March Madness is the height of men's college basketball and is always thrilling. This year was no exception. There were so many upsets and heartbreaking losses for many teams.
The first round alone created an unreal amount of big upsets including this year's Cinderella story: Saint Peters who upset Kentucky in the first round. Saint Peters then went on to knock off Murray State and Purdue, but eventually lost to the University of North Carolina. By just beating Kentucky, Saint Peters made history by only being the 10th time in history that a 15 seed upset a 2 seed. This was also the school's first NCAA tournament win in the school's history. New Mexico State and Richmond also pulled off upsets by beating a 5 seed.
When it came down to the final four though, it was the North Carolina Tar Heels, Duke Blue Devils, Villanova Wildcats, and Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas beat the Wildcats 81-65 advancing to the final championship game. Kansas was able to be effective down in the paint and at the perimeter, making the 3-point shots they took. Not only did Kansas have effective shooting, but they also were effective on the defensive end.
The North Carolina Tar Heels were also able to get the win against the Duke Blue Devils. This rivalry game was one for the books. This was the first time ever that the two rivals have met in the tournament, and it was the game that got more attention than any other this year. There was 16.3 million viewers, which takes second place for the most-viewed college basketball game in the history of television.
Unfortunately, UNC took down the Duke powerhouse 81-77 and advanced to the final game. While UNC had 6 more turnovers than Duke, UNC also had a better 3-point percentage and number of rebounds. This was a nail-biting game, which was close right until the end. Neither team led by more than 7 the whole game.
UNC and Kansas then tipped off April 4th to play for the championship. While at half-time the game looked like it had a dominate team and that UNC might just blow Kansas out of the water, the tide quickly turned. At the half, UNC had a 15 point lead at 40-25. While some of UNC's players weren't playing at full capacity due to injuries such as rolled ankles and getting hit in the head, and others were fighting foul trouble, they still fought for the national title.
Kansas, however, fought much harder. Making a 15 point comeback against some of the best current shooters in college basketball did not come easy. Kansas outscored UNC in the second half 47-29. They were able to make massive 3-point shots which led to a momentum shift and Kansas coming back to win their fourth championship.
