The madness is almost over
March may come in like a lion and leave like a lamb in regards to weather, but if you are a sports fan, this isn't true at all. The last days of March, and the first days of April, are some of the most exciting days in sports thanks to the NCAA March Madness tournament. Each year for one month, college hoops takes the center stage. With the playoff system being one giant, hectic, beautiful, single-elimination spectacle, sports fans are on the edge of their seats until the final shot on the second Monday in April. While the tournament is now closer to the finish than it is the beginning, that doesn't mean there isn't a ton of action on the way. But before we can go forward, we need to take a look at what’s happened to bring us to this point. Here is a recap of all the NCAA March Madness action that the tournament has bestowed upon us.
First Round
What makes the first round beautiful is that upsets seem to happen regularly. While this can be great for a bracket if you pick the right underdog to make a run, it can be brutal if you don’t. First-seeds and other top dogs often drop like flies, while those you least expect to make long runs go on a tear. The 2013 edition of the tourney was far from lacking some great upsets.
In the first round, the biggest upsets included number 12 Oregon’s 68-55 rout of number five Oklahoma State. Number 12 Ole Miss gave number five Wisconsin a 57-46 whipping, while number 13 La Salle squeaked by number four Kansas State 63-61. Number 11 Minnesota’s routing of number six UCLA 83-63 was no small feat either. Though there were a few other lower seeds getting big wins in the first round, the two biggest upsets and surprises had to be number 14 Harvard beating number three ranked New Mexico 68-62, and number 15 Florida Gulf Coast University beating number two Georgetown 78-68. Harvard hasn't had a win like this since they were the home to pre-New York Linsanity, while FGCU has never had anything of this nature happen to their program. All four number one seeds made it to the next round.
Round of 32
One of the biggest storylines in round two was the early exit of number one seeded Gonzaga at the hands of number nine Wichita State. The Shockers (forgive the pun) lived up to their name while dethroning Gonzaga during the best season in their program’s history. This may be even sadder than the images of tears rolling down Adam Morrison’s mooostache during his final season in the NCAA.
Along with the Zags going out, Saint Louis University was at the receiving end of an upset at the hands of Oregon. The fourth-seeded team barely put up a fight, while number 13 seed La Salle continued their run by beating number 12 Ole Miss. The biggest Cinderella story in the NCAA, FGCU, beat number seven San Diego State to become the first number 15th ranked team to ever make the Sweet 16.
Sweet 16
While Cinderella stories are fun, the Sweet 16 is where the best teams come to play. FGCU saw their magical run end at the hands of number three ranked Florida, while Oregon fell to top-ranked Louisville, and La Salle fell to number nine Wichita State. While most of the higher ranked teams did prevail, number one seeded Kansas lost a heartbreaker to number four Michigan with a final score of 87-85.
Elite 8
If making it to the tournament is the equivalent of making it to the dance, then being part of the Elite 8 is break dancing in the middle of the floor. With two games yet to occur, we know now that number nine Wichita State should no longer be considered an underdog. During the Western Regional, the Shockers showed the Buckeyes of Ohio State that they weren't a team messing around, and defeated the number two seed with a score of 70-66. Ohio State was considered one of the pre-tournament favorites, so a win like this definitely puts a target on the backs of the Shockers.
In the East Regional, the strong defense of the number four Syracuse Orange completely shutdown number three ranked Marquette, in a 55-39 stomping. Marquette couldn't find any sort of offensive, and the Orange are now on their way to the Final Four.
Though the match up between number three Florida and number four Michigan promises to be good, the biggest game yet to be played in the Elite Eight has to be top-seeded Louisville vs. number two ranked Duke. Both teams have been unstoppable through the tourney. Will Louisville be the only number one seed to make it to the Final Four, or will Duke continue on their quest for another team title?
Stay tuned this weekend to see who makes it to the Final Four. The month of March may be heading toward its ending point, but the best of the tournament is still yet to come.
