 lead with 11:51 left. The Bobcats (21-11), who rallied from 19 points down to win the Mid-American Conference title, went on a 20-2 run and tied the game at 60 with 2:12 left on Mychal Green’s sixth three-pointer.

Villanova 55, New Mexico 47

Nashville, Tenn. — Kyle Lowry made two sets of free throws in the final 1:38, then came up with a clutch steal to help Villanova hold off New Mexico. After holding 12th-seed New Mexico to just 11 points in the first half and leading by as much as 24, Villanova (23-7) made just three field goals in the second half. The Lobos (26-7) made a furious rally, pulling within 52-47 with 29 seconds left. But they couldn’t overcome their dismal start.

UConn 77, Central Florida 71

Worcester, Mass. — Charlie Villanueva scored 22 points for the defending national champion Huskies, who opened a 19-point lead but had to hold on to win. Gary Johnson had career-high 29 points for Central Florida (24-9), which had won eight straight games. Marcus Williams made three of four free throws down the stretch for UConn (23-7).

North Carolina State 75, Charlotte 63

Worcester, Mass. — Julius Hodge had 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the 10th-seeded Wolfpack (20-13). Andrew Brackman had 16 points, Ilian Evtimov and Cameron Bennerman each had 12, and Engin Atsur added 10 for the Wolfpack.

North Carolina 96, Oakland 68

Charlotte, N.C. — Freshman Marvin Williams scored 20 points, and Sean May added 19 in the top-seeded Tar Heels’ rout. Rashad McCants added 16 points for the Tar Heels (28-4), who shot 73 percent in the first half to take a 28-point lead and never looked back.

Chicago Regional

Southern Illinois 65, Saint Mary’s 56

Oklahoma City — Stetson Hairston broke a late tie with three free throws, then followed with a three-pointer, and Darren Brooks drove for the next two baskets. Southern Illinois (27-7) advanced to the second round for the first time since 2002.

Albuquerque Regional

Louisville 68, Louisiana-Lafayette 62

Nashville, Tenn. — Francisco Garcia went 7-for-7 from the foul line in the last two minutes, and finished with 27 points to help fourth-seeded Louisville advance. Larry O’Bannon scored 13 points, and Taquan Dean had 12 for Louisville (30-4). Brian Hamilton led Louisiana-Lafayette (20-11) with 19 points before fouling out. Tiras Wade had 15 points and Chris Cameron added 11.

Georgia Tech 80, George Washington 68

Nashville, Tenn. — Jarrett Jack, Will Bynum and B.J. Elder combined to score on six straight possessions in the second half, leading Georgia Tech. Jack had 20 to lead the fifth-seeded Yellow Jackets (20-11), who never won by more than eight points last year in their march to the championship game. Bynum had 17 and Elder added 15 for Georgia Tech. Pops Mensah-Bonsu scored 15 to lead four players in double figures for 12th-seeded George Washington (22-8).