The first weekend of the NCAA tournament proved to be an exciting and thrilling one due to multiple upsets in the round of 32.
Cited by many as one of the “best games ever,” the Wichita State Shockers played the Kentucky Wildcats in an intense, neck and neck match-up. In the final seconds, the Shockers missed a three-pointer, leaving them beaten by the Wildcats by two points. The loss ruined Wichita State’s previously undefeated season of 35-0. Kentucky will now go on to face Louisville in the Sweet 16.
Another close game on Sunday was between the Stanford Cardinal and the Kansas Jayhawks. It was an off night for the Jayhawks as Andrew Wiggins, their star freshmans, did not play up to his usual standards. The team also suffered from the absence of one of their other freshman stars, center Joel Embiid, who was out due to a bad back. Kansas managed to stay alive, but in the final moments, Conner Frakamp’s shot to tie the game missed the hoop, securing Standford the win. The Cardinal will next play the Dayton Flyers.
Another bit of a shock came when the Baylor Bears faced off against the Creighton Bluejays. Doug McDermott, who currently ranks fifth on the NCAA career scoring list with 3,150 points, failed to play his best for Creighton in his final career game, earning only 15 points in the game when his season average was 27 points. The Bears ended up crushing the Bluejays with a score of 85-55. Five of the team’s players scored in double figures in the game, leading the Bears to the Sweet 16 for the third time since 2010. They will play against the Wisconsin Badgers next.
