The more things change, the more they stay the same. After all four #1 seeds went to the Final Four for the first time ever, we emerge from the first weekend of this year's March Madness sans the number one team in the country. So, as we toast the end of Sherron Collins' decorated NCAA career (and hear his draft stock plummet off a cliff), here are your top 5 most shocking upsets in case you missed them:5. Purdue over Siena. Ok, ok - this technically wasn't an upset. However, with the loss of Robbie Hummel, most people expected Purdue to make an early exit. Add to that Siena's recent history of progressing to the second round, and I argue that Purdue actually had to overcome more disbelief than Siena in order to win that game. The Boilermakers proceeded to pull out an overtime nailbiter against Texas A&M, and I'll be rooting for them when they take on the #1 seed out of the South - Duke.
4. Ohio over Georgetown. Possibly the most shocking upset of day 1, this game unnerved many who assumed the Big East would roll. I ended up watching other games for most of this time slot, so I didn't see much of this. However, after seeing Georgetown play during the regular season, I actually thought they got a little shortchanged with a 3 seed. The highlights tell a different story. The Bobcats took an early lead, nearly gave it up, then pulled away for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, they were knocked out the following game by Tennessee, so we won't have any more chances to root for them this season.
3. Cornell over Wisconsin. Of course, I had to give a shoutout to Ithaca, NY. The Ivy League will be represented in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1979 and Big Red's had to overcome some pretty steep odds to do so. For starters, the Ivies are not allowed to offer any athletic scholarships, so they are at a marked disadvantage to their peers. They have also played the #4 and #5 teams in their bracket, earning decisive victories against both. Of course, their next challenge being the Kentucky wildcats, I can no longer support them.
2. St. Mary's over Villanova. St. Mary's has become possibly the most charismatic team remaining in the tournament. I'm still partial to Kentucky, but America's team according to Omar Samhan is building quite a following. At the risk of getting all racial up in this piece, I'm especially impressed given that four of Saint Mary's (and Cornell's for that matter) starting five are of the (much) lighter persuasion. Speaking of Samhan, he dominated 'Nova inside for 32 points and generally made them look like less than a top-10 overall team. Having already beaten a #2 team, St. Mary's will have no trouble with Baylor on Friday.
1. Northern Iowa over Kansas. This one was a no-brainer, and if you missed it, I truly feel for you. Kansas was the number 1 team in the nation for most of this year, and they were supposed to be the top team in the tournament this year. However, UNI took the lead shortly after tip-off and never looked back. Maybe Kansas got complacent; maybe their stars just had an off night. Either way, I would be remiss if I didn't give credit to UNI's tenacious, aggressive play. They truly earned a berth in the Sweet 16 - heck, if they keep playing like that they deserve to be in the championship game. If you missed the game, please at least be sure to watch Ali Farokhmanesh's 1-on-3 dagger to seal the game.
Honorable Mentions - Murray State over Vanderbilt (a case for more HBCUs in the tourney?), Washington over New Mexico (omitted because the game wasn't that interesting)
So now, even though your bracket is busted, be sure to tune in next week for even more excitement. I'll be rooting for John Wall and Co., but other than that, let's hear it for the underdog!
No comments:
Post a Comment