Round One:
The first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) concluded on March 20. There were a total of six upsets in the first round. With a lot more basketball to play, this could be anyone’s tournament.
South Region:
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) defeated the University of North Carolina (UNC) 82-76. This game was the third upset of the tournament. After being down 19 points with 15:38 remaining in the second half, VCU was able to overcome this deficit and force overtime (OT) on UNC. UNC was playing without their star player Caleb Wilson, which hurt the team late in the game. VCU plays in the second round against the University of Illinois.
The University of Nebraska had a very dominant first round game against Troy University. Nebraska won their game 76-47, making it the first win in the NCAA tournament in the school’s history. Nebraska shot 36% from the three-point line, making 14 three pointers. Nebraska also only had six turnovers to Troy’s 17 turnovers. Overall, Nebraska was a very dominant and good shooting team that could make them hard to stop as the rounds continue. Nebraska plays in the second round against Vanderbilt University.
Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University (Texas A&M) defeated Saint Mary’s College (Saint Mary’s) 63-50. Saint Mary’s is a high scoring team, however, Texas A&M’s tough defense caused Saint Mary’s to have the team’s lowest total points, while also accumulating 18 turnovers. This game was another upset in the tournament. Texas A&M advances to the second round for the third consecutive year where they will play the University of Houston.
Midwest Region:
The University of Kentucky (UK) defeated Santa Clara University (Santa Clara) in overtime, winning 89-84, a thrilling game to say the least. With only 2.4 seconds left, Allen Graves made a three pointer, which gave Santa Clara the lead by three points. However, UK threw the ball in quickly to Otega Oweh, where he made a buzzer-beater half-court shot that sent the game to overtime. This momentum from the end of regulation helped UK defeat Santa Clara. UK moves on to the second round to play Iowa State University.
St. Louis University (St. Louis) defeated the University of Georgia 102-77. This upset was one that many people expected. The game gave St. Louis the most wins in program history with 29 wins. Leading St. Louis is 6’10 power forward Robbie Avila. Avila helped defeat Georgia by scoring 12 points, getting four rebounds and having four assists. Also in this game, St. Louis set their school record with most points scored in an NCAA tournament game. St. Louis advances to the second round where they will play the University of Michigan.
West Region:
The second upset of the tournament came from High Point University (High Point). High Point defeated the University of Wisconsin- Madison (Wisconsin), 83-82 on March 19. After being down practically the whole game and with 11 seconds left in the game, High Point’s #99 Chase Johnson made a layup to take the lead by one point. Wisconsin was not able to score again after High Point scored to take the lead. This was High Point’s first win in the NCAA tournament in the school’s history. High Point plays in the second round against the University of Arkansas.
The University of Texas-Austin (Texas) defeated Brigham Young University (BYU) 79-71. After being a part of the last four teams in the tournament. Texas was a team many people did not think would win the last four in a game, nonetheless a first round game. Texas started the game with a 10-4 run and never lost the lead. Also, despite BYU’s Guard and NCAA leading scorer, AJ Dybantsa, having a game high of 35 points, Texas’ rebounding was just too dominant for BYU to overcome. Texas plays the University of Gonzaga in the second round of the tournament.
East Region:
The University of Louisville (UofL) defeated University of South Florida (USF) 83-79. UofL was up most of the game with the biggest lead being by 23 points with 12:50 remaining in the second half. However, USF started to make a comeback at the end of the game. USF was playing aggressive defense and making shots they missed in the first half. However, UofL was able overcome their 22 turnovers and late comeback by USF to mark this as Pat Kelsey’s first NCAA tournament win with UofL. UofL plays Michigan State University in the second round.
Texas Christian University (TCU) had the first upset of the tournament, beating Ohio State University 66-64. TCU led at halftime with a score of 39-24. However, with Ohio State”s last minute 15-1 run, the TCU lead was gone. With 4.3 seconds left on the clock, Xavier Edmonds for TCU scored a layup that won the game. Ohio State tried to respond with a three pointer from half-court; however, the players missed the shot, allowing TCU to beat Ohio State. TCU continues to the second round where they play Duke University (Duke).
With the absence of Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba, Duke was able to barely survive against Siena University. With the final score being 71-65, this game was too close for comfort for Duke. Duke was losing at half by a score of 43-32 to Siena. Nevertheless, in the second half Duke’s offense improved, where they outscored Siena 39-22 and had 16 offensive rebounds in the second half. Also in the second half, Duke’s defense intensified, keeping Siena at a 23.5% field goal in the second half.
