March Madness? More like March Blandness in as NCAA Tournament has too much chalk
· Yahoo Sports
Oh, great. Another snoozefest of an Men's NCAA Tournament.
Any hopes for the chaos that makes this event so raucously entertaining are officially over, buried under a pile of chalk dust. For the third consecutive year, no seed 12 or higher will make the Sweet 16. For the fourth consecutive year, only one-double digit seed will survive the first weekend.
Visit afnews.co.za for more information.
And you can’t count Texas as a plucky underdog. Just ask Longhorns coach Sean Miller.
“I don’t think we ever want to sign up to be the Cinderella story because we are the University of Texas,” Miller said after his 11th-seeded team beat Gonzaga on Saturday, March 21. “We represent the SEC as well.”
The beauty of March Madness has always been, well, the Madness. Little schools no one’s heard of knocking off teams from the power conferences. Kids who won’t go further than the local rec center when their college careers are done knocking down shots that would be the envy of NBA players.
There was one glorious stretch from 2008 to 2014 when three or more double-digit seeds reached the Sweet 16 in all but one year. Four years ago, 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s crashed the party into the Elite Eight.
But whether it’s NIL, the great players getting even greater, or simply the cycle of things, March Madness has been more March Mildness of late.
Sure, an 11 seed made the Final Four in 2024, but it was NC State, a team from the mighty ACC. For the last time a true little guy made it to the Final Four, you have to go back to 11th-seeded Loyola of Chicago — and everyone's favorite nun — in 2018.
Things have gotten so chalky that all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four last year for only the second time since the tournament began seeding teams in 1979. While it remains to be seen if that happens again this year, all the teams remaining are from power conferences (except Utah State, who plays No. 1 Arizona later Sunday). Where’s the fun in that?
There was, for about half a day, eagerness that this year’s tournament might be headed sideways. In the best way possible, of course.
High Point, a 12th seed making only its second appearance in the NCAA tournament, knocked off Wisconsin. VCU, an 11 seed, dug its way out of a 19-point hole to stun North Carolina in the largest comeback ever in the first round of the men’s tournament.
Siena even threatened to pull off the upset of all upsets against overall No. 1 seed Duke. But Duke hung on, and the tournament returned to its chalk-outlined form.
Boooorrrring.
That’s not to say there haven’t been good, and entertaining, games. Kentucky’s OT win over Santa Clara in the first round was a straight shot of adrenaline. Nebraska’s win over Vanderbilt in the second round was all kinds of fun.
Even Arkansas’ win over High Point in the second round was way more of a nail-biter than the score indicated.
“We competed with the SEC champs, lottery picks, guys who are the best of the best. Our university, our team showed out. We showed out,” High Point coach Flynn Clayman said. “We were expected to be good, but I don't think anybody expected to do what we did here, win 31 games, get to the Tournament, advance, push the SEC champs.
“We made history,” Clayman added. “And I just couldn't be more proud of these guys. What a ride.”
It’s just too bad it didn’t last longer.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Underdogs ushered out of Men's March Madness as its nearly all chalk