March Madness week one recap
Two rounds down. Four more to go. March Madness for men’s and women’s basketball is in full swing, and the madness has not disappointed. Upsets, comebacks and buzzer-beaters have characterized another year of postseason basketball. Here are some of the main takeaways from the first weekend of the tournaments and what to look forward to heading into the final stretch.
USC Trojans
Both men’s and women’s basketball suffered tough losses in their first round of play, ending their championship hopes earlier than some expected. Disappointing ends to senior guard Boogie Ellis and fifth-year guard Drew Peterson’s illustrious USC careers marked the men’s 72-62 loss to the Michigan State Spartans. The two combined for only 17 points, shooting just 7-24 from the field. The Trojans never looked their best for the entire game and could not keep up with the Spartans’ balanced offensive attack.
The women’s team battled against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in an overtime affair that saw the Jackrabbits grind out the 62-57 victory. Despite the best efforts of graduate student guard Destiny Littleton and sophomore forward Rayah Marshall, the Trojans committed too many fouls in overtime, allowing SDSU to knock down easy points at the free throw line.
Despite the losses, USC basketball was able to send both men’s and women’s teams to the tournament and carried impressive regular season records.
Outside of USC’s performances, the two tournaments were full of highlight-worthy moments.
The Men’s Tournament
The blue bloods of college basketball had a tough weekend of postseason basketball. The Kentucky Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks, typically dominant programs, all lost before the Sweet 16. Let’s also not forget that the North Carolina Tar Heels failed to even make the tournament, despite playing in the championship in 2022. The only blue blood left standing is the UCLA Bruins, who now face a tough opponent in the Gonzaga Bulldogs led by senior forward Drew Timme. Timme racked up 28 points in the Bulldogs’ nail-biter against the TCU Horned Frogs.
Some amazing upsets have complemented the break in tradition to the dismay of those in Las Vegas or fans wishing to predict a perfect bracket. The No. 13 seed Furman Paladins stunned the No. 4 seed Virginia Cavaliers 68-67 in the first round of the tournament. It would be hard to make up how the Cavaliers squandered their late lead. A perfectly-executed full-court press led to a Cavalier turnover, setting a game-winning three-point bucket for the Paladins.
An even crazier upset occurred later in the week when the No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights knocked off championship-hopeful and No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers 63-58. Only the second No. 16 seed in history to win a game in March Madness, the Knights stormed the court after the miraculous upset that has been the highlight of the tournament thus far.
Another amazing story has been the Princeton Tigers, who not only took down the Pac-12 champion Arizona Wildcats 59-55 in the first round, but went on to beat the No. 7 seed Missouri Tigers in dominant fashion, 78-63. They now have a chance to continue writing their Cinderella story with a win against the Creighton Blue Jays on Friday.
Despite the many upsets, a few juggernauts remain poised for deep pushes in the tournament. The Alabama Crimson Tide continue to dispel the narrative that Tuscaloosa is only a football town, romping their first two opponents. They will now face the scrappy San Diego State Aztecs in the Sweet 16. On the other side of the bracket, the Houston Cougars picked up two quality wins of their own and will face off against the Miami Hurricanes. If they win, they could face another regional stalwart, the Texas Longhorns.
It is clear that although the first two rounds of Men’s March Madness were filled with upsets, the underdogs will now have the challenging task of facing the best of the best in the rounds to come.
The Women’s Tournament
On one hand, the women’s tournament has been pretty predictable. The South Carolina Gamecocks have shown zero signs of breaking their perfect season, cruising through the first two rounds with ease and showcasing exactly why they are the clear favorites in this tournament. Familiar faces such as the UConn Huskies, Tennessee Volunteers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have also had solid wins so far. Iowa’s star junior guard Caitlin Clark continues to bury three-point shots for the Hawkeyes, leading them into the Sweet 16.
On the other hand, the women’s tournament has been just as crazy as the men’s. Many experts thought the Cardinal were a surefire deep-run team, but they were knocked off in the second round by the Ole Miss Rebels 54-49, despite shooting a higher percentage from the field. The Princeton Tigers pulled off an impressive upset in the first round of play, and npt just the men’s team. The Tigers upset the No. 7 seed NC State 64-63 after an amazing game-winning shot by senior guard Grace Stone. The No. 1 seed Indiana Hoosiers suffered a heartbreaking loss in the second round, when the No. 9 seed Miami Hurricanes knocked down a jumper with 3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, preventing the Hoosiers from attempting a final shot.
The undefeated Gamecocks remain the heavy favorites heading into the Sweet 16. But if the first two rounds have proven anything, it is that nothing is a guarantee until the final buzzer rings.
Both tournaments resume play this week, with the men’s kicking off March 23 and women’s March 24.