In the span of just four days, "March Madness" has already lived up to its name. We've had some wild endings, nail-biting upsets, and no perfect brackets. Here are some of the biggest storylines following the best weekend in all of sports.
The Dogs Are Doing Well
Not counting the even 8/9 matchups, we've had thirteen games in the first two rounds where a lower seed has won. While some weren't all too surprising, there were plenty of unexpected results. #10 Miami snuck by #7 USC, thanks to a controversial foul call, before blowing out #2 Auburn, a team with legitimate Final Four hopes. Another would-be contender, #5 Iowa, saw their Big 10-winning season crash and burn in one game against #12 Richmond. #8 North Carolina continued its stellar play of late by taking down the defending national champions, #1 Baylor, in the Round of 32.
However, the most notable upset of the weekend came courtesy of #15 St. Peter's, a small New Jersey school with a student body of just over 3,000. The Peacocks went toe-to-toe with #2 Kentucky, a trendy National Title winner pick. While logic suggests that favorites tend to triumph in overtime, it was the plucky Peacocks who got the best of John Calipari's Wildcats, winning 85-79 in OT. In a matter of days, St. Peters went from a relatively unknown school to the center of the college hoops universe. That's the magic of March.
HOLY UPSET!
— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) March 18, 2022
St. Peters from Jersey City, NJ upsets Kentucky!!! Wow!!! pic.twitter.com/QuHp4DcqE1
Arizona, Kansas, and Gonzaga Survive
While an entire regular season's worth of dominance leads many to believe #1 seeds aren't vulnerable until the Sweet 16, things don't always work out so easily. Last year, we saw #1 Illinois get sent home early thanks to a Loyola-Chicago team that knew how to attack the talented, but flawed, Illini. This year was no different, as Hubert Davis' North Carolina Tar Heels used an early lead to cling onto victory against #1 Baylor.
With all that said, the other three #1's are likely grateful to still be alive and kicking. Kansas snuck by a scrappy Creighton crew, Gonzaga turned a four-point halftime deficit into a four-point win, and Arizona survived TCU in an early pick for game of the year. While all of the top dogs had their struggles in the Round of 32, 'Zona came the closest to disaster. The Wildcats appeared to foul TCU guard Mike Miles on the game's final possession, but no whistle was called. After a baffling dunk attempt a second after the game clock expired, they moved past the Horned Frogs in overtime by a score of 85-80. Seen by many as the second-best team in the tournament, Arizona will need to play much better if it wants to survive #5 Houston this Friday.
WHAT THE WHAT?!?! THIS ENDING IS INSANE pic.twitter.com/eAm0Lc95Xv
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2022
Officiating Has Been A Game-Changer
Like it or not, this has been a fun but ugly weekend of games. Part of that blame goes to NCAA officiating crews, who have had an inconsistent tournament. Far too many headlines have revolved around not gameplay, but bad calls and even worse no-calls. It even feels as if most of the games have come down to free-throws rather than contested shots, which ultimately hurts college basketball's watchability at a time when millions are tuning in for the first time all season.
Individual instances of officials going extreme in both directions showcase the issues plenty of fans have with the way tournament games have been called. Illinois guard R.J. Melendez was given a technical for hanging on the rim in Sunday's game against Houston, a ticky-tack call that ended up shifting momentum late in the game. Later that night, the previously mentioned Miles no-call against Arizona may have cost TCU a chance at the Sweet 16. North Carolina's Brady Manek was ejected for what appeared to be an unintentional elbow in Saturday's game against Baylor, an extremely harsh call that left UNC without one of its best players.
Horrendous tech pic.twitter.com/9FPXpfx0Dn
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) March 20, 2022
These are just a few of the eye-raising moments referees have given fans and analysts to fume over. To be clear, officiating high-level college basketball is a difficult task, and a thankless job. However, this is also the sport's biggest stage, and for many players, the biggest moment of their careers. They, as well as college basketball's die hard fans, deserve better.
