March Madness 2023: First Rounds
With the first two rounds of play done in the 2023 NCAA March Madness tournament and with the Sweet Sixteen games set to start on March 23, it’s time to look back on the highs, lows, shocks, and upsets of this fast-paced competition so far. Although this year's contest was projected to be the most unpredictable yet, buckle up and get comfortable because this tournament is shaping up to be very different from any kind we could have expected.
Let’s start with the highs and shocks; Princeton and UCLA are still in the running for this year's games. Princeton shocked absolutely everyone by beating two-seed Arizona, a team that made its way to the Final Four last year. Now after beating Missouri, the team is preparing to play Creighton on Friday. The 15-seed Tigers team is living a real Cinderella story, and according to ABC 7, “they’ve proven that anything is possible, and they play with courage.” They are the fourth 15-seed team to ever make the Sweet Sixteen. Led by senior point guard Ryan Langborg who scored 22 points in the game against Missouri, Princeton is absolutely driven to keep pushing through this competition.
If asked a few weeks before the tournament began whether or not UCLA would be a competitor for the championship game, I’m sure anyone would say it was a definite possibility. The two-seed team had an outstanding season and a great PAC-12 tournament. However, when junior forward Jaylen Clark, a crucial defensive weapon to the roster, injured his achilles just a couple of days before the first game, doubt took over a lot of minds. Clark averaged 13 points a game, and his loss was a huge hit to the Bruins. However, they still managed to sweep through UNC Asheville 86-53 and narrowly beat Northwestern 68-63. They continue to fight against Gonzaga on March 23.
Some other shocks were Furman and Fairleigh Dickinson making it to the round of 32, but they both lost and didn’t make it to the Sweet Sixteen. Fairleigh Dickinson ended the regular season 301 out of 363 Division 1 teams in the NET standings but still found a way to beat Purdue and their center Zach Edey. However, FAU, Tennessee, Michigan State, and Arkansas making it to this round of 16 is all fairly surprising.
As for the lows and upsets, Kentucky, Marquette, Duke, Purdue, Kansas, and Arizona, all lost before they could make it to the Sweet Sixteen. Kansas had a nail-biting game in the 32 round, losing by just one point to the eight-seed team Arkansas. This means Kansas will not defend their 2022 title. The one-seed Purdue team lost in their very first game against Fairleigh Dickinson 63-58. Similarly, two-seed Arizona lost in their first game as well against Princeton.
These losses feel very peculiar and confusing, as all of them were incredibly strong contenders this year. However, this is just proof that nowadays, these tournaments are getting more and more competitive as teams and coaches find new strategies and are all attempting to work harder and one-up each other.
Although one-seed teams like Houston and Alabama are still in the running to grab the national title, if we have learned anything from the games so far, it’s that sky's the limit. Any team has the opportunity to grab that title right now. It’s very possible this year could have a first-time winner.
As for my own bracket, I’m currently third in my pool, having Texas winning the whole thing. Half of my Elite eight and Final four are out, but my championship game is predicted to be Alabama vs Texas, so I’m not counting myself out too soon!
Sweet Sixteen games kick off on March 23, and there are sure to be more shocks and upsets as teams fight for that coveted national championship win.