March Madness isn’t just for big time college hoops’ fans. It’s become sewn into the fabric of our society, an event where even the most casual observer can have a vested interest in a team they have never heard of making a deeper than expected run through the tournament.
Some have their NCAAB picks for the event while others have their brackets filled out, or both. But every year we see a few of the favorites get busted by a lightly heralded team putting it all together and scoring the upset.
However, this year isn’t just an underdog here or an underdog there making headlines. No, it’s become almost staggeringly routine in the first few rounds to witness a double-digit seeded team rise to victory. David has become Goliath and there are plenty of examples to cite so let’s get down to it as we review what has transpired thus far in the 2021 Big Dance.
Oral Roberts Spreading the Word
Located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and named after celebrated evangelist, Oral Roberts, this little school that could, got an invitation to the Big Dance by virtue of winning the Summit League Conference championship. The Golden Eagles finished the regular season with a record of 10-5 and in fourth place in an eight-team conference comprised of little-known schools. However, they defied the odds and won all three games of their conference tournament to get their ticket punched as the No. 15 seed in the South.
The Golden Eagles should have been just happy to score an invite but instead, they began to assert themselves, leading to a stunning 75-72 overtime win over the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. That alone would have been enough to send the kids home happy even if they lost in the second-round to No. 7 Florida.
But there was divine inspiration to be found, and find it they did, as Oral Roberts slew the Gators, 81-78, in a hotly contested match that saw the Eagles trailing throughout most of the contest and erasing an 11-point lead late in the game to secure the victory. They will take on No. 3 Arkansas in the Sweet 16 this weekend.
Midwest Region Stunners
Imagine the No. 11 and No. 12 seeds advancing to the Sweet 16 but neither is the biggest story in the region as the tournament enters its second week. With all due respect to 11th ranked Syracuse’s destruction of No. 6 San Diego State followed by a narrow win over No. 3 West Virginia and 12th ranked Oregon State upending No. 5 Tennessee and No. 4 Oklahoma State, the team stealing all the headlines is a familiar face – Loyola Chicago. They shouldn’t be, because if you are missing the Jim and Buddy Boeheim show, you are missing one of the NCAA’s best stories.
That’s right, the Ramblers are back and so is their 101-year-old spiritual leader, Sister Jean. You may recall Loyola Chicago from their 2018 run to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed back then. This time around they were awarded the No. 8 seed and after dispatching No. 9 Georgia Tech, the Ramblers were up against the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. We’ll always wonder if things could have been different had the ACC POY Moses Wright been available.
Yet, instead of one and done, Sister Jean’s pregame prayer struck a chord with the boys and before you knew it, they had stunned the Fighting Illini to the tune of a 71-58 win. ULC will tip-off as the favorite over No. 12 Oregon State in the next round.
And There’s More
The Abilene Christian Wildcats are the Southland Conference champs and by virtue of that, they were given the No. 14 seed in the East Region. But the Wildcats decided they liked it in the spotlight and figured they would stay awhile. To that end, they went out and eked out a 53-52 victory over No. 3 Texas before their date with No. 11 UCLA waiting in the wings. UCLA ended the Cinderella run, but the Pac 12 is ending a lot of teams’ NCAA run this year.
No. 13 Ohio did what their more affluent neighbors from Ohio State failed to do in the opening round…win. Yes, the MAC champions figured they would stick around and stunned No. 4 Virginia to the tune of a 62-58 victory. The Bobcats had a date with No. 5 Creighton on the docket and tried to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 along with more than a few double-digit dogs this year, but it wasn’t meant to be.
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1 ping
Carl says:
March 23, 2021 at 11:43 pm (UTC -5)
Does anyone else feel that the NCAA cheat the AC C out of one or two teams every year. Louisville should have been in the Men’s Tournament instead of either Maryland, Michigan State or Rutgers. When are the school presidents and AD’s going to make any noise about this. There is always a Midwest/Big 10 bias and we see every year that they are just not that good.