The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments tipped off this weekend in Indiana and Texas, respectively. While the women’s bracket saw top seeds dominate across the board, the men’s bracket saw some of the biggest upsets in recent history, shredding brackets across the country (including mine). Let’s run down some of the highlights from each tournament.
Men’s: Oral Roberts takes down two giants
On Sunday, 15th-seeded Oral Roberts University became just the second No. 15 seed in history to reach the Sweet 16, defeating Florida 81–78, led by a combined 54 points from Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor. The Golden Eagles first made headlines last Friday when they took down No. 2 seed Ohio State 75–72, once again led by a combined 59 points from Abmas and Obanor. It remains to be seen whether Oral Roberts can continue its historic run in the tournament, but one thing’s for sure: You can't count this team out. Oral Roberts will face the No. 3 seed University of Arkansas on March 27.
Women’s: Top seeds dominate
With the women’s tournament tipping off on Sunday, viewers got to see some exciting basketball from some of the nation’s top women’s programs, including traditional powers University of Connecticut, Baylor University, University of South Carolina, Stanford University and University of Louisville. All five of these powers steamrolled their first-round opponents to move into the round of 32. Those hoping for an upset-heavy tournament were left disappointed, as the round of 64 saw only three upsets. No. 13 seed Wright State University defeated No. 4 seed Arkansas 66–62, No. 11 seed Brigham Young University took down No. 6 seed Rutgers 69-66 and No. 12 seed Belmont University moved past No. 5 seed Gonzaga University 64-59.
Men’s: Two No. 13 seeds upset traditional powers
The round of 64 also saw two 13-seeded teams advance to the round of 32, with the University of North Texas defeating Purdue University 78–69 and Ohio University defeating the defending champions, the University of Virginia, 62–58. While it’s always fun to see big upsets like these, both teams' celebrations were short-lived, as they fell in the second round, with North Texas losing to Villanova University 84–61 and Ohio falling to Creighton University 72–58.
Women's: Ashley Joens Carries Iowa State in Nail Biter
One of the most exciting games in the first round of the women's tournament was between the No. 10 seed Michigan State Spartans and the No. 7 seed Iowa State Cyclones. The high-scoring affair saw Iowa State leading 45–39 at the half and 63–56 at the end of the third quarter, but the Spartans never went away. In the fourth quarter, Michigan State clawed back with a 7–0 spurt that tied the game at 63, before Iowa State went on a run of their own to close out the game and win 79–75. Ashley Joens starred for the Cyclones, scoring 33 points on 10 for 22 shooting, while also sealing the deal with clutch free throw shooting late in the fourth quarter. Joens and the Cyclones will play 2 seed Texas A&M on Wednesday.
Men’s: Abilene Christian moves past in-state foe
In another major upset, 14th-seeded Abilene Christian University defeated third seeded Texas 53-52 in a well-rounded affair that saw no Abilene Christian player score over 11 points. Despite what many considered to be a deep Texas team capable of making a potential trip to the Final Four, the Longhorns are going back to Austin early. Abilene Christian’s celebrations were also short-lived, as the team fell to UCLA 67–47 on Monday.
Women’s: Will UConn return to the top?
Holding the honor of most women’s basketball championships with 11, the UConn Huskies are looking to win big yet again. With a dominant 102–59 win over High Point University, the No. 1 seed Huskies look primed to contend for their 12th national title. Led by first-year sensation Paige Bueckers, averaging 19.8 points per game, the Huskies are once again a favorite to win it all as they look to end a five-year title drought for number 12.
Men’s: Double-digit seeds make waves across the nation
This year’s tournament saw nine double-digit seeds advance to at least the round of 32: Ohio, UCLA, Abilene Christian, the University of Maryland, Rutgers University, Syracuse University, Oregon State University, Oral Roberts and North Texas. Of those teams, four advanced to the Sweet 16 as UCLA, Oral Roberts, Syracuse and Oregon State continue to make deep runs into what has been an incredible tournament so far.