Round Two:
The second round of the men’s March Madness tournament concluded on Sunday, March 22. This round included multiple close games, major upsets, intense defense and crazy buzzer beaters. The round was action-packed, and there is guaranteed to be more in the upcoming rounds.
South Region:
The University of Iowa defeated the University of Florida 73-72. Iowa was up for the majority of the game and was leading at halftime 33-31. With only a minute remaining in the second half, Florida was up by a small margin, 71-68. Right after this possession, Iowa’s Benit Stiriz made a tough pull up-jumper with 57 seconds shortening the gap by one point. Next possession for both teams resulted in a missed shot, and, with eight seconds left, Iowa fouled Florida’s Isiah Brown. Brown made a half freethrow, making the score 72-70 for Florida. Iowa didn’t slip up, and Alvaro Folgueiras scored a three-pointer, putting Iowa up 73-72 with four seconds left. After a referee’s timeout to check the time, Florida passed the ball to Xavien Lee, who drove down the court to try and tie the game. However, he got too far under the rim, leading him to try and pass it out, but the ball was loose and time expired. Iowa continues to the Sweet Sixteen where they play the University of Nebraska.
The University of Nebraska won in a last second shot over Vanderbilt University (Vandy). Nebraska was up 39-32 going into half time. Nebraska was able to keep a constant lead over Vandy until late in the second half. In the second half, Vandy was able to rally back, putting pressure on Nebraska. With less than a minute left, the game was tied at 72. With 12 seconds left, Vanderbilt attempted a shot to take the lead but missed and Nebraska rebounded the ball. Nebraska was able to score on offense, putting them up two and leaving only two seconds left for Vanderbilt to make a comeback. Vanderbilt then attempted a half-court shot that went in and out of the basket. Nebraska won with a score of 74-72. They play in the Sweet Sixteen against Iowa.
Midwest Region:
The University of Tennessee beat the University of Virginia 79-72. Tennessee going into this game was the underdog as a lower seed compared to Virginia. Tennessee started the game hot by scoring a three-pointer on their first possession to take the lead, and Virginia wasn’t able to take the lead after that. Virginia tried to make a comeback late in the second half, tying the game up at 68, with four minutes left. However, with Tennessee’s strong defense they were able to stop Virginia’s laterally. Tennessee plays in the Sweet Sixteen against Iowa State University.
West Region:
The University of Arkansas played in a close game against High Point University. Arkansas never gave up the lead, but it was always a close game. With a final score of 94-88, High Point was forced to foul at the end of the game, to try and get Arkansas to miss multiple shots. With less than two minutes left in the game, Arkansas was only up by two points, but after a big drive from Darius Acuff Jr. and Arkansas’ strong defense, it was too much for High Point to come back. Acuff Jr. also set a new record for a career-high points in a NCAA tournament game for Arkansas with 36 points. Arkansas plays the University of Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen.
The University of Texas won against Gonzaga University after being the underdog. Texas was a part of the last four teams in the tournament and many people thought they weren’t going to beat North Carolina State University in their first game. However, they have proven people wrong, over and over again. With less than one minute left in the game, Texas was up three on Gonzaga. Gonzaga’s Graham Ike dunked the ball, causing Texas’s lead to fall by one point. However, Texas was able to respond with a corner three basket and, with some intense defense from Texas, Gonzaga was unable to score again. Texas won the game 74-68. Texas moves onto the Sweet Sixteen to play Purdue University.
East Region:
St. John’s University won a thriller over the University of Kansas on a buzzer beater. St. John’s led most of the game, and at one point had a lead of 14 points in the second half. However, a comeback by Kansas put pressure on St. John’s and with the game near its end, it was at 65 points with three seconds left. St. John’s inbounded the ball to Dylan Darling, where he drove past the defense and shot a layup just as time was expiring. St. John’s won in a close game against Kansas and continues to the Sweet Sixteen where they play Duke.
Michigan State University (Michigan State) won by an easy margin over the UofL. Michigan State led the majority of the game, with their biggest lead being 13 points. Even though the score difference between the schools was not big, UofL struggled to go on runs to get them back into the game. Any time UofL would score, Michigan State responded with a similar basket. Michigan State moves on to the Sweet Sixteen where they play the University of Connecticut.
With only two and a half weeks left in the tournament and only 16 teams left, pressure is on for the remaining schools. The Sweet Sixteen round starts Thursday, March 26 and concludes on Friday, March 27.
