March Madness Week 1 Recap

Image Courtesy of NCAA.com

By Jonathan Norman 

March Madness season is officially upon us. Basketball’s most exciting spectacle will definitely captivate headlines for the next few weeks, as everyone tunes in to see how their brackets hold up and what shocking upsets will occur this year.

To start with the men’s tournament, the first two rounds have already finished and the Sweet Sixteen is underway. The biggest story so far has been the No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s University, located in Jersey City, NJ. The squad started off the tournament by defeating the No. 2 seed in Kentucky in overtime 85-79. Then in the round of 32, the team defeated the No. 7 seed in Murray state 70 -60. Saint Peter’s became the third 15 seed in torment history to advance to the Sweet 16. The Peacocks play No. 3 seed Purdue on Friday, and all of America is rooting for the underdog to pull off another upset. 

Saint Peter’s men’s basketball also became an internet sensation overnight. The team was trending on Twitter and pleaded to the company to verify them on the site. Twitter complied and now the account is verified with over 14,000 followers.

Also one of the best games from the men’s tournament so far was in the round of 32. The No. 1 seed Arizona beat the No. 9 seed TCU in overtime, 85-80. Arizona was behind by 30 points at one point in the game, but guard Benedict Mathurin erupted for 30 points to bring the Wildcats back. A putback dunk by Arizona center Christian Koloko sealed the win for Arizona in overtime. 

For the women’s tournament, some big upsets happened in the second round as well. Two No. 10 seeds defeated No. 2 seeds to further advance; Creighton defeated Iowa 64-62 to earn their first sweet 16 appearance. Creighton guard Lauren Jensen hit the dagger three with 12.6 seconds left to send Iowa home. This team continues to upset higher-seeded teams and will look to continue this streak against No. 3 seed Iowa State. 

Then later in the day of the second-round games, South Dakota crushed Baylor by winning 61-47. Early in the game, South Dakota jumped out to a 16-4 lead which set the tone for the rest of the game. South Dakota followed this excellent performance by defeating No. 2 seed Baylor 61-47 in the next round. Just like Creighton, South Dakota’s story will continue on against the No. 3 seed Michigan on Saturday

With so many exciting games, March Madness has not disappointed so far this year. Basketball fans are definitely in store for more exciting games and will still wonder which teams will be crowned the champions when each of the respective tournaments is completed.