NCAA tournament recap

The best time of the year has officially come to an end. Let’s recap on some major things this March.

UConn Huskies showed why they were favorites to win it all

Another year, another dominant run by the Huskies.

Dating back to the start of last year’s tournament, UConn has won 11 straight tournament games by double digits.

Two years. Two different teams. Two national titles for Dan Hurley. They became the first team since the 2006-07 Florida Gators to win back-to-back national championships.

Tristen Newton was awarded the Most Outstanding Player award after recording 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

On the losing side, Zach Edey recorded 37 points and 10 rebounds for the Boilermakers. Outside of him, only Braden Smith recorded double digits in scoring.

The game was close at halftime, with UConn leading 36-30. Then the Huskies did what they’ve done the entire tournament, dominate the second half.

Purdue got UConn’s lead down to seven early in the second half. They wouldn’t get that close for the rest of the game.

UConn raises its sixth national championship trophy, tied with North Carolina for third-most for a college basketball program.

The Ivy League strikes again

Last year, Princeton advanced to the Sweet 16 as a 15-seed. They got there by taking down the likes of Arizona and Missouri.

This year, the Yale Bulldogs took down the SEC champion Auburn Tigers 78-76 in the first round.

Their tournament run didn't last long, as they ran into San Diego State and couldn’t get past the Aztecs' tough defense, losing 85-57.

While Yale didn’t have the same success story as Princeton, we can safely assume the Ivy League will win one tournament game each year.

Another Cinderella run has happened

The one thing about March is that upsets are guaranteed.

Give credit when it’s due. The Wolfpack of NC State gave us an underdog to root for as they advanced to their first Final Four since 1983.

At 17-14 heading into the postseason, they were never considered to make the field of 68, let alone win the ACC tournament. NC State rattled off nine straight wins to make it to the final weekend.

They were also the first Final Four team to have the most losses than any team to ever make the Final Four in history.

Beloved big man DJ Burns rose to the spotlight for his squad, scoring double digits in three of five tournament games. While their magic ran out against Purdue, this will be a tournament to remember for Kevin Keatts’ team.

Kentucky bows out early yet again

A program considered a college basketball blue blood doesn’t look that way when March hits.

For the third straight year, John Calipari and his Wildcats suffered another early exit in the tournament as they fell to 14-seeded Oakland.

Jack Gohlke drained 10 threes and scored 32 points to lead the Golden Grizzlies to a shocking upset.

Antonio Reaves had 27 points himself but did not get much help from his teammates.

Kentucky has not made it to the Sweet 16 since 2018-19. To make matters worse, John Calipari has reached a deal to become the next head coach for SEC rival Arkansas.

Another classic 12-5 upset

Every year, we can always pick a 12-seed upsetting a 5-seed.

It happened again as Grand Canyon took down Saint Mary’s 75-66 and James Madison took down Wisconsin 72-61.

The Lopes were led by Tyon Grant-Foster, who had 22 points to defeat the runner-ups in the West Coast Conference. Mitchell Saxxen for the Gaels had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort.

On the other side of the bracket, the Dukes were led by TJ Edwards Jr. who had 14 points.

Wisconsin did not look ready to play at all, as they didn’t score 10 points until nine minutes left in the first half. They were down as big as 17 and never held a lead.

James Madison’s tough defense gave the Badgers trouble the whole night, as they committed 19 turnovers compared to the Duke's 12.

Moral of the story: always have a 12-5 upset in your bracket.

Ethan Hu is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email eth5182@psu.edu.