NCAA March Madness Tournament, UConn Wins Big, LSU Makes History

Each No. 1 seed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men’s March Madness Tournament was eliminated before the Elite Eight for the first time ever in program history, which allowed a chance for the “underdogs” to receive the title.

The No. 4 seed UConn Huskies were able to dominate the competition in each of their games, outscoring their opponents 20+ points. After their Final Four win against No. 5 seed Miami, the Huskies made their fifth-ever championship game in 24 years and looked to keep their perfect championship record alive.

No. 5 seed San Diego State barely beat No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic University (FAU), 72 – 71, to advance to the championship game against the Huskies.

FAU was this tournament’s Cinderella story by far. This 9th overall team proved to the world that they deserved a spot in the championship game. They just fell inches away from their goal. Let’s not forget to mention, this was the Owls first ever Final Four appearance in program history, so that should be an accomplishment of its own.

Now, the final game between UConn and San Diego State proved why the Huskies became the national champions. They outscored the Aztecs 17 points, to keep their 100% championship win record alive. This team had a miraculous tournament run and some may consider this title win as one of the best in modern history.

On the other side of the court, the NCAA women’s tournament had the top dogs in the Final Four. However, both No. 1 seeds lost to their opponents.

Iowa was able to pull off a win against South Carolina and LSU was able to squeak by Virginia Tech, both of which were close games. Each team had never been to a championship game before, making this title more important than ever.

However, the LSU Tigers came to play. Beating the Hawkeyes, 102 – 85, the Tigers won their first championship game in program history. In addition, they were just the third No. 3 seed to win this national title.

This month-long tournament among 64 teams (both men and women) encourages “friendly wagering” on who will come out on top, correctly creating a “perfect
bracket” of winners. It’s never been done before. In fact, the odds of someone perfectly picking each winning team correctly are one in 9.2 quintillion.

So, it definitely is not in anyone’s favor, but it’s still fun to try to win, just like the teams in this year’s tournament.

Story by: Carlin Whalen (cjw6426@psu.edu)