This is March! After another marathon college basketball season, “The Big Dance” has arrived. After a rollercoaster opening weekend full of upsets, excitement and classic March Madness moments, we are ready for more. Without further ado, let us dive in and break down the tournament so far.
Opening Weekend Highlights
One of the most exciting moments of the opening weekend came on Wednesday night during the First Four matchup between Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Miami (OH). As SMU’s Corey Washington stepped to the free throw line in the second half, a red hoard of Miami fans stormed down the aisles behind the basket wearing nothing but speedos and body paint. The wave of scantily clad fans was actually Miami’s Men’s Swim team. They screamed and flailed their arms, trying to distract Washington. To the delight of the speedo crew, Washington missed his first shot. The stadium absolutely erupted in commotion. Fortunately, Washington made his second shot and calmed the crowd, but it was not enough, as the Ponies fell to the Redhawks 79-89. Miami (OH) has had a storybook season, winning their first 31 games before falling to the University of Massachusetts in the Mid-American Conference tournament. However, the Redhawks earned the final at-large bid to the Dance, and they seized the moment. This is the first NCAA tournament win for the Redhawks since 1999. Unfortunately, Miami’s March magic ran out, as they fell in the next round to Tennessee, but this moment will live on in the memories of Redhawks fans for years to come.
Surprising Upsets
On the women’s side, the most surprising upset has been the lack of upsets altogether. Historically, the women’s NCAA tournament tends to be more chalky than the men’s tournament, but this year is especially so. In the first round, only three lower-seeded teams won their matchups, and two of those upsets were in the eight seed-nine seed game. The most intriguing upset was the nine-seed USC Trojans’ victory over the eight-seed Clemson Tigers in an overtime instant classic where star freshman Jazzy Davidson carried her squad to victory with 31 points.
On the men’s side, 11-seed Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) takedown of six-seed University of North Carolina (UNC) was an unexpected upset. Though there were nine total lead changes, it looked as if the Tar Heels had this game in hand for most of the duration, leading from 9:37 left in the first half, until VCU tied the game with just 11 seconds left in the second half. At one point in the second half, UNC led by as many as 18 points, before the Rams mounted an impressive comeback. Another shocking upset occurred late Sunday night, as the nine-seed Iowa Hawkeyes upset the defending national champion Florida Gators. Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras drilled a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the game to give the Hawkeyes a one-point lead, but the Gators still had 4.5 seconds left to go the length of the floor and re-take the lead. Iowa’s defense swarmed, preventing the Gators from even attempting a shot. Florida is the first one seed to lose in the tournament so far. With Iowa’s win, the Big Ten Conference continues to dominate the tournament, sending six teams to the Sweet Sixteen.
Dark Horses to Watch
On the women’s side, our dark horse team is Michigan. The two-seed Wolverines will have home-court advantage for the first two rounds, which is huge: The Wolverines are 14-1 at home this year. The star sophomore duo of Olivia Olson and Syla Swords is one of the most potent tandems in the country. Together, they average nearly 35 points and 10 rebounds per game. This Michigan squad is also battle-tested and unafraid of the moment. In late November, they were one possession away from upsetting No. 1-ranked University of Connecticut, eventually falling 69-72. This young team has grown a lot since that November matchup, and if they hit their stride, they will be a tough matchup for any team later in the tournament.
For the men, our dark horse is the Fightin’ Illini. Coach Brad Underwood’s squad has been dealing with injuries and illness all season long, but the squad is finally at full strength. Illinois is loaded with physical overseas talent and can shoot the lights out of the basketball. In their 105-70 win over the University of Pennsylvania in the first round, Illinois won the rebounding battle 48-25. In their second-round victory over VCU, the Illini dominated once again, winning 76-55. Maybe the greatest strength of this team is its depth. Underwood can get meaningful minutes from players at the far end of the bench without letting the intensity let up. In the win over VCU, four Illini players scored double digits with Andrej Stojakovic exploding for 21 points off the bench. The greatest obstacle preventing this Illinois squad from competing for a championship are themselves. At times during the regular season, they would fall flat, let their defense ease up and blow games. Hopefully, the added pressure and pageantry of March Madness will keep the team focused throughout the tournament.
Roundup
At the time of this writing, the first two rounds have wrapped up play, and student-athletes return to the classroom before picking up in the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27. There are plenty of storylines to watch. My favorite matchup heading into the Sweet Sixteen is a high caliber dual between No. 1 Michigan and No. 4 Alabama. The teams have won their first two matchups by an average of 22 and 22.5 points respectively, dominating competition. March Madness is only heating up. For college basketball fans, there are many late nights ahead of us: There will be late-game heroics, matchups between blue blood programs and antics from iconic coaches. Grab your nitroglycerin pills, and strap in for the rest of the tournament. We sleep in May.