UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 29, 2024

SPORTS OPINION | March Madness upsets all perfect brackets

Unlikely outcomes of games in March Madness have left brackets ruined and die-hard fans upset. Lindsey Cozad | Sun News Daily

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The 2023 March Madness has brought nothing but major upsets and broken brackets.

From Fairleigh Dickinson University, the 16-seed, defeating Purdue University, the 1-seed, the beginning of this year’s March Madness is well described as chaos as there are currently no more perfect brackets left out of 20 million.

So far, we have seen the underdog teams come out victorious resulting in several upsets.

Round of 64 Upsets

FDU v. Purdue

For the first time, the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights knocked off Purdue with a five-point victory and one of the biggest upsets in the history of March Madness.

FDU proceeded to face off against Florida Atlantic University in the second round which resulted in an FAU win 78 to 70.

The reason this upset is so significant is that for the third time ever, a 16-seed defeated a 1-seed. The last time this occurred was in a 2018 tournament, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, finished the University of Virginia in a 20-point win.

Princeton University v. University of Arizona

This became another unexpected but crucial upset, as Princeton, a 15-seed, overcame Arizona, a 2-seed, in a four-point victory of 59 to 55.

Furman University v. University of Virginia

The time for advancing to the second round was ticking away as there were 30 seconds left for underdog Furman. Furman stole the ball and took it down for the last chance and shot for the three. As a result, Furman upset Virginia in a 68-67 victory.

The significance behind this upset was that Furman was a 13-seed while Virginia was a 4-seed.

The fact that the underdog teams are coming up on top is making the 2023 March Madness the best tournament in the history of all the tournaments. Already, history is being made and it hasn’t even reached the third round.

Round of 32 Upsets

Kansas v. Arkansas

The University of Arkansas, an 8-seed, beat out Kansas, the second 1-seed team, in the tournament in a 72 to 71 upset.

If you were planning your bracket like the majority of the other March Madness fans, you were likely to have Kansas winning this game or even making it to the finals. If so, you were definitely as upset as Kansas was. As for Arkansas, the team will advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time consecutively.

Marquette University v. Michigan State University

In a nine-point victory of 69-60, Michigan State came out on top. After missing out on a spot in the Sweet Sixteen for four years in a row, Michigan State advances to battle it out against Kansas State.

Princeton University v. University of Missouri

Princeton was able to pull off a victory against the University of Missouri in a 78 to 63 victory. The University of Missouri finished its season with an overall 25-10 record. Princeton will now take on Creighton University in the Sweet Sixteen.

Looking ahead to the Sweet Sixteen

Currently, the last two favorites to win are the University of Alabama and the University of Houston, as they are the only 1-seeds out of four left in the tournament.

I am predicting Alabama to win and kill the streak of upsets as well as Houston beating out Miami. As for the underdogs, I predict Arkansas to lose to University of Connecticut, Michigan State to lose to Kansas State, and Creighton to win over Princeton.