This year’s NCAA tournament has been full of many surprises.  This tournament has hosted some of the biggest upsets in tournament history, with the underdogs taking charge.

The biggest upset of the tournament was the win UMBC pulled out over No. 1 seeded Virginia. Not many have heard of the University of Maryland in Baltimore County, but the team received a lot of recognition after their victory.

The university was seeded No. 16, and all odds were against them. A 16th-ranked team has never beaten a 1 seed in the NCAA Men’s Tournament. Going into the second half, the teams were tied at 21. UMBC finished the game with a lead of 20 points, kicking Virginia out of the tournament.

Yet another upset took place in the south, Buffalo defeated Arizona by 21 points. Buffalo was ranked No. 13, while Arizona was ranked No. 4. 

Likewise, No. 11 ranked Loyola was not a favorite in their matchup against Miami, however, they came out on top. Their next opponent was No. 3 Tennessee, who Loyola also put out of the tournament. The Ramblers have now secured their spot in the Sweet 16, where they will compete against the Nevada Wolf Pack, who came back from a double-digit deficit to beat No. 2 Cincinnati.

The West made sure to throw some upsets in the tournament as well. No. 1 ranked Xavier made it to the second round of the tournament but were shut down by No. 9 Florida State. The final score was 75-70 in favor of the Seminoles. Many basketball fans had the Musketeers making it all the way to the Final Four of the tournament, or even winning the National Championship. Instead, they received several red marks on their brackets.

Defending champion North Carolina, along with Texas A&M, advanced to the second round of the tournament. UNC was the favorite of the game, but yet again the underdog took the lead. The Aggies’ win was big (86-65), as they gained a spot in the Sweet 16, putting an end to the Tar Heels’ season.

The East side of the bracket had upsets of its own. Marshall, No. 13, faced Wichita State, No. 4, in the first round of the tournament. They held a lead of 6 to end the game and make their way to the second round. The Thundering Herd’s underdog dream was dashed when they faced intrastate powerhouse West Virginia, where they lost by 23 points.

Syracuse has been on fire in this year’s tournament. They were seeded No. 11 and played No. 6 Texas Christian University. They ended the road for the Horned Frogs with a final score of 67-62. The Orange continued on their journey to the second round and faced No. 3 Michigan State. Syracuse defended the court well and won 55-53.

This year’s NCAA Tournament is not yet over, and there may be more exciting upsets in the close future. The Sweet 16 is the next round of the tournament, where teams battle their way into the Elite 8, keeping their season alive.

Elite 8 Predictions

The Kentucky Wildcats face off against Kansas State on March 22. This courageous group of freshman isn’t afraid to leave it all out on the court. I predict Kentucky to take the victory over KSU. Next, No. 11 Loyola plays No. 7 Nevada. Loyola showed their dominance in their victories over Miami and Tennessee. Although they are seeded much lower, I’m predicting they also make their way to the Elite 8. 

In the west, fourth seed Gonzaga opposes ninth-seeded Florida State. FSU is used to high-emotion games, so a tough competitor is nothing new to them. However, the Bulldogs will defeat the Seminoles. To continue, No. 3 Michigan plays No. 7 Texas A&M. The Aggies are at an all-time high right now. They played a great game against UNC, and they won’t hold back now. Michigan will be defeated by Texas A&M.

The East has most of their higher seeds still left in the tournament. Villanova will face  West Virginia, and if WVU doesn’t defend the three-point line well, the Wildcats will be racking up points all night. Villanova will continue over West Virginia. No. 2 Purdue plays No. 3 Texas Tech. This will be a great game to watch as the teams are close in seeding, however, whoever is hot that day, will wind up winning. In my opinion, Purdue will hold their spot in the Elite 8.

The Midwest is left with a variety of different seeds still left. Kansas takes on Clemson, and Syracuse competes against Duke. Kansas has been hot all season, but Clemson also had a big win against Auburn. The number one seed deserves a chance this year, as not many have remained, so I think Kansas will bring home the victory. Duke faced Syracuse earlier this season, winning 60-44. Syracuse will have to play good defense to keep them under control. However, Duke will take the win in the end.   

All in all, even though some teams are not ranked as well, it doesn’t mean they don’t have the same competitive spirit and drive to win games. Clearly, the underdogs have been thought of lightly by their opponents, only to come out over the front-runners.