Matthew Adams
Managing Editor
Another March Madness has rolled around and this time of the year is the definition of unpredictable. Going further is not promised but many hope to see the next round.
This year some top teams will not see the next round as the Sweet 16 is ahead of them. As of now, there are not any brackets that are perfect.
The first round was able to keep the mystique of who will become victorious through their bout. A couple of upsets that captured the attention of viewers were number 12 James Madison beating number 5 Wisconsin.
As a top 5 team, many people did not see this playing out this way. James Madison was able to beat the Badgers by double digits.
More than four players amassed double digits while the Badgers had one less at three. The Dukes were able to be slightly more efficient, which can add to the reasons why they won the game. James Madison won the game 72 to 61, eliminating the Badgers from the second round.
“James Madison really surprised me as a team to win against a Top 5 team in a power 5 conference,” said Joseph Vanhook, a junior computer science major from Chicago, Ill. He was disappointed by the loss by James Madison.
Even though the Dukes were able to win, they would lose to Duke University in the second round by an outstanding margin. The Blue Devils crushed the spirits of the Dukes with a 93-55 win.
When asked about Duke players hitting shots that brought The Dukes momentum down Julien Wooden stated, “Yea it just gave them life… you can kind of tell that it put us on our heels…it just really put us in a hole that we couldn’t get out of..I thought this team really put their heart into the game… we didn’t give up.”
Another team that had people talking was the North Carolina State Wolfpack. They have been currently climbing up the tournament ladder.
They have been a team full of upsets. They were first able to upset the number one team in ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) but before that, they were able to take the number 2 and number 3 teams in the ACC, which is unheard of as an 11th seed.
Once they slid out of the ACC tournament, it was off to the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament.
“I would say Sunday Night we just had this fire about us. All the practices that led up I have never seen these guys as focused as they were in my entire life, not in a singular workout, team work out or film. They have never been more locked in and that is what March is all about,” said Power Forward DJ Burns Jr., who felt confident in his team proceeding the wins.
These are not the only teams that were able to upset teams in the first and second rounds. Kentucky is one of the college teams who are well known for their recruits and the amount of talent they are able to acquire. The Wildcats disappointed many fans with their loss to the number 14 Oakland.
This game would prompt Jack Golke to score 32 points, which would all in all put the nail in the coffin for the firing of Coach Callapri.
Many on social media were prophesying Callipari to be fired after such a devastating loss.
With these games behind many teams look to make it to the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8. March Madness is in full swing with not being sure what to expect.
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