FSU’s victory over the Aggies was the school’s first in the Big Dance in 13 years. Derwin Kitchen scored 15 points, and Bernard James added 10 points and three blocks, keying a go-ahead run in the second half. Singleton’s numbers weren’t great, as he had five points and four fouls, but it was evident just his return boosted the overall team. FSU, the nation’s leader in field-goal defense, held Texas A&M to 31.4 percent shooting.

Singleton, one of the top defensive players in the nation, broke his foot in a Feb. 12 game and FSU went just 3-3 without him. Opponents averaged 64.8 points and shot 38.5 percent in six games Florida State (22-10) played without Singleton. In 25 games with him pre-injury, the numbers were 61.6 points and 35.9 percent. He played 16 minutes on Friday and Coach Leonard Hamilton said he didn’t expect to play him any more than that vs. the Irish.

Notre Dame (27-6) struggled for a while on Friday against Akron but scored the first nine points of the second half on the way to a 67-56 victory. Big East Player of the Year Ben Hansbrough, who likely will be shadowed by Singleton often, led the way with 15 points. Hansbrough has been a bit off of late, going 7-for-27 in the past two games from the floor. Notre Dame hasn’t advanced to the Sweet 16 since 2003.

Madness would not be betting on the NCAA Tournament at Bodog