March Madness Is Living Up To Its Moniker | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

March Madness Is Living Up To Its Moniker

The tournament has been headlined by historic upsets.

71
March Madness Is Living Up To Its Moniker
Wikimedia Commons

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is in full swing, and March Madness has taken on a whole new meaning this year.

Upsets have dominated the tournament this year to the point where no bracket was safe by the time the first round ended.

Of course, the biggest upset of the tournament thus far has some noteworthy history with it. UMBC (the University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Conference who represented the American East after defeating the reigning champion Vermont Catamounts, shocked the world by defeating the number one overall seed in the tournament, the Virginia Cavaliers, by 20 points.

With the win, the UMBC Retrievers became the first 16 seed in the history of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament to defeat a number 1 seed in the first and advance to play in the second round. Entering the matchup, 16 seeds were 0-135 all-time against number 1 seeds in the tournament. Many sports fans are calling it one of the biggest upsets in sports history, comparing it to Buster Douglas’ upset in his fight against Mike Tyson and the United States “Miracle on Ice” upset win in the 1980 Winter Olympics against the heavily favored USSR men’s ice hockey team.

UMBC entered the tournament as huge underdogs, particularly considering Virginia was the number one overall team in the tournament and had only 2 losses all season. With fans expecting their nation-leading defense to smoother UMBC, UMBC pulled off the unexpected by becoming the first team this season to top 70 points in a game against Virginia.

Taking a look at the other matchups of first round, mid-major teams like Marshall and Buffalo advanced past their opponents in big upset wins. Marshall, a 13 seed, pulled off their first ever tournament win against a tournament regular in Wichita State. Buffalo, also entering the tournament as 13 seed, shocked a 4th-seeded Arizona team with a probable top 3 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft in DeAndre Ayton, to advance to the next round.

Two 11 seeds, Loyola-Chicago and Syracuse, have been able to pull off some underdog magic of their own to move into the Sweet 16 of the tournament. Syracuse managed to defeat 6th seeded TCU and pulled off a major upset against the Michigan State Spartans, who entered the tournament as a number 3 seed and a popular Final Four selection amongst completed brackets. Loyola-Chicago, one of the few mid-major teams still remaining in the tournament, pulled off a buzzer-beater to win their first game against number 6 Miami, and then continued their Cinderella run after they defeated a heavily favored Tennessee team in the following round.

The Nevada Wolfpack, a 7 seed with a lot of offensive upside, was able to comeback from a 22-point deficit against a heavily favored Cincinnati team that entered the tournament as a popular pick to make the Final Four in order to advance to the Sweet 16. Texas A&M, another 7 seed, managed to fight off the reigning national champion UNC Tar Heels to advance to the Sweet 16 as well.

With the Madness set to continue as we move further into the tournament, continue to expect the unexpected. As shown by the matchups in the first two rounds, anything can happen in March.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

651188
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

546757
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments