ABSOLUTE MADNESS.
Quite literally zero appropriate equivalent description.
As a writer a picture is truly worth a thousand words but quite frankly I'm unsure any level of explanation, italics, capitalization, and bold letters, can completely do justice to this tournament.
I haven't been so invested and wowed to this extent since my freshman year of high school when Cardiac Kemba was breaking people's hearts. (By the way that was the first year I filled out a bracket, and yes, I picked UCONN. Just saying).
This year I picked my team; Michigan State. LOL. The one year I felt I had a chance to not only win my tournament pool, but also for my favorite team to take home the title, this all happens.So let me go chronologically through some of the highlighted games. In the first round alone there were 13 upsets and 3 buzzer beating game winners (not counting shots that left any time on the clock). As for the second round, 4 lower seeded teams pulled through, and there was also 2 more game winners as time expired.
Thursday. First day. It started slow, but after a couple games went final, we had our first real upset; 12th seeded Ivy League Yale stuns the 5 seed Baylor Bears 79-75. This would set a scary and unpredictable tone for the rest of the weekend.
No one was paying attention to the high seed games because Josh Hagins was capping off a late ten to nothing run from UALR with a deep three to tie the game at 70 against Purdue. For some odd reason the Boilermakers held the ball with 5.1 seconds remaining, missed a too-long-to-have-a-chance shot, and we had our first overtime match-up of the tournament. This once again came down to Hagins tying it up to send the game into its second OT. Here Little Rock hung on, thanks to Hagins 31 points, to advance Arkansas 85-83.
Miami's 43 rebounds propelled them to a victory against Buffalo, and Wichita State shocked Arizona 65-55, upsetting the 6 seed as a First Four winner.
Providence. After a missed free through, Providence was able to have one last effort, in-bounding the ball to a wide open Rodney Bullock for the game winning shot. USC caught sleeping when it mattered the most.
The first day capped off with Gonzaga upsetting Seton Hall 68-52 in a surprising effort.
In a revenge game of their 2014 match-up, Syracuse ousted Dayton, 70-51 to begin Friday's competition. Villanova ruined UNC Asheville (30 point blowout), and the VCU Rams went on to prove Oregon State had a bad record for a reason.And then the tournament went from wow to "Oh, so it's one of these years."
The Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii upset California 77-66 to claim their first ever tournament victory.
This one I really can't talk about too much, it hurts. But....... The Michigan State Spartans got absolutely STUNNED by 15 seed Middle Tennessee, 90-81. Costello's 22 point effort, in tandem with possible Naismith Player of the Year Denzel Valentine's dismal 13 point performance, sent the team that everyone said was 'robbed' of a 1 seed, packing.
Thomas Walkup scores 33 points and West Virginia gets upset in big fashion 70-56 by 14 seed Stephen F. Austin. A&M tossed around Green Bay, 92-65, as did Oregon with Holy Cross, 91-52. X beat Weber State 71-53, and just when things are getting back to normal; NOPE.
Tie game at 72, University of Northern Iowa ball against 6 seed Texas. Just a couple seconds remaining, time for a desperation half court heave by Jesperson. The final 3 points of his 14 point day; here.
And then we had the hearts of Cincinnati fans break. Saint Joseph's Isaiah Brown hits a huge three to give them the 2 point lead. But a last second drive and dunk by Ellis seemingly ties it up. REFS WAVE IT OFF; his hand was still touching the ball as time expired. Absolute tragedy to end the first round.
Miami, Duke, Indiana, Iowa State, Virginia, Kansas, and UNC captured their Sweet 16 births on Saturday, along with Gonzaga's upset of Utah. They were up by 15 at half, shot close to 56%, and Sabonis went home with a double double in the victory (19/10).
Day 2; not so routine.
Nova handle Iowa to start the games, but it was Notre Dame who kicked off the crazy action for the second round. The Fighting Irish were up at half 42-41 after they hit a momentum swinging buzzer beater to close the first leg out. Rex Pflueger's tip in as time expired to win 76-75 were his ONLY POINTS OF THE GAME. SFA gone.
Thanks to Naismith candidate Buddy Hield's 36 points, Maryland sent Hawaii packing. Bad news for them is that due to sanctions imposed by the NCAA in punishment for various matters (unreported use of a booster's car by a player, altered international admissions form, and coaching by a former director of basketball operations), they will not be able to compete in the tournament next year.
If you did not watch the Texas A&M / UNI game, you missed out on something special. A miracle perhaps. With 30 seconds left, A&M was down by 10. They cut it to 6 after a steal on an ensuing possession by Northern Iowa. Then UNI throws the out of bounds pass away, Texas cuts it to 3 after House stuck one. Iowa scores on a down court bomb and the lead is back at 5, but an 'and one' brings it back to a 2 point deficit. A&M gets trapped in the corner, and an errand pass from Washpun leads Gilder in for the tying score. First OT was back and forth, but Texas A&M's guard Caruso tied it at 83 to send the game into another overtime session (another one *DJ Khaled voice*). UNI's top scorer was Morgan (36), however not enough for the Aggies as this one winded down, 92-88.
Again. If you missed this one.... you missed it, you just simply missed out. No words to describe Bronsin Koenig. Two 3 point shots in the last ten seconds including the game winner for Wisconsin over 2 seed Xavier. Unreal.
Even 1 seed Oregon had trouble with Saint Joe's before putting that one away 69-64, making everyone scratch their heads about this tournament. More than a handful of games decided within the last ten seconds, painful, painful upsets, and typical unpredictability. This is what makes March Madness.
If we are to expect anything, it's that this year's competition is insane, and we cannot see what's coming. The Sweet 16 is primed for more of the same.
So... Take your bracket, and dispose of it in a way you deem most fitting to satisfy you anguish.
"But my bracket is still looking good!"
LOL no.
