JORDAN PURVIS
Special to The Leader
Dreams definitely come true in the month of March, and hearts and brackets are ripped into shreds. More than 17 million brackets were filled out on ESPN for the 2018 NCAA men’s basketball Tournament Challenge. There are currently zero perfect NCAA brackets left. Which round of the tournament broke your bracket? (Don’t worry about your bracket being broken because nobody will ever get this perfect.)
No. 16 seed UMBC over No. 1 seed Virginia
The No. 16 seed, The University of Maryland Baltimore County win against Virginia was probably the biggest upset in the history of college basketball. Before the matchup, Virginia finished the regular season 31-3 and were favorites to go all the way winning the NCAA Tournament. According to ESPN, 18.5 percent of brackets had Virginia winning the title, the highest percentage of any team. The underdogs, UMBC, ended up defying the odds by beating Virginia 74-54, eliminating the top seeded team in the first round. The never-heard-of-before team UMBC went on to face Kansas State in the second round and lost by a final score of 50-43.
No. 13 seed Buffalo over No. 4 Arizona
The University at Buffalo obliterated a lot of brackets with their win against the University of Arizona in the first round of the tournament. 89-68 was the final score of the game, not to mention Buffalo made school history as the men’s basketball team earned its first ever tournament win. According to ESPN, the Wildcats were picked to win in 90.2 percent of brackets filled out. Unfortunately, the Bulls were unable to move on in the tournament as they lost to Kentucky 95-75 in the second round.
No. 11 seed Syracuse State over No. 3 seed Michigan State
Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse men’s basketball team dropped jaws with their 55-53 win against Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It was a brutal loss for the Spartans, as they had multiple opportunities to win the game. In the final seconds, Syracuse guard Tyus Battle drained a jumper with 47 seconds left in the second half. Soon after, he drained two free throws with six seconds left to help seal the win. The Orange started their journey in the first four, marching their way to the Final Eight and subsequently losing to Duke 69-65.
No. 9 seed Florida State over No. 1 seed Xavier
The Seminoles took down Xavier 75-70 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. What had an influence to Xavier’s loss? Turnovers! The Musketeers had 18 turnovers throughout the course of the game. Some of them turned into huge points for Florida State. In addition to Xavier losing early in the tournament, they will potentially lose their coach, Chris Mack. According to reports, Louisville officials met with Mack to discuss the open spot for the men’s head coach position.
No. 11 seed Loyola Chicago, No.1 seed Villanova, No. 3 seed Michigan, and No. 2 seed Duke will be heading to San Antonio to face off in the Final Four. Loyola Chicago will play against Michigan March 31 at 6:09 p.m. Afterward, Villanova will compete against Kansas March 31 at 8:49 p.m. The final two teams will play each other in the Championship game on April 2.