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Wild Weekend of Madness

March 21, 2016

Michigan State's Bryn Forbes watches as Middle Tennessee prepares to shoot a free throw in the final moments of a first-round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 18, 2016, in St. Louis. Middle Tennessee won 90-81. Credit: © Charlie Riedel, AP Photo

On March 18, dejected Michigan State guard Bryn Forbes watches as Middle Tennessee prepares to shoot a free throw in the final moments of a first-round match-up of the NCAA Tournament. Middle Tennessee upset the heavily-favored Spartans, 90-81. Credit: © Charlie Riedel, AP Photo

On Thursday, March 17, 2016, the annual NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, known familiarly as March Madness, tipped off in several cities around the United States. The tournament quickly lived up to its nickname, as low-seeded teams began picking off the powerhouses at the tops of the brackets. Twelve-seeded Yale took down no. 5 Baylor for its first-ever tournament victory. Other first-round double-digit-seed upset winners included Arkansas Little Rock, Hawaii, Gonzaga, Stephen F. Austin, Syracuse, Virginia Commonwealth, and Wichita State. The single-elimination tournament’s initial 64 teams are divided into 4 brackets of 16.

The weekend’s biggest surprise came on Friday, as 15-seed Middle Tennessee State took out 2-seed and perennial power Michigan State. The jolting upset was just the eighth time in tournament history (since 1939) that a 15-seed pulled off a first-round win. That same day, 11-seed Northern Iowa took down no. 6 Texas on a half-court lob at the buzzer that banked through the hoop. Northern Iowa ate their humble pie two days later, though, as they blew a 12-point lead with just 35 seconds left before losing in double overtime to Texas A & M. It was the biggest last-minute comeback in college basketball history.

Upsets aside, all four no. 1 seeds—Kansas, North Carolina, Oregon, and Virginia—skated through the tournament’s first weekend with easy victories. And of all the low-seeded upset winners, only Gonzaga and Syracuse—who play each other next—won their second game of the weekend to advance to the Sweet 16.

Tags: college basketball, march madness, ncaa


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