March Madness in full swing, teams eyeing championship
The first rounds of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship Tournament came to a close Sunday with a number of big upsets.
No. 1 seeded Villanova University falling to eighth seeded North Carolina State University was one of the bigger surprises of the tournament, especially considering they were only picked by 10 percent of the country to beat Villanova in an ESPN bracket.
What can be considered just as big of an upset is second seeded University of Virginia losing to seventh seed Michigan State University. The Spartans should be considered the favorite from the East Region with the University of Oklahoma next in their way. Michigan plays them on Friday at 9 p.m.
The second seed out of the Midwest Region, the University of Kansas, faced off against in-state rival Wichita State University for the first time in over 20 years. The two programs couldn’t come to terms to play each other.
It wasn’t until fate that the two teams were put on the same side of the bracket for them to meet. Wichita had control the game for most of the way, ultimately beating the Jayhawks 78-65.
Another team making noise is the University of California, Los Angeles. The eleventh seeded Bruins defeated Souther Methodist University in a competitive game, edging them out 60-59.
The Bruins were down two points with just a few seconds left, when they threw up a three-pointer. The shot looked short and looked like it would miss. However, a SMU player got a piece of his hand on the ball, while the ball was just above the rim. The referees would call basket interference, causing the basket to count. SMU would miss their shot at the buzzer, ending their tournament play.
However, the team that looks like it will take it all is the No. 1 overall seed, University of Kentucky. Kentucky rolled through the first rounds of the tournament, winning both their games by double-digits.
The next games of the tournament, the Sweet 16 round, start Thursday and continue into Friday. The Final Four is in Indianapolis, on April 4. The championship game will take place on April 6.
