March is the month when the entire country’s eyes are focused on college basketball. Fan or not, it’s impossible to resist the month-long, single-elimination tournament that pits the most deserving Division I teams in the nation against each other for a chance to cut down the nets when it’s all said and done.
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Last year, UConn was able to coast to their second-straight Men’s National Championship under veteran coach Dan Hurley, while South Carolina took home the Women’s National Championship after facing a tough road to the promised land. Purdue’s Zach Edey and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark notably suffered losses in the title round, but both have already carved out roles in their respective league.
The Huskies faced little to no resistance in their path to back-to-back titles, winning by no less than 14 points throughout the entire tournament. Their toughest tests came in the Round of 32 matchup against Northwestern and then, the Final Four against Alabama. However, the championship game against Purdue was a breeze, with the Boilermakers failing to keep the matchup within single digits in the waning minutes of the game.
The path to glory for South Carolina’s women’s team wasn’t nearly as rosy. The team was able to easily dispatch Presbyterian and North Carolina in the first two rounds, but Indiana posed a challenge that South Carolina nearly failed to overcome in the Elite 8. They still walked away with a 79-75 victory but no longer looked untouchable.
Oregon State also gave South Carolina some problems in the Final Four but still was handily defeated by 12 points. In one of the most highly-anticipated matchups in the history of women’s hoops, this dominant South Carolina team was able to send home Clark’s Hawkeyes despite a 30-point showing from the Fever star.
2024’s March Madness was filled with upsets, as usual
There are memorable upsets in March Madness every year. Considering the tournament’s single-elimination format, the pressure is on every game, regardless of how a team fared in the regular season. This is one of the many reasons why the event is so great – any team can get sent home at any time.
In 2024, there were several more surprising upsets, including Grand Canyon’s victory over Saint Mary’s in the men’s bracket and Middle Tennessee barely taking down Louisville in the women’s. But no two upsets stand out more than Yale’s unprecedented victory over Auburn and Duke’s win over the two-seeded lady Buckeyes of Ohio State.
Yale’s late 78-76 upset over Auburn had an exciting finish and represents the university’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2016. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils were able to handily beat OSU 75-73 in the second round, quickly unseating Ohio State as a possible title contender.
The best teams usually come out on top when the tournament wraps up in April. But one thing is for certain, March Madness will always have upsets when you least expect them.
