March Madness opening rounds recap
This is March! With the first two rounds complete, the field has been trimmed, and a few days of rest allows us to take a look into the madness.
Key Men’s Tournament Storylines
Saint Peter's Cinderella story lives on and makes history; they are only the third No. 15 seeded team to reach the Sweet 16. Keep an eye on the Peacocks, as they have a chance to do what no 15th-seeded team has done before and advance to the Elite Eight. They play the 3rd-seeded Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, March 25. This will undoubtedly be a difficult game for Saint Peter’s; the Boilermakers are, according to Fanduel.com, the biggest favorite out of any game in this upcoming round. Crazier things have happened, the Peacocks already knocked out the 2nd-seeded Kentucky Wildcats.
The No. 1 seeded Baylor Bears were eliminated in the round of 32. The North Carolina Tar Heels took them down after a grueling overtime game. The Heels, an 8th-seeded squad, had a staggering 25-point lead and blew it. The Bears climbed back to tie things up with 15.8 seconds remaining in regulation. They were behind the whole second half and almost the entire game. The game proceeded to overtime where the momentum was seemingly swaying in favor of the Bears. However, the Tar Heels avoided being on the wrong side of what would have tied the record for the largest comeback victory in NCAA tournament history. The Tar Heels scrapped out a win and they’ll look to continue their success against UCLA on Friday, March 25.
The top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs led by Minnesota’s own, Chet Holmgren, stumbled through the first two rounds. They only led the 16th-seeded Georgia State Panthers by two at halftime in the round of 64. They even trailed by ten to the 9th-seeded Memphis Tigers at halftime. It’s safe to say that Gonzaga has to figure a few things out. At the end of the day, they survived and advanced. Anything can happen in March and no games should be taken for granted. On the bright side, Drew Timme of the Bulldogs looks like the tournament MVP thus far. Scoring 57 points in the first two games while shooting an incredible 23-37 from the field, Timme and the Bulldogs face their best opponent yet in the form of the Arkansas Razorbacks, a No. 4 seeded team. That game will be played Thursday, March 24 and will be the next step for Gonzaga in a quest to win their first title.
Key Women’s Tournament Storylines
Boom! Down goes the 2nd-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes and the nation's leader in assists and points, Caitlin Clark. The Hawkeyes held a home-court advantage over the No. 10 seeded Creighton Bluejays. The Bluejays thought nothing of this as they handled the pressure and earned themselves the first Sweet 16 appearance in their school’s history. What made it even sweeter for Bluejay nation was that Lauren Jensen, an Iowa transfer, was the one who delivered the game-winning 3-point shot. The Bluejays matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones this Friday.
The 10th-seeded University of South Dakota Coyotes completed back-to-back upset victories. First, against the 7th-seeded Ole Miss Lady Rebels giving the Coyotes their first-ever Division 1 NCAA tournament victory. South Dakota dominated the whole game, earning a 14-point win over the Lady Rebels. Next, they took on the No. 2 seeded Baylor Lady Bears. A tall order for anyone, let alone a team who’s fresh off of their first-ever tournament victory. The Lady Bears had won 66 consecutive non-conference home games. The Coyotes didn’t care. Chloe Lamb and Hannah Sjerven led the way for the Yotes en route to their double-digit victory. South Dakota continues its surge into unknown territory on Saturday, the 26th, against the Michigan Wolverines.
The Connecticut Huskies are in search of their 14th consecutive Final Four appearance. Minnesota Native, Paige Bueckers, leads the charge for the Huskies, a team that appeared a little shaky in the round of 32. Trailing for nearly the entire first half, the Huskies were being tested early by the Central Florida Knights. Only the second time all year that UConn scored less than 55 points, they scraped out a 52-47 win. Despite the physicality throughout the game that brought much adversity, UConn maintained their historic run of 28-straight Sweet 16 appearances. Hopefully, the recent return of the reigning player of the year, Bueckers, will bring a needed spark for her team. The Huskies play again this Saturday.