Nicholas Baglio ‘29
Matthew Gavern ‘29
EE Staff Writers
A total of 68 teams, more than 100 million brackets filled out a year, yet only a 0.0000003% of them stay perfect past the first round. One of the things people look forward to most in March is the season of college basketball. March Madness offers some of the most exciting and entertaining games not only because of the game, but also because of the anticipation of seeing if your bracket predictions correspond correctly to the games. This event makes everyone want to participate in the month!
Game Stand-outs
This year had a bunch of games that took over the whole tournament. Some were crazy close, some had huge plays, but all of them had viewers talking. Here are some that really stuck out.
The Kentucky University Vs. Arizona State game was definitely one to remember. Kentucky’s offense was rolling behind senior guard Marcus Doyle, who couldn’t miss from mid‑range. But Arizona answered every run with their transition game, especially when freshman phenom KJ Robinson threw down a put‑back dunk that instantly became a highlight of the tournament. The game ended up going to overtime and Arizona survived 92 to 90 in overtime.
A game that will definitely be remembered is the Duke vs. Kansas City State game in the first round of the tournament. This game was pure chaos. Duke led by 12 at halftime, but Kansas stormed back when they hit five three pointers in a row. Duke’s freshman Tyler McKnight hit a “floater” shot with 4.2 seconds left to seal it. Kansas got a decent look at the buzzer, but it bounced off the back iron. This game ended in Duke triumph and went on to an unpredictable game with UConn in the elite 8.
UConn’s Unimaginable Journey
Now, this article would not be a March Madness article without the talk about UConn’s unpredictable outcome and positioning in the finals.
UConn’s first game was against Furman University and ended in a win with a final score of 57-73. Next, they played UCLA. This was a hard game for the huskies. This was a high stake game going in as it meant that UConn would advance to the Sweet 16 if they won. UConn did not disappoint, however, and their defense shut down UCLA’s shooters enough to win in an end score of 63-67.
Next they played MI State, who are known for their defense. No one predicted the final score, however, with UConn succeeding once again with a score of 67-63.
Then came the Elite Eight. UConn was almost guaranteed a loss against Duke, yet fans still carried hope. The Huskies came back from being down 19 points, and Braylon Mullins hit a huge 35‑foot three-pointer with just 0.4 seconds left. UConn, the 2‑seed, moved on to the Final Four after recovering from a 44–29 halftime deficit against top‑seeded Duke!
Unfortunately, UConn could not get past this year’s powerhouse Michigan. In a hard-fought battle, the Huskies fell to the Wolverines 69-63 in last night’s National Title contest.