Chalk city: Week one of March Madness wraps
The first weekend was crazy, but upsets came at a premium as the games continued.
The first weekend was crazy, but upsets came at a premium as the games continued.
March Madness triumphantly returned this past week with millions tuning in to see if their bracket would go unbusted. After a turbulent and action-packed first weekend of action, the Sweet Sixteen is set for both the men’s and women’s fields. In case you missed any action, here are some quick hitters from the games and what to look forward to in the next round.
Men’s
The men’s side of the bracket opened with lots of excitement and upsets right out of the gate. No. 11 seed Duquesne University (25-12, 10-8 Atlantic 10) took down No. 6 seed BYU (23-11, 10-8 Big 12) in the second game of the day to open the tournament in surprising fashion. According to ESPN, over 73% of people had picked BYU to handle the job in their brackets.
There were a few other big upsets in the first round, mainly No. 14 seed Oakland University (24-12, 15-5 Horizon League) and graduate guard Jack Gohlke stunning No. 3 seed Kentucky (23-10, 13-5 SEC). Gohlke dropped 32 points on 10 3-pointers against the Wildcats. However, the Golden Grizzlies would fall in the Round of 32 in overtime to another Cinderella in No. 11 seed NC State (24-14, 9-11 ACC). After running the table by winning five games in five days at the ACC Tournament, the Wolfpack look as strong as ever after picking up two more wins in the tournament.
But NC State has been an anomaly this year, as the rest of the bracket has looked like straight chalk. Of the eight double-digit seeds that won their opening games, the Wolfpack is the only team to make it to the Sweet Sixteen. Every single No. 1 seed and No. 2 seed made it to the Sweet Sixteen for just the fifth time in tournament history since the start of seeding in 1979.
The top seeds are handling business, especially defending champions and No. 1 seed UConn (33-3, 18-2 Big East). The Huskies have beaten their first two opponents by an average of 28 points and haven’t looked like slowing down. Their next matchup will be an exciting rematch of last year’s national championship game with No. 5 seed San Diego State (26-10, 11-7 Mountain West). It will be a battle of two dominant defenses, with both teams ranking in the top 30 in scoring defense.
The other “big” upset in the Round of 32 was No. 6 seed Clemson (23-11, 11-9 ACC) knocking off No. 3 seed Baylor (24-11, 11-7 Big 12). The Tigers were popular picks to get upset in the opening round but have played well so far. They’ll take on the last Pac-12 team left in the tournament in No. 2 seed Arizona (27-8, 15-5 Pac-12). Both teams have been lights out and are averaging well above 70 points per game in the tournament so far. The winner of that game will get the chance to take on No. 1 seed UNC (29-7, 17-3 ACC) or No. 4 seed Alabama (23-11, 13-5 SEC), two other potent top-20 offenses in the country. After some more games this weekend, maybe more of the higher-seeded teams will start to crumble under the bright lights of March Madness.
Women’s
Speaking of chalk, the women’s side has been largely void of upsets. No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee State University (30-5, 16-0 Conference USA) was the only lower-seeded team to win the Round of 64, and they did so just narrowly. With three seconds left, the Blue Raiders missed a pair of free throws — up just two points — but No. 6 seed Louisville (24-10, 12-6 ACC) missed a heave at the buzzer to send MTSU through.
The Blue Raiders finished dancing in the next round as defending champions and No. 3 seed LSU (30-5, 13-3 SEC) whooped them 83-56. The Tigers have been somewhat overshadowed by their conference mate No. 1 seed South Carolina (34-0, 16-0 SEC) this season. While the Gamecocks beat their first two opponents by 52 and 47 points, respectively, LSU has held its opponents to less than 36% from the field in both games.
However, the Tigers will face a test in their next game as they take on No. 2 seed UCLA (27-6, 13-5 Pac-12). The Bruins and the rest of the Pac-12 have stolen the show so far in the tournament. The conference has the most teams still in the tournament — five — and all seven of its teams that made the tournament won at least one game. The Pac-12 has dominated so far, blowing out the majority of their opponents, but they all face some hard matchups in the next round.
No. 3 seed Oregon State (26-7, 12-6 Pac-12) will have the tough task of cooling down high-scoring No. 2 seed Notre Dame (28-6, 13-5 ACC) and First Team All-American freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo. Hidalgo has been somewhat overlooked this season by fellow First Team All-American freshman guard JuJu Watkins. Hidalgo averaged the fifth-most points this season with 22.9, but she has yet to score over 20 in the tournament, which the Beavers could look to make a trend.
On the other hand, Watkins has not cooled down for the No. 1 seed USC (28-5, 13-5 Pac-12), scoring 23 and 28 points in her first two games, respectively. The Trojans cruised to victories in their first two games but now take on No. 5 seed Baylor (26-7, 12-6 Big 12) away from their home confines of Galen Center. Should USC win and continue its breakout season, it could face off against one of college basketball’s elite in No. 3 seed UConn (31-5, 18-0 Big East). The Huskies are led by junior guard Paige Bueckers at 21.8 points per game and are keen to return to the national championship game after falling in the final two seasons ago.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will rest for a few days before kicking off again later this week, on Thursday and Friday.
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