USA TODAY International Edition
St. Peter’s run, UK’s fall are surprising
The only thing predictable about the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is unpredictability. There’s a reason it was coined March Madness so long ago.
Through two rounds, this season’s event has lived up to that moniker with unlikely results that have unsettled brackets.
There have been huge upsets with unexpected teams that have invaded the Sweet 16, including three doubledigit seeds.
There are other top seeds, including the defending national champion, that were expected to be present in the regional round and are staying home until next season.
And there have been outstanding performances throughout.
A look the biggest surprises:
All hail Saint Peter’s
How could it be anything other than the Peacocks? Only the third team to reach the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed, this is the story of the tournament because of who they beat in the first round. A program with no tournament wins took down one of the elite programs with its defeat of Kentucky. And it wasn’t a fluke. They made all the big plays late and then followed it with an impressive showing against Murray State. Up next is No. 3 seed Purdue. Given the way Saint Peter’s has played in its first two games, anything seems possible with the endless positivity of coach Shaheen Holloway.
An unlikely all- time classic
That’s the best way to sum up the 45 minutes played between Baylor and North Carolina. Through the first 30 minutes this looked like an easy win by the Tar Heels against last year’s tournament winners. Certainly a stunning result and something that would linger after this year. Then Brady Manek was ejected and the Bears staged a rally from 25 points down to somehow force overtime. In that span was a frenetic back and forth between the teams as the Bears made steals and hit clutch shots to somehow extend the game. In the first extra period, North Carolina managed to compose itself after melting down and get past Baylor to continue its impressive tournament run.
Friars are fabulous
Maybe it was the name on the front of the jerseys that threw people off because what Providence has done on the court should have earned respect entering the tournament. After their first Big East regular- season title, the Friars were overlooked and seen as a trendy upset victim in the first round. Instead, Providence fought off South Dakota State and then took down Richmond to reach its first Sweet 16. With an upcoming matchup against Kansas and a pair of double- digit seeds waiting in the next game, a trip to its first Final Four since 1987 remains possible.
The ACC strikes back
It must have been frustrating for a basketball- dominated league to hear the criticism. Duke was ranked near the top of the polls all season, but nobody in the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference was gaining national recognition. Louisville, Syracuse, Virginia and Florida State were down from their usual standards and missed the tournament. Only five teams made the field, its fewest since four in 2013. North Carolina was one of those teams after a slow start and played two outstanding games to reach the Sweet 16. Duke joined them after a tense defeat of Michigan State. The biggest shocker was Miami, which took down Southern California and then dominated No. 2 seed Auburn to give the conference three teams headed to the regional semifinals, tying it with the Big 12 with the most remaining.
Cyclones blowing into Windy City
The story of Iowa State’s season has been one of overcoming expectations. The team was picked to finish last in the Big 12 after winning just two games last season, resulting in the firing of Steve Prohm and hiring of T. J. Otzelberger. But Otzelberger somehow coalesced a roster of veterans and transfers into a 12- 0 start and subsequent NCAA berth. Still, not much was expected with the Cyclones seeded 11th in the Midwest. Not that it mattered given they were playing with house money by even being in the field. They flipped the script, however, with its defense keying defeats of LSU and then Wisconsin in Milwaukee. With fellow double- digit seed Miami up next, it’s possible this run isn’t yet over.
Kentucky heads home early
This year was supposed to be different for the Wildcats. John Calipari had built his roster with an influx of expected one- and- dones and supplemented with transfers to provide the experience that was lacking in the program. Injuries hampered the team down the stretch, but it was thought all the pieces were in place for a deep tournament run with player of the year candidate Oscar Tshiebwe leading the way. Instead, Kentucky made its first exit in the first round under Calipari. The team’s Final Four drought will extend another season and a new rebuild will try to right things next season. Between now and then there are going to be a lot of questions about where things went wrong.
Almost a clean sweep of Big Ten
The Big Ten didn’t fare much better than the Southeastern Conference ( six teams, all a No. 6 seed or higher, but only Arkansas made it through the first weekend. Not the showing the conference hoped for.). The league had nine tournament berths, three more than any other conference. Yet it is the Big Ten that is almost eliminated after two rounds. Only Michigan, which finished tied for seventh in the league and barely avoided the First Four, and No. 3 seed Purdue are left standing. Among the losers were co- champions Wisconsin and Illinois in the second round and tournament winner Iowa, which fell to Richmond in the first round. The chances of the league to winning its first national title since 2000 rest mostly with the Boilermakers.