March Madness: The Chaos of the Round of 64
Siddharth Chandra, Writer
Like a flash the Round of 64 in the NCAA tourney is behind us, and boy was it a good one. There are close to no brackets the remain perfect after the first round, and for good reason. There were games that not even the universe saw coming, and there were games that were a snooze fest. I am here to remind you how bad your brackets were for the Round of 64.
(7) Florida Gators Avoid Upset Against (10) Virginia Tech
The first game in the round of 64 was a good one. Virginia Tech got ahead early in the game, but the Gators dominated the later parts. The game went into OT, where the Gators overpowered the Hokies and punched their ticket for the round of 32. Nahien Alleyne led Virginia tech with 28 points and Coline Castelson led Florida with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
(2) Ohio State shocks the world and your brackets in loss to (15) Oral Roberts
This is going to go down as one of the biggest upsets in the Round 64. Ohio State (2) looked to be the clear pick for this game, as many thought they would make the Elite 8 and the Final 4. However, Oral Roberts wasn't having any of that- giving trouble to Ohio State the whole game. The Buckeyes were able to send the game to OT but the Golden Eagles prevailed in the end.
(12) Oregon State embarrassed (5) Tennessee
19 points, really Tennessee! The Vols were only able to muster up a solid 19 points in the first half against a red hot Oregon State team. They matched them with 37 in the second half but they were trailing by too much at that point. Could Oregon State be the cinderella story of this year? I sure hope so (it may or may not benefit my bracket).
(8) UNC destroyed by (9) Wisconsin
UNC's history could not save them here. The pinnacle of college basketball fell in the round of 64 to Wisconsin in an ugly way. From the get-go they failed to gain any traction, and it never seemed like they could get anything to go in. Wisconsin, however, was firing on cylinders and they look to be a scary opponent for Baylor.
(4) Purdue comeback attempt denied by (13) North Texas
We have another upset. A lot of brackets had Purdue making a deep run with their talent. However North Texas looked to be prepared for Purdue, and got ahead early. This put the pressure on Purdue in the second half where they were able to come back and send the game to OT. However it seemed like Purdue ran out of gas at that point, while North Texas still had some left. I would watch out for North...
(11) Syracuse ends day 1’s upsets
Syracuse still has it in them. Despite being the 11 seed in their region this year, they still showed that they were a premier basketball team. Buddy Boeheim led the domination with 30 points. However I would not count on them to make a deep run in the tournament as they are playing a talented West Virginia team in the second round.
(5) Villanova earns quality over (12) Winthrop
This was another no-brainer for most brackets. Though being a 5 seed and depleted due to injuries, Villanova still showed that they could play at a high level. Winthrop was able to keep close in the first half, but the Wildcats started to pull ahead and win the game in the second half. Franklin's Jermaine Samuels helped 11 points and 7 Rebounds helped propel Villanova towards their W.
(12) Georgetown becomes the cinderella story that went wrong
Oh Patrick Ewing. You had us all fooled thinking that Georgetown was capable of making a deep run in the tourney. But instead the Hoyas got absolutely destroyed by Colorado. SImilar to most other games, Georgetown fell behind big in the 1st half. They were able to keep up with Colorado in the second half, but it was too late at that point. A solid win for Claroado as they will take on a strong Florida...
(3) Kansas survives scare from (14) Eastern Washington
Even though I had Kansas winning this game in my bracket, I really hoped Eastern Washington was able to pull this off. I was kind of getting bored seeing the Jayhawks in the tourney and Eastern Washington played their heart out. Especially the Groves brothers who combine for 58 points. The Jayhawks were pushed to the brink Eastern Washing and learned that they should not take any of the game lightly.
(5) Creighton wins by a HAIR against (12) UC Santa Barbara
This was a nail biter if you were a Creighton fan. From the start of the game UCSB were trading blows with creighton, and they were able to match them. At times Creighton would be behind and at other times UCSB would be behind, but in the end the better team prevailed. UCSB was one floater away from upsetting Creighton, but for the good of most brackets that floater did not go in.
(2) Crimson tide hit rough waves against (15) Iona
Another recipe for upset. Iona with superstar head coach Rick Pitino against a school that is known for it's football resume. However Alabama earned a 2 seed in this year's tourney with their excellent play. However Bama looked like they were in a for a major upset as they struggled to keep up with the pace of Iona. It was clear that they were more prepared for this matchup. However late into the game...
The Defending Champs are Taken Down by Ohio (13)
With this game it was official: there was going to be a new NCAA champion. As there was no tourney last year, you have to go to 2019 to find the previous winner, which would be Virginia. But this year they were taken off guard by the 13 seed, Ohio. They seemed to have more size, strength, and speed on the court, dictating the pace of the game. It seems like Ohio's teams this year was doing what no...
(14) Abilene Christian end of the Round of 64 with a bang
Well that's one way to end the Round of 64, another upset. This is another huge one: a 14th seed, Abilene Christian, took down a 3rd seed, Texas. Many had Texas making a deep run in the tourney with their talented team. However, Abilene Christian did not not care about your bets and proceeded to give a handful for Texas. The game was always tight,. and it was a strong defensive effort from both teams....
All 1 seeds steamroll opponents, and move on to the Round of 32
Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois, and Michigan were the only consistent part of the Round of 64. All 4 teams showed why they were the one seeds, and decimated their opponents showing no mercy. The team that really scared me was Gonzaga, they beat Norfolk State by 43 points. Norfolk state looked like a JV team compared to Gonzaga. Then again Zaga has been undefeated all year, and they don't look to slow down...
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