Where to begin?
Madness falls short of encapsulating the first four days of this NCAA Tournament.
Finally, in the 136th meeting, a No. 16 seed (UMBC) finally beat a No. 1 seed (Virginia).
No. 1 Xavier lost a 12-point lead in 10 minutes, and for the first time since 2004, multiple No. 1 seeds failed to make the Sweet 16.
A No. 2 seed (Cincinnati) tied the second-worst collapse in tournament history by blowing a 22-point lead in 11 minutes, and another one (North Carolina) was stunned by 21, ensuring there will be a new national champion.
The top NBA prospect (DeAndre Ayton), and a trendy title pick (Arizona) lost to a No. 13 seed which had never won an NCAA Tournament game (Buffalo). A fellow No. 13 seed (Marshall) also won its first-ever tournament game, and a team expected to be in the NIT (Syracuse) took down a Final Four favorite (Michigan State).
Already, there are too many clips of last-second shots, and tears, and enthusiastic benchwarmers for “One Shining Moment” to fit — and four more rounds remain.
Here’s a look at what’s ahead this week:
Attack of the 11-seeds
No. 11 Loyola-Chicago needed last second shots to beat both No. 6 Miami, and No. 3 Tennessee, and give the school its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1985, and for the fifth straight year, an 11-seed will be in the regional semifinals.
Syracuse will be there, too, after being the last team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, seizing control of its second life, a la its 2016 Final Four run as a No. 10 seed. Syracuse, which tied for 10th in the ACC, won three games in five days to become the fourth First Four winner to reach the tournament’s second week.
The South has parted
As usual, John Calipari complained when the bracket was released, noting that No. 5 Kentucky had the toughest draw. Instead, the Wildcats — who have beaten No. 12 Davidson and No. 13 Buffalo — are the highest-seed left in the region, and cannot play a team seeded higher than seventh until the Final Four.
It is the first time in NCAA Tournament history that the top-four seeds in a region were all eliminated before the Sweet 16.
Are you lost?
Three regions feature Power 5 schools defined by football. Texas Tech is in its first Sweet 16. Texas A&M has never advanced out of the Sweet 16. Clemson is there for the first time since 1997, making a program-best run to the Elite Eight in 1980 and Florida State is in the Sweet 16 for just the second time since 1993.
Familiar faces
Despite the chaos, five of the seven employed coaches who have won national championships (Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright, Jim Boeheim, Bill Self, Calipari) will have a chance to add to their collection.
Duke and Syracuse’s Sweet 16 game matches up the two winningest coaches of all-time. Krzyzewski just passed former Tennessee women’s coach Pat Summitt for the most wins in Division I history (1,099), and Boeheim (926) remains in second despite having 101 wins vacated.In the past five tournaments, a seven-seed or lower has reached the Final Four. Five are still standing.
Another Final Four breakthrough
Last year, two teams reached the Final Four for the first time (Gonzaga, South Carolina), while Oregon broke a 78-year drought.
There are five teams remaining which have never made the Final Four — including Nevada and Florida State — while multiple teams could break lengthy droughts, including Purdue (1980), Kansas State (1964), Loyola-Chicago (1963).
