A tournament like no other: March Madness. A tournament that brings people from all over the country together as they rally to cheer on their favorite universities, no matter the ties they have to them. Every March, fans eagerly await filling out the 64-team bracket in hopes they can predict the entire tournament perfectly. But with rather impossible odds, fans are heartbroken every year to then see a team they might have had in the championship lose in the first round to a university you did not even know existed. Although it hurts, “Cinderella” teams are what make the big dance so popular, and it makes it difficult not to root for these types of schools. Overall, the tournament was once again nothing short of pure cinema, but let’s take a look at the biggest games and moments from the tournament.
Miami (Ohio) was one of the most controversial teams of the tournament, as they made the first four after having an impressive 31-1 record during the season. But after a first-round loss to the University of Massachusetts in the Mid American Conference (MAC) tournament, many thought they no longer deserved a tournament bid because of it. Along with the fact that the MAC conference does not consist of much competition to most. However, they earned a first four spot and would defeat Southern Methodist University (SMU) thanks to a big shooting game. Although they would lose in the first round to Tennessee, it was a great story for a team considered an “underdog” despite having as fantastic a season as they had.
But the best part of March is the upset that came with it. The most notable upset was the number twelve-seeded High Point University defeating the number five-seeded Wisconsin. For the High Point Panthers, a big game from guards Rob Martin and Chase Johnston helped the Panthers come out on top in a nail-biting 83-82 win. Notably, Johnston is a three-point specialist who had not made a two-point field goal until this game, where in this game he would hit the game-winning layup with eleven seconds left in regulation. Thanks to this layup and some clutch threes from Johnston in the final minutes, High Point would advance.
Another notable upset of the first round was the number eleven seed Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) taking down the number six seed North Carolina. Without the presence of star freshman Caleb Wilson, VCU was able to capture the overtime victory.
Along with these games, the Santa Clara Broncos versus the Kentucky Wildcats brought thrilling last-second moments that turned it into a game to remember. Freshman forward Allen Graves hit a deep three-pointer to give Santa Clara a three-point lead with 2.4 seconds to go. But out of nowhere, Kentucky guard Ortega Oweh would bank in a deep three-pointer of his own to send the game into overtime. In the end, the Wildcats came out on top 89-84.
As the teams shifted their attention to the round of 32, they understood the stakes were now much higher to possibly move on to the sweet 16. With that, the games would somehow get even more exciting. Vanderbilt versus Nebraska, Iowa versus Florida, and St. John’s versus Kansas all had nail-biting endings. Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner had his half-court shot rim out just as if it had seemed like he was about to help send his team to the sweet 16, ending his team’s season in heartbreak. Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras would hit a huge corner three that would end up winning Iowa the game with seconds left to defeat the number one-seeded and defending champion Florida Gators. For St. John’s, it was guard Dylan Darling who would hit a layup at the buzzer, which was his only made basket of the game, to send Kansas home early.
As the tournament now shifted to the Sweet Sixteen, many of the top seeds were able to continue their dominance, with teams such as Arizona and Michigan getting big wins. On the other hand, teams like Tennessee, Iowa, and Illinois all came in as the higher seed and would end up winning their games to advance to the Elite Eight.
In the Elite Eight, the first three games went according to plan with Illinois, Arizona, and Michigan all pulling off double-digit wins to advance to the Final Four.
But for the final game, it would be a completely different story. The heavily favored Duke Blue Devils looked to continue their dominance of the tournament and looked to head back to the Final Four. Their opponent, the University of Connecticut (UConn), has one of the best coaches in all of college basketball in Dan Hurley, who has infamously only lost one game in the past three March Madness tournaments.
As the game was underway, Duke clearly showed why they were the better team and went into the half up by 15. But for UConn, they showed no doubt they could come back as they chopped away at Duke’s lead throughout the second half.
In the final seconds, UConn would trail by just two points as it was Duke’s ball. But after a disastrous turnover from guard Cayden Boozer, it would land in the hands of a UConn guard
Braylon Mullins, who would ice the game with a deep three-pointer to send UConn to the Final Four in a wild finish.
With just four teams remaining, the games shifted to Indianapolis, where a spot in the National Championship was now on the line. With the first game being Illinois versus UConn, the Huskies were able to have proficient defense throughout the second half to hold off Illinois, helping UConn head back to the National Championship.
In the other Final Four matchup between two of the top teams in the country throughout the season, Michigan versus Arizona, it would be a one-sided game from the start. The Wolverines continued their balanced explosiveness with a huge 91-73 victory over Arizona to help send Michigan to the National Championship to face UConn.
Now, the biggest stage, the National Championship, was set between two teams that had been fantastic and now had one night to battle it out for the trophy. For the first time in this tournament, it seemed as if UConn had Michigan’s number all night, with the Wolverines holding a slim four-point lead at halftime. This was seemingly impressive due to the fact that UConn was facing a good amount of foul problems, forcing them to rely on their bench.
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg and guard Elliot Cadeau both had huge second halves, and despite the Wolverines struggling from behind the arc, they were able to capture the 69-63 win over the Huskies, capturing their first national championship since 1989.
As another unforgettable March Madness ends, fans will surely look forward to their teams’ offseason, hoping they can acquire the correct players to help contribute to a National Championship next season.
