March Madness is an annual NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament that begins in March and concludes at the beginning of April. Millions of fans complete brackets in hopes of making a “perfect bracket” (although this is nearly impossible). As usual, this year’s March Madness did not disappoint with numerous upsets and a Final Four that no one could have predicted.
Round of 64:
FDU Upsets Purdue: When 16 seed FDU (Fairleigh Dickinson University) beat 1 seed Purdue by a score of 63-58, they became just the second 16 seed to ever advance to the Round of 32. This was undisputedly the biggest upset in the history of the first round, and maybe of all-time. Although FDU went on to lose to FAU in the next round, this shows that you can never count any team out in this tournament.
Virginia’s costly mistake leads to victory for Furman: Virginia was poised to win this game. They were a 4 seed playing a 13 seed that had not won a game in the tournament since 1974. Also, they had possession of the ball while leading by 2 points with only 12 seconds left in the game- a seemingly impossible comeback for Furman. But Virginia coughed the ball up when an ill-advised heave down the court ended up with the opponent. Furman’s JP Pegues then made a clutch 3-pointer with little time remaining, stunning Virginia.
Princeton stuns Arizona: The odds were stacked against Princeton. Ivy League teams don’t normally do well in the NCAA Tournament. Princeton was also a 15 seed going up against the number 2 seed Arizona. But, against all odds, the Tigers prevailed and defeated the Wildcats 59-55. This became the third season in a row that a 15 seed knocked off a 2 seed, and this became the largest upset by an Ivy League team since 1985.
Round of 32:
Arkansas narrowly upsets Kansas: Last year’s National Champions, Kansas, were poised for a long run this year too. As a 1 seed yet again, they faced 8 seeded Arkansas in the second round, hoping to secure a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. However, Arkansas proved that they will never give up, coming back from a 12 point deficit to beat Kansas by one point, 72-71.
Princeton advances to the sweet 16: Building off of their first round victory against Arizona, Princeton kept the momentum going against the 7 seed Missouri Tigers. This win was in much more dominant fashion however, as Princeton won this game with a much safer 15 point margin. This was the first time that Princeton had reached the Sweet Sixteen since 1967.
Sweet Sixteen
San Diego State defeats favorite Alabama: Alabama was the consistent favorite to take home the title this year. That was until they faced San Diego State in the Sweet Sixteen. Despite being down by nine points in the second half, the Aztecs stormed back, going on a 12-0 run to take back the lead. They held this lead for the remainder of the game, knocking off yet another 1 seed. This was the first time that San Diego State had made the Elite Eight in program history.
Miami upsets Houston: With Miami’s dominant win over 1 seeded Houston, they made history in multiple ways. It became the first time in NCAA tournament history that no 1 seed advanced past the Sweet Sixteen. Miami guard Nijel Pack also joined some exclusive company by breaking into the top 10 for 3-pointers made in a season by a Miami Hurricanes player. Lastly, 2023 became the longest a Miami team had ever made it in the tournament.
Gonzaga and UCLA have wild finish: 2 seeded UCLA and 3 seeded Gonzaga have a deep rivalry in the NCAA Tournament. Another wild game occurred between these two powerhouses in 2023. Gonzaga led by 10 points with only 2:30 left, but UCLA pulled off an epic comeback to take a 1 point lead with only 13 seconds left. But it didn’t end there. Gonzaga guard Julian Strawther sunk a deep 3 point shot from the logo to give the Zags the lead back. Gonzaga held on to win 79-76, moving on to the Elite Eight.
Elite Eight
FAU keeps Cinderella story alive: In yet another matchup which FAU was considered the underdog, the Owls pulled through. After defeating 8 seeded Memphis in the Round of 62, and upsetting 4 seeded Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen, FAU lined up against their toughest opponent yet- 3 seeded Kansas State. They narrowly defeated the Wildcats 79-76 to punch their ticket to the Final Four, their first in school history. This was a huge accomplishment considering that they had never won a tournament game until 9 days prior to this win.
San Diego State narrowly defeats Creighton: This contest between 6 seed Creighton and 5 seed San Diego State came down to the wire. With the game tied at 56 and mere seconds left on the clock, SDSU guard Darrion Trammell put up a shot from the corner. He missed, but was fouled, sending Trammell to the line for two free throws. He missed the first, but made the second, giving the Aztecs a one point lead. SDSU held on to win, setting the stage for an underdog, either them or FAU, to reach the championship game.
Final Four:
San Diego State beats FAU on buzzer beater: While the other Final Four game between Miami and UConn was not much of a contest (UConn won 72-59), this game was a nailbiter. San Diego State trailed by 14 late in the second half, but was able to pull within one point with little time left in the game. After stopping FAU from extending their lead, SDSU gave the ball to Lamont Butler, who hit a fade away shot at the buzzer to give the Aztecs the win 72-71. They advanced to the national title game, becoming the first team from the Mountain West to ever do so.
Championship Game and Winner: UConn defeats SDSU to snatch title: In the final game of the tournament, UConn faced San Diego State to decide the winner of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Staying in line with the rest of their games, UConn dominated from start to finish. The Huskies defeated SDSU 76-59, capturing their fifth NCAA championship. It was incredible to see UConn’s run in this tournament, as they won all six games by double digits, becoming the fifth team to accomplish this feat since the tournament expanded in 1985.
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