No 15 and No 16 seeds are winning in the NCAA tournament more than ever before and by some distance. Is it a statistical anomaly or the outcome of a broader trend?Upsets have always been a defining element of March Madness and this year has been no different. The 2023 tournament had barely tipped off when No 13 seed Furman, the smallest school in the field by enrolment making their first appearance in 43 years, sent fourth-seeded Virginia packing. By the end of opening weekend, half of the four No 1 seeds were already out. But none of this is terribly unusual in an event where fans have come to expect the unexpected.What is unusual is the teams who are...
The Retrievers’ stunning takedown of Virginia reminded us why March Madness endures as one of America’s best sporting traditionsThat whoosh you heard on Friday night was the sound of millions of brackets across America simultaneously bursting into flames. The sporting spectacle whose overarching allure is chaos was finally graced with the mother of all upsets as University of Maryland-Baltimore County upended top-ranked Virginia to become the first ever No16 seed to defeat a No1, springing the greatest of NCAA men’s basketball tournament surprises in the most shocking way imaginable. Related: Ultimate upset: UMBC stun Virginia to become first ever No16 seed to top a No1 Continue reading...
The Sweet 16 is set after four frenetic days. Which of the teams left standing has the best chance of cutting down the next in Phoenix?Fifty-two of the 68 schools that entered the NCAA tournament have been sent home. Here’s a look at who’s left – and who’s got the best chance of cutting down the nets in Phoenix.The 65 @GamecockMBB pts in the 2nd half are the MOST ever allowed in a half by a Coach K Duke team (2,538 halves). @SECNetwork Related: Duke crash out while Michigan's charmed run continues into Sweet 16 Related: Why March Madness is bad for college basketball Related: Protestors fly Confederate flag next to NCAA arena in South Carolina Related: Tom Crean rebuilt...
It’s been 30 years since the Hoosiers last won a national title, but if you’re not Bob Knight, bringing Indiana back from disaster apparently isn’t enough What’s the worth of building respectability in college basketball?Late in the winter of 2012, not long before Indiana would return to the NCAA tournament that had once been their regular domain, I listened as Hoosiers coach Tom Crean told me how bad things had been four years before. Related: NCAA tournament 2017: first round games, scores and upsets – live! Continue reading...
The NCAA tournament is as wildly popular as ever, but the increased emphasis on March means fewer people are paying attention to the regular season Printable NCAA tournament bracket: make your March Madness picks Regional previews: East | Midwest | South | West So you call yourself a college basketball fan? Now that you’ve filled out your brackets, ask yourself this question: how many college basketball games have you watched this year on TV? How many have you seen in person?For an increasing number of Americans, the answer is none, or in most cases, not many. And if you’re looking for a reason why the first four months of the college roundball season are received with such indifference, consider two...