March Madness: 3/16 in Review

Friday will likely be the only day in tournament history when #15 seeds had a winning record against #2 seeds.

Lucky 15: We figured we had seen the signature upset of the tournament when Norfolk State became only the fifth 15-seed to ever knock off a two-seed. The Spartans and Kyle O'Quinn, who scored 26 points with 14 rebounds, stunned the Missouri Tigers, fresh off a 30-win season and Big 12 tournament championship. And that was Norfolk State's first-ever tournament appearance, and first-ever win over a ranked team since joining Division I. The day wasn't even over yet; as the ESPN.com headline declared, "Missouri loves company." #15 Lehigh matched the Spartans' unlikely feat, shocking a Duke team that struggled mightily from beyond the arc and couldn't contain C.J. McCollum (30 points). We waited 11 years for a 15-seed to achieve an upset, and then it happened twice within a few hours. Lehigh and Norfolk State will each try and become the first 15-seeds to win multiple tournament games, going up against Xavier and Florida respectively.

And by the way, Michigan lost too: Lost in the madness of the day's events was #13 Ohio's upset of #4 Michigan, 65-60. Two years after the Bobcats blew out Georgetown in the first round, D.J. Cooper helped his team to another first round shocker by scoring 21 points and dishing out five assists. Michigan shot only 30% from long-range--more often than not, the Wolverines lose when the threes aren't falling.

Upsets everywhere: Higher seeds prevailed all over the place. Richard Howell's interior dominance and Lorenzo Brown's near-triple-double led #11 N.C. State over #6 San Diego State 79-65. #9 Saint Louis' defense frustrated Memphis in the Billikens' 61-54 win. Robbie Hummel's tenth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers survived a frantic 14-2 run by Saint Mary's and Rob Jones' three-point attempt at the buzzer to advance, 72-69. #10 Xavier beat #7 Notre Dame on Tu Holloway's game-winning jumper and a crucial lane violation call against the Irish. No high seed was safe on Friday.

Florida State avoids its disaster: The Seminoles, fresh off an ACC tournament championship, got all they could handle from #14 Saint Bonaventure's. Michael Snaer struggled with his shot and FSU didn't grab its first lead until very late in the second half. In the end, lockdown defense and some clutch 3's allowed them to escape with the 66-63 win. Both teams showed some impressive resilience in a phenomenal back-and-forth battle, though.

North Carolina, Michigan State, Kansas restore sanity: The college basketball blue-bloods didn't have any trouble against their lower seeds. On Sunday, with Sweet Sixteen berths on the line, UNC will face Doug McDermott and Creighton, the Spartans get Saint Louis, and Kansas goes up against Purdue.

Good times for the Big East: As Missouri, Duke, and Michigan fell, the Big East stayed mostly untouched. #3 Georgetown got the first-round-exit monkey off its back by handling #14 Belmont, a popular pick to upset the Hoyas, 74-59. The Bruins' offense was stifled by a Georgetown team that also shot over 60% from the floor. #6 Cincinnati held #11 Texas to 16% shooting in the first half, and then survived a late Longhorns run to escape with the 65-59 win. #12 South Florida upset #5 Temple by clamping down on the Owls' vaunted guards. Only #7 Notre Dame was ousted, losing a tight game to #10 Xavier. Six of the nine Big East teams are still alive.

Offense tops defense: Florida and Creighton were given first-round matchups against strong defenses, but both came out on top. The Gators couldn't buy a three-pointer in the first half, but pulled away in the second to dominate #10 Virginia, 71-45. Florida benefits from Missouri's loss, getting Norfolk State next. #8 Creighton had a more difficult time against #9 Alabama's defense. The Bluejays dug themselves into a double-digit hole before rallying late and partially blocking 'Bama's game-winning shot at the buzzer. Doug McDermott will now face former high school teammate Harrison Barnes in a showdown with #1 North Carolina.

At least two double-digit seeds will reach the Sweet Sixteen: The Round of 32 hasn't even been played yet, but we know that the Sweet Sixteen will have at the very least two double-digit seeds thanks to a bundle of upsets. #12 South Florida will play #13 Ohio, and #10 Xavier gets #15 Lehigh. Plus, #10 Purdue, #11 N.C. State, #11 Colorado, #12 VCU, and #15 Norfolk State could all advance, too.