Brandon So | Staff Writer
March Madness is an annual event that college basketball fans eagerly anticipate. It’s a tournament featuring 68 teams, with the winner ultimately crowned the national champion. The excitement of the tournament comes from the unexpected, as we see upsets and Cinderella stories every year.
The 2023 tournament is no exception, as many top seeds fell to underdogs in the first round. Fans across the country were left stunned, and their brackets ruined. The bracket-busters of the tournament were the teams that upset the favorites to win and moved on to the next round.
One of the biggest bracket busters of the tournament was the 16th-seeded team, Fairleigh Dickinson University, more commonly known as FDU. FDU defeated the number one seed in the tournament, Purdue University. This is a rare occurrence in March Madness, with only one other instance of a 16th seed beating a number one seed in the history of the tournament. The upset sent shockwaves through the tournament and had fans in utter disbelief that a 16-seed could take down a favorite. Prior to the game starting, the money line odds for FDU were set at +2000. A $100 bet would pay out $2000.
“If we played them 100 times, they’d probably beat us 99 times,” “Play them 100 times, we have one win. But tonight’s the one we had to be unique, we had to be unorthodox. We had to make it tough on them, just be different.” – FDU Head Coach Tobin Anderson
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/fairleigh-dickinson-defeats-no-1-seed-purdue-in-stunning-march-madness-upset
Another surprising result in the tournament was the early exit of the defending national champions, Kansas. The team was a strong favorite to win the tournament, but they were upset by Arkansas in the second round. This result was a shock to many fans who expected the team to make a deep run in the tournament.
The tournament also saw several small teams make unexpected advances. These teams, often from smaller conferences, are not expected to make it far in the tournament. But they often surprise fans with their grit and determination on the court. In the 2023 March Madness Tournament, several small teams were able to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, and one team, FAU, even made it all the way to the Elite Eight.
The unpredictability of March Madness is what makes it such an exciting event for fans. With so many teams in the tournament, anything can happen. Fans are left on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting the next upset or thrilling finish.
Catch the Final Four games on Saturday, Apr. 1 where the Florida Atlantic University Owls battle the San Diego State Aztecs, and the University of Miami Hurricanes take on UConn’s Huskies. The winners of these two games move on to the championship round where the winner will be crowned the 2023 NCAA March Madness National Champions. The Championship Round will take place on Monday, Apr. 3.
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