(Photo by University of Arizona and Zscout370)
The first day of March Madness has come to an end, and it did not disappoint.
This one was absolutely brutal for my bracket. As my co-host so eloquently wrote, I did in fact have Arizona in my national championship game. One would imagine that a team with DeAndre Ayton and talented guard Alonzo Trier would be able to reach the Final Four, or at least beat Buffalo. It seemed like a good pick, but, in usual March Madness fashion, things didn't quite pan out as expected. There was nothing flukey about this one. Buffalo’s defense stifled Arizona’s offense, limiting the effectiveness of Ayton and rendering Alonzo Trier absolutely useless (my goodness was he awful). Trier, who was a pretty good three point shooter all year long, went 0-5 from beyond the arc. Things weren’t any better on the other end of the court for the Wildcats. We all knew Arizona’s defense was suspect, but I don’t think anyone quite knew how BAD they truly were. Towards the end of the game, it seemed like they stopped trying. Credit to Buffalo--the Bulls deserved this one.
This was a popular upset pick and was predicted to be a great game; it certainly lived up to the hype. Loyola and Miami went back and forth all game long, the two tied at halftime wit neither gaining any meaningful separation. With nine seconds remaining, Miami had the opportunity to take a three point lead, but instead the ‘Canes missed a free throw. They very nearly came up with the offensive rebound too. Loyola flew up the court, and Marques Townes passed to Donte Ingram, who buried a three with .3 seconds remaining. What an absolutely fantastic finish that was. Loyola-Chicago will now face Tennessee in the second round in what should be another good game. I have Loyola winning, but considering how the rest of my bracket is going, I wouldn’t count on that happening.
Other Notes:
-Penn gave Kansas a bit of a scare but ultimately faltered like many expected. The Quakers were within 7 points of the Jayhawks for much of the game, though Kansas pulled away in the final 5 minutes. We’re still waiting on that first 16 over 1 upset.
-Davidson had a shot against Kentucky and very nearly pulled off the upset. Though Davidson was ice cold from the field in the first half, the Wildcats came out hot in the second. Led by Jon Axel Gudmundsson, the underdogs stormed back and gave Kentucky a run for its money. Unfortunately for those of us who took Davidson, the Wildcats ultimately fell short due to, in part, three horrible calls that went in Kentucky’s favor.
-#14 Stephen F. Austin led by 3 at halftime against #3 Texas Tech and increased that lead in the second half. But the clock struck midnight for the Lumberjacks, and Tech outscored SFA 13-2 in the final 4 minutes of the game.
-Ohio State survived a scare from South Dakota State who, led by the great Mike Daum, were tied with OSU at halftime. Unfortunately, things unraveled a bit towards the end when Daum came up limping with what looked to be an ankle injury.
-Alabama’s star Collin Sexton continued his dominance, leading the Crimson Tide to a first round win over Virginia Tech in what was a fantastic game. An upset could be brewing as the Tide face #1 Villanova in the next round.
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