{"id":62103,"date":"2018-04-03T07:51:35","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T07:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=62103"},"modified":"2018-04-03T07:51:35","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T07:51:35","slug":"bracket-busters-buzzer-beaters-and-a-98-year-old-nun-the-best-of-the-ncaa-tournaments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/bracket-busters-buzzer-beaters-and-a-98-year-old-nun-the-best-of-the-ncaa-tournaments.html","title":{"rendered":"Bracket busters, buzzer beaters and a 98-year-old nun: The best of the NCAA tournaments"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bracket busters, buzzer beaters and a 98-year-old nun: The best of the NCAA tournaments<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The respite can\u2019t last forever. In three weeks, April 25 to be exact, the seedy side of college basketball will once again be front and center when the Commission on College Basketball presents its recommendations on reforming the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

You might recall the commission, led by former Secretary of State and Stanford provost Condoleezza Rice, was formed in the fallout of the FBI investigation that has alleged fraud at the very highest levels of college basketball. Change is coming \u2014 maybe. How, or if, it affects the NCAA basketball tournaments remains to be seen.<\/span><\/p>\n

But for almost a month now, we\u2019ve been able to push all that aside because of March Madness, which was even more gloriously mad than usual this March.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether it was the bracket-busting upsets, a 98-year-old nun or a women\u2019s Final Four that will be talked about for decades, the NCAA tournaments treated us to a three-week bender’s worth of fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n(Feel free to hang onto this and refer to it in the coming months, when college basketball will make you want to scream and shout for a very different reason.)<\/span><\/p>\n

UMBC<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course it was possible. Theoretically. But no No. 16 seed in the men\u2019s tournament had ever beaten a No. 1 in 135 tries and, let\u2019s be honest, no one really thought one actually would.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then came the Retrievers, the ultimate bracket buster. Not only did the 16th seed take down a No. 1 seed, it took down the No. 1 seed in Virginia. And it wasn\u2019t even close, with UMBC routing Virginia 74-54 for what is one of, if not the most, stunning result in college basketball history.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnbelievable \u2014 it\u2019s really all you can say,\u201d UMBC coach Ryan Odom said.<\/span><\/p>\n

UPSETS GALORE<\/span><\/p>\n

There were so many upsets in the first and second rounds of the men\u2019s tournament that the South Region had lost its top four seeds before the Sweet 16, a first in tournament history. It was only the fourth time since 1985 that only two No. 1 seeds made the Sweet 16.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two No. 11 seeds made the Sweet 16 in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s tournaments, and Loyola and Florida State both reached the Elite Eight. Syracuse, the team almost everyone agreed didn\u2019t belong in the men\u2019s tournament, won three games before bowing out to Duke in the Sweet 16.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Notre Dame was a No. 1 seed in the women\u2019s tournament, its victory against UConn in the Final Four still qualifies as an upset. UConn had been unbeaten, and played with a crater-size chip on its shoulder after last year\u2019s Final Four loss. But the Huskies\u2019 years of overwhelming dominance motivated other schools to step up their games, and we\u2019re now seeing the results.<\/span><\/p>\n

Loyola was the feel-good story of the men\u2019s tournament. I mean, the Ramblers reached the Final Four in their first appearance since 1985 and had a 98-year-old nun as their Sixth Man. You can\u2019t script stories any better than that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though the Ramblers lost to Michigan in the Final Four, they showed they were every bit the equal of teams from the power programs. Which \u2014 hint, hint \u2014 should not go unnoticed by the selection committee, which is getting stingier and stingier with its bids for mid-majors.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for Sister Jean, we\u2019re all better for her brief time in the spotlight. She showed us that life can be lived well at any age, and the genuine affection between the team chaplain and the Ramblers was a reminder of how much the elderly have to offer. In other words, if you haven\u2019t talked to your grandparents lately, give them a call.<\/span><\/p>\n

BUZZER BEATERS AND UNBELIEVABLE SHOTS<\/span><\/p>\n

No one is touching Arike Ogunbowale on this, not after she made buzzer-beating three-pointers to send Notre Dame to the national title game and then give the Irish their first championship since 2001.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there were plenty of other late-game heroics, including Jordan Poole\u2019s 28-footer to beat Houston in the second round; last-second daggers by Loyola\u2019s Donte Ingram (first round), Clayton Custer (second round) and Marques Townes (Sweet 16); and Dakota Mathias\u2019 late three that allowed Purdue to hold off Butler.<\/span><\/p>\n

And then there was the one shot that didn\u2019t go in. Grayson Allen could have put Duke into the Final Four with a jumper at the end of regulation, only to see the ball crawl all the way around the rim and back again before falling off. The game went to overtime, and Kansas pulled away for the win.<\/span><\/p>\n

SPORTSMANSHIP<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the games we love, it\u2019s the displays of emotion they generate. Whether it\u2019s the wild sprints around the court after a win or the soul-crushing dejection after a loss, they resonate with us in a way that celebrations in pro sports simply can\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

And nothing symbolized that better than Michigan\u2019s Moe Wagner stopping to console Houston\u2019s Corey Davis Jr.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wagner was in the midst of that aforementioned post-victory bedlam when he spotted Davis watching along the sideline. Wagner came to a dead stop and put his arm around Davis\u2019 shoulder for a brief second.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a respect move for sure,\u201d Davis told Fox 26 Houston afterward. \u201cI appreciate him for doing that, especially in that time. He stopped and came and talked to me and consoled me and I appreciate that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The NCAA tournaments are the best thing going in college sports. Don’t lose sight of that in the weeks to come.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contributing: Joe Fleming, Tom O’Toole, Josh Peter, Lindsay Schnell, George Schroeder and Dan Wolken<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/columnist\/nancy-armour\/2018\/04\/02\/bracket-busters-buzzer-beaters-and-98-year-old-nun-best-ncaa-tournaments\/479438002\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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