Recapping March Madness 2018

The tournament is done. The final game has been won. One team has been crowned. Now what?

If you’re a basketball fan — even if you’re not — you most likely than not watched or heard about the NCAA games that occurred over the last month or so. It culminated in a final showdown for men’s teams on Monday April 2. If you haven’t heard, the Villanova Wildcats of Pennsylvania came out on top. Since it’s been over a month since the beginning of it all, it seems appropriate to recap the tournament as a whole.

Round 1: 16th Seed Team Defeats 1st Seed
History was made this year when the underestimated challenger, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, defeated the #1 seed, Virginia, in the first round of the tournament. It’s not without reason to declare it one of the greatest upsets in American sports history.

Round 2: Cinderella Story Ends, Other Upsets Ensue

Unfortunately for UMBC, their run came to an end in round two when they were defeated by Kansas State 50-43. That’s a small gap considering the expectations many initially had of UMBC. Additionally, 7th seed Nevada beat 2nd seed Cincinnati by just one basket (75-73). Other upsets include 9 Florida State beating 1 Xavier 75-70, 7 Texas A&M over 2 UNC 86-65, and 5 Clemson over 4 Auburn 84-53.

Sweet 16: Do Seeds Even Matter?

Contrary to what the designation as 11th seed would suggest, Loyola continued to defeat teams of higher seeds, moving forward into the Elite 8 after a match against 7 Nevada. Four of the eight games in the Sweet 16 were won by lower seeds.

Elite 8: Several Close Wins (Or Losses)

For many fans, this was a tough set of games to watch. 2 Duke fought a tough game against Kansas, almost securing a lead, only to fall apart in the second half. The game ended up at 85-81. Additionally, Michigan defeated Florida State by a mere 4 points, ending the game at 58-54.

Final Four: Two #1 Seeds Are Matched

The game to watch what that between Villanova and and Kansas. Many chose Kansas as the overall pick to win the tournament, even while Villanova was known as a power house. The two #1 seeds went head to head, and Villanova came out victorious 95-79.

Championship: The Expected Happened (Eventually)

Going into the game, most expected to see Villanova take the game, which they did. In the first half, however, Michigan had the lead and held onto it for a significant period of time. Unfortunately for Tom Brady’s alma mater, however, they couldn’t hold on in the second half. Villanova took the championship 79-62. The question now is whether or not Villanova will purchase and sell pieces of the court, as it’s been done 12 of the 20 last championship games.