Four overtime games, a 40 point performance, and three major upsets. We are just getting started.
If you checked out any of the games during the non-stop 13 hour NCAA Tournament marathon yesterday, chances are you caught a glimpse of something out of the ordinary. On the other hand, you had to have been on vacation somewhere, too busy with school/work, or just plain under a rock yesterday if you didn’t notice that March Madness is underway and in full force.
With 16 total games on Thursday, many brackets were busted as the NCAA Tournament kicked off with two #12 seeds and an #11 seed advancing to the round of 32. They aren’t likely, but there always seems to be a few that happen every year. Did you pick them right? Or were you one of those people that threw their bracket in the trash after too many wrong guesses?
Let’s run through all of the games from the first day of March Madness.
#11 Dayton 60, #6 Ohio State 59
This game came down to the last shot as Dayton guard Vee Stanford went down the lane for an unbelievable runner off of the backboard. Ohio State guard Aaron Craft had a chance to win the game but came up short and was left laying on the court in disbelief. It’s tough to face an in-state rival in the first game of the tournament, and the #6 seed Buckeyes are getting an early exit from the Big Dance.
Dayton will face #3 Syracuse on Saturday.
#3 Syracuse 77, #14 Western Michigan 53
Syracuse has slowed down after their hot 25-0 start to the season, and are coming off of a tough loss to NC State. This is a clean slate and they showed that as they kicked off the NCAA Tournament with an expected victory over Western Michigan. They will face #11 Dayton on Saturday.
#12 North Dakota State 80, #5 Oklahoma 75
America, we might have our Cinderella for 2014. They solidified themselves as the modern day Cinderella team with an overtime victory and by hitting some unknown dance in the locker room after the game. These guys are winning games and having fun, and that’s what March Madness is all about. North Dakota State will face #4 San Diego State on Saturday.
#4 San Diego State 73, #13 New Mexico State 69
This was the final game last night, and it fittingly ended in overtime. Both teams were hitting clutch shots left and right, but the Aztecs got the necessary stops in the end to seal the victory. Xavier Thames led San Diego State with 23 points and they will face #12 North Dakota State on Saturday.
#2 Wisconsin 75, #15 American 35
Wisconsin made a statement today as they completely dismantled the Patriot League winners from American University. The Badgers got off to a slow start but separated themselves and never let their foot off of the gas. Wisconsin plays #7 Oregon on Saturday.
#7 Oregon 87, #10 BYU 68
Oregon looked to make a statement with this one as well, as they completely dismantled BYU in this match up. Oregon will face a true test on Saturday against #2 Wisconsin.
#5 Saint Louis 83, #12 NC State 80
This game was a good one. St Louis rallied from down 14, forced an overtime and finished strong for the win. Rob Loe led St Louis with 22 points and 15 rebounds, and Atlantic 10 player of the year Jordair Jett added 18 points. St Louis will face #4 Louisville on Saturday.
#4 Louisville 71, #13 Manhattan 64
This Manhattan squad came to play. They gave Louisville and anyone that made a bracket a serious scare yesterday but came up short against the Cardinals. The Manhattan coach is one of Louisville coach Rick Pitino’s former assistants, so he had a game plan that almost worked against the Cardinals. Louisville will face #5 Saint Louis on Saturday.
#2 Michigan 57, #15 Wofford 40
This was another game with a foregone conclusion. Michigan was coming off of a Big 10 Championship loss to in-state rival Michigan State just six days ago, but they bounced back and picked up an expected victory. Michigan will face #7 Texas next.
#7 Texas 87, #10 Arizona State 85
This one was a heart breaker, as you can tell from the pic. These two teams battled all game and fittingly finished the match up in overtime. Texas big man Cameron Ridley tspped in a buzzer beater put back that sealed the victory for the Longhorns. Texas will face #2 Michigan.
#9 Pittsburgh 77, Colorado 48
Pittsburgh was the lower seed in this one, but they sure didn’t play like it. They routed a decent Colorado squad that just wasn’t ready for the Pitt Panthers. #1 Florida awaits Pittsburgh on Saturday.
#1 Florida 67, #16 Albany 55
Nothing much to see here in this one. Albany stuck around for a bit and gave the Gators a good run, but it wasn’t enough to become the first #16 seed to take down a #1. Casey Prathier led the Gators with 16 points and Florida will face #9 Pittsburgh on Saturday.
#12 Harvard 61, #5 Cincinnati 57
The smart guys from Harvard picked up the upset victory over the top seed Cincinnati Bearcats. This is an extremely disappointing loss for Cincy, but Harvard is no stranger to picking up big time NCAA Tournament victories as they took down #3 New Mexico in 2013 as a #14 seed.
Harvard won’t be celebrating the huge victory long as they will face #4 Michigan State on Saturday.
#4 Michigan State 93, #13 Delaware 78
This was a nice warm up for Michigan State,one of America’s favorite team to make a run this year. Spartans big man Adrien Payne dominated the Delaware Blue Hens as he finished the game with a career-high 41 points. The Spartans will face #12 Harvard on Saturday.
#2 Villanova 73, #15 Milwaukee 53
Villanova is coming off of an upset loss against Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament, but it seems as if they put that behind them with an expected victory over Milwaukee. Darrun Hillard led the Wildcats with 16 points and Villanova will face #7 UConnn on Saturday.
#7 UConn 89, #10 St Joseph’s 81
In one of the overtime games yesterday, the UConnn Huskies finished strong against a tough and rallying St Joe’s squad. UConn guard Shabaaz Napier put on a show and finished the game with 24, eight points and six assists. This was a good warm up for the Huskies as they will face #2 Villanova on Saturday.
-Patrick Hazel (@pattywack25)
