TAMPA, Fla. — San Diego's Rob Jones didn't even bother leaving his feet when the ball was tossed up to start the game.

The 6-foot-6 forward knew he didn't have a chance against Connecticut's 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet.

When the same thing happened to begin overtime, Jones jumped so high he nearly got the tip — a clear indication of how confident the Toreros had become. They were even more fearless in the final seconds.

De'Jon Jackson hit the biggest shot in school history — a long jumper with 1.2 seconds left in overtime — and 13th-seeded San Diego beat No. 4 seed Connecticut, 70-69, yesterday in the first round of the NCAA's West Regional.

"The thing I put on the board: Don't let them get a sniff that we're two equal teams," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. "We allowed them to believe that it wasn't going to be what everybody said it was going to be."

Instead, UConn is heading home much earlier than expected. The Huskies (24-9) hadn't lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament since 1979 and never during Calhoun's 22 seasons.

San Diego, meanwhile, got its first tournament victory in four tries. The Toreros (22-13) advanced to play No. 12 Western Kentucky in the second round.

"This feeling right now, I can't even explain it," Jackson said. "It's like the best feeling I've had in my life."

And if Brandon Johnson and Gyno Pomare play like they did against Connecticut, the small, Southern California school known mostly for its scenic ocean views could be in for an extended tournament stay.

Johnson had 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Pomare had 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting.

Together, they gave UConn all it could handle, especially after leading scorer A.J. Price left the game with a knee injury.

The junior point guard landed awkwardly on his knee while driving to the basket with 9:39 to play in the first half and did not play thereafter.

The game was tied at 16 when Price fell. Without him, San Diego pulled out to an 11-point lead early in the second half and UConn was left without its top playmaker in overtime.

The Huskies turned to Jerome Dyson down the stretch and in the extra frame.

He sank two free throws with 10.4 seconds to play in regulation, tying the game at 60 and sending it to overtime. He finished with 14 points.

"Jerome was fearless," Calhoun said.

MORE WEST REGIONAL

At Tampa, Fla.

WESTERN KENTUCKY 101, DRAKE 99

Tyrone Brazelton scored 33 points and Ty Rogers hit a 26-foot, 3-pointer with three defenders in his face and no time on the clock, helping the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers (28-6) stun the fifth-seeded Bulldogs (28-5) in overtime for their first tournament win since 1995.

MIDWEST REGIONAL

At Raleigh, N.C.

GEORGETOWN 66, UMBC 47

Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace each scored 13 points, and the second-seeded Hoyas (28-5) used a 22-5 run en route to a 34-22 halftime lead in rolling past the undersized and 15th-seeded Retrievers (24-9).

DAVIDSON 82, GONZAGA 76

Stephen Curry scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half and hit the tie-breaking 3-pointer with just over a minute left to lift the 10th-seeded Wildcats (27-6) over the seventh-seeded Bulldogs (25-8), who blew 11-point leads in both halves.

At Tampa, Fla.

SIENA 83, VANDERBILT 62

Kenny Hasbrouck scored 30 points, Tay Fisher added 19 on 6-for-6 shooting from 3-point range, helping the 13th-seeded Saints (23-10) stun the fourth-seeded Commodores (26-8) to become the first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team to reach the second round since Manhattan in 2004.

VILLANOVA 75, CLEMSON 69

Scottie Reynolds scored 21 points, Corey Fisher added 17 and the 12th-seeded Wildcats (21-12) rallied from a 36-18 first-half deficit to upset the fifth seeded Tigers (24-10) and advance to the second round against Siena tomorrow.

EAST REGIONAL

At Birmingham, Ala.

TENNESSEE 72, AMERICAN 57

JaJuan Smith scored 19 points, Wayne Chism added 16 and the second-seeded Volunteers (30-4), leading 53-51 with 5:45 left, held the Patriot League champion and 15th-seeded Eagles (21-12) to only one basket the rest of the way.

BUTLER 81, SOUTH ALABAMA 61

Pete Campbell hit eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points, and the Bulldogs (30-3) won their fourth straight first-round game to set a school record for wins with a rout of the 10th-seeded Jaguars (26-7).

OKLAHOMA 72, ST. JOSEPH'S 64

David Godbold scored 25 points, Longar Longar added 14, and the sixth-seeded Sooners (23-11) saw their 19-point lead early in the second half dwindle to 65-61 with 3:31 to play before turning back the 11th-seeded Hawks (21-13).

LOUISVILLE 79, BOISE STATE 61

Earl Clark scored 15 points, Juan Palacios had 13, and the third-seeded Cardinals (25-8) rushed to a 10-1 lead and never looked back in cruising past the 14th-seeded Broncos (25-9), who were playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994.

At Raleigh, N.C.

NORTH CAROLINA 113, MOUNT ST. MARY'S 74

Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson each scored 21 points, and the top-seeded Tar Heels (33-2) shot 61 percent, took a 48-22 rebounding advantage and finished with 26 second-chance points against the undersized and 16th-seeded Mountaineers (19-15).

ARKANSAS 86, INDIANA 72

Sonny Weems scored a career-high 31 points, Darian Townes added 17 points and 12 rebounds and the ninth-seeded Razorbacks (23-11) beat the eighth-seeded Hoosiers (25-8), snapping a five-game losing streak in the NCAA tournament, and earning a second-round matchup with top-seeded North Carolina.

SOUTH REGIONAL

At North Little Rock, Ark.

TEXAS 74, AUSTIN PEAY 54

A.J. Abrams scored 26 points, and the second-seeded Longhorns (29-6) raced out to a 9-0 lead, led 39-24 at intermission and were never threatened by the 15th-seeded Governors (24-10) to set up a second-round game tomorrow with former Longhorns assistant Frank Haith, now the coach at Miami.

MIAMI 78, SAINT MARY'S 64

Jack McClinton scored a career high 38 points — 32 in the second half — as the seventh-seeded Hurricanes (23-10) used a 25-5 run for a 62-37 lead to take control and beat the 10th-seeded Gaels (25-7).

MEMPHIS 87, TEXAS-ARLINGTON 63

Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 23 points to lead four teammates in double figures, and the top-seeded Tigers (34-1) trailed 6-3 before using a big run for a 24-11 lead which never dipped below nine thereafter in a victory over the 16th-seeded Mavericks (21-12).

MISSISSIPPI STATE 76, OREGON 69

Charles Rhodes scored a career-high 34 points and the eighth-seeded Bulldogs (23-10) came back from a 13-point second-half deficit to beat the ninth-seeded Ducks (18-14).

COACHING CHANGE

Idaho hires Utah State assistant: Idaho hired Utah State assistant Don Verlin as its basketball coach yesterday, replacing George Pfeifer, who was fired this week after two seasons and a 12-48 record. Utah State and Idaho are both being members of the Western Athletic Conference.

"I'm extremely honored," the 42-year-old Verlin said. "I am tremendously excited and am looking forward to building a winning basketball program there."