By LOGAN RIPLEY
Sports Editor
The official start of the NCAA March Madness Tournament doesn’t begin with the first round, but rather selection Sunday.
Many teams fought on the bubble to get into this year’s tournament that featured no true dominant team.
There would be no 16 over one upset this year, as all escaped with wins in the first round. Villanova ran over Mount St. Mary’s 76-56; Gonzaga beat South Dakota St. 66-46; UNC defeated Texas Southern 103-64; and Kansas throttled UC Davis 100-62.
Those teams all performed to everyone’s liking and did what everyone expected them to. But others in the bracket didn’t have the same fate.
Six-seed Southern Methodist University was upended by 11-seed University of Southern California by one point, 66-65. Many predicted SMU to be out into the second round and even into the sweet sixteen.
Another team with a similar outcome was sixth seed Maryland, as their underperforming season translated right into a loss to number eleven, Xavier, 76-65.
Even though some picked this upset, because of injuries to Creighton University’s best player, University of Rhode Island beat the six seed handily, 84-72.
Ten seed Wichita St. beat seven seed Dayton 64-58, in a game that wasn’t too pretty to watch.
The Shockers came away with the victory using their hardnosed defense that many know about, but their offense has improved since last season.
Led by a balanced attack on the offensive side and a strong man to man defense Wichita St. can beat anyone, and will be asked to in the second round when they face off against number two Kentucky Wildcats.
Middle Tennessee was a team with champion pedigree, making the tournament last year and beating Michigan St. Even though they have some of the same players, their transfer from last year has been the driving force.
Forward JaCorey Williams averaged 17 points and seven boards on the season but struggled from the field against Minnesota.
Though he carried them all season, senior Reggie Upshaw made shots when they needed him most. Leading the charge in the final three minutes, Upshaw’s 19 points on seven of 13 shots for the game sealed the upset.
Another noteworthy win was six seed Butler over thirteen seed Winthrop, 76-64.
Though a lower seed won, it’s a big deal because they have an easier road into the sweet sixteen.
