After four straight days of March Madness, a weekend that many say is the greatest one in sports history, every bracket has been undoubtedly busted and I’m sure many minds have been blown. Here are some of the biggest surprises from the first two rounds of the Big Dance.
Every 1, 2, 3, and 4 seed advanced to the Round of 32.
This has happened only five time in NCAA history, with the last being in 2005, and a lot of people chose 4-13 upsets because of mis-seeding this year, but the odds weren’t in their favor. Also, 1 seeds improved to 132-0 all-time against 16 seeds. Many Cinderella’s were robbed of their moments this year.
Michigan State advanced to the Round of 32.
Eighth-seeded Michigan State wasn’t even supposed to make the tournament, let alone take down under-seeded Miami. However, the mostly freshman team showed what they were made of before being bounced by Kansas, and there is a lot of promise for next season.
Michigan gave their fans a heart attack two games in a row.
Michigan barely escaped the first round with a 1-point margin victory. And then they met 2-seeded Louisville. And they were down for most of the game. And then the unthinkable happened, and Cinderella had their moment as the destiny team won by a margin of 4 to send the Cardinals home and advance to the Sweet 16.
Florida State was ousted by an 11-seed.
Third-seeded FSU was a favorite after having a stellar start to the season before going on a skid late. Xavier was an 11-seed that was the last team into the field of 68. Both had something to prove, and Xavier won that battle. The Musketeers trounced the Seminoles by a near 30 points, following in the footsteps of last year’s Cinderella as they survived to the second weekend by defeating a 3-seed and 6-seed.
Northwestern won their first ever NCAA tournament game in shocking fashion.
Northwestern survived a gut check of heart by squeaking out a two-point win over Vanderbilt in the first round and were gifted with the chance to play Gonzaga in the round of 32. In a game that looked like it was over in the first ten minutes, the Wildcats stormed their way back to make Gonzaga sweat, coming within 3 until a missed call (which the NCAA later apologized for) turned momentum back to the Zags as they took home a 6-point victory. Northwestern just dug themselves too much of a hole to crawl out of, but mark my words. The Cats will be back.
USC made a case for themselves.
Many didn’t believe USC belonged in the field, but they made a 17-point come back in their First Four game, and then made another comeback against sixth-seeded SMU, winning in the final minute. What a team and what heart for them not to give up. Watch out for them next season.
The repeat is alive no more.
Overall 1-seed Villanova was a majority favorite to repeat in the 18 million+ brackets (with a rematch against UNC in the title game nonetheless), but Wildcats were back to their old ways as ninth-seeded hot and cold Wisconsin into town. The game was close at the half, with the Badgers holding a four-point lead over the defending champs, and Villanova made their way back to the lead as the second half raged on, but once it hit under five minutes, something sparked in the Badgers didn’t quite reach Villanova. The final minutes were thrilling, and a spin move by Nigel Hayes with under 30 seconds left sealed the deal as the Badgers one by three, sending the champs back home. This takes nothing away from the Villanova seniors who won last year, but Wisconsin is heading to New York. They could prove to be a interesting match for Florida.
Number 2 Duke is left knocking at the Sweet 16 door yet again.
This was Duke’s year. After the crazy first half, everyone thought the Blue Devils had finally found their rhythm, had a handle on the season. They won the ACC title and nabbed a two-seed after being projected at a five. This was their time. They would make a run to the Final Four. And then that handle that they had went away, literally. Their round of 32 game against the seventh-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks was riddled with turnovers, and their 7-point halftime lead slowly dwindled until they were the ones down by seven, and the Gamecocks never looked back.
The second weekend should hold some very interesting and entertaining games. Take the next few days to wrap your heads around what in the world you witnessed, because March Madness isn’t going away just yet. Tune in on Thursday!
