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If this is the last NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the Pac-12 will come out strong.
In its final year, before losing 10 of its 12 members, the “Conference of Champions” only had four teams in the field. But those teams are doing the conference proud one last time, with every Pac-12 team advancing to the second round. To get there, the quartet has achieved a 5-0 record.
Colorado got the party started with its win over Boise State in the First Four, and on Thursday, Arizona dismantled Long Beach State, Oregon convincingly defeated South Carolina and Washington State came back to beat Drake. On Friday, the Buffaloes returned to action and won one of the most exciting games of the tournament so far, beating Florida 102-100 to cap a perfect first round for the Pac-12.
The Pac-12 has had several Final Four teams this century, but hasn’t been to the top of the mountain in decades, with its last national championship coming via Arizona in 1997. It still has a ways to go to win one. this year, but it’s nice to take a moment and celebrate the conference that has 16 national championships in the sport.
It’s been a great start to the tournament for the Pac-12, but other conferences can’t say the same, including a Power Six that keeps losing to double-digit seeds.
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Here are the winners and losers from the second day of the first round of the NCAA men’s tournament.
WINNERS
James Madison
The Dukes beat Michigan State on opening night and were the last team in the country to lose a game after a 14-0 start. Even with a 30-win season, there were still doubts about James Madison entering the NCAA Tournament if he did not win the Sun Belt Conference title.
Does James Madison have more to prove now?
There was no doubt about the Dukes on Friday night. They led Wisconsin from start to finish in a 72-61 victory. The offense was good, but the defense showed why it is a solid unit by forcing Wisconsin into numerous mistakes.
James Madison proved all season long that it was a tournament team, regardless of whether it won a conference tournament title. There should be no doubt about his ability now after that victory.
Yale
Another year of an Ivy League team surprising a team in the first round.
Give Yale credit for not falling apart as Auburn extended its lead in the second half, and the Bulldogs capitalized on several Auburn mistakes in their 78-76 victory over the SEC tournament champions. The Ivy League is now becoming a conference known for delivering tournament upsets after No. 15 seed Princeton upset No. 2 Arizona last year. Maybe it’s time to give the league a little more respect if it continues to beat these powerhouse schools.
Northwest
When Northwestern lost Ty Berry to a torn meniscus in February, there were questions about whether the Wildcats could replace one of their top producers for the rest of the season. But Northwestern was undeterred and, facing an experienced Florida Atlantic team, the Wildcats beat the Owls to advance to the second round.
Northwestern got a big performance from Princeton transfer Ryan Langborg, who scored a game-high 27 points, 12 of which came in overtime as it topped Florida Atlantic in the extra period.
Chris Collins deserves credit for not faltering when his team was hit by injuries this season, and after Northwestern had no tournament experience not long ago, the Wildcats have now won a game in each of their three appearances. It will be a tough task facing defending champion Connecticut in the second round, but give Northwestern its props for what it has accomplished.
Clemson
There will be a No. 6 seed in the second round after Clemson dominated New Mexico from start to finish and beat the Lobos 77-56.
Clemson was a popular pick that was upset in the first round, but went on a long 19-2 run in the first half and stayed quiet the rest of the way. Clemson had flown under the radar after finishing the ACC regular season 10-10, and New Mexico pushed its way into the field by winning the Mountain West tournament title, so the easy victory was certainly a surprise.
The Tigers had to enjoy Friday’s performance after the other three No. 6 seeds fell on Thursday. If Clemson had lost, it would have been the first time since 1989 that all No. 11 seeds won in the first round, but instead, the Tigers are moving on to the second round for the first time since 2018.
Grand Canyon
What Bryce Drew has been building in Phoenix is finally paying off with his program earning its first Division I tournament victory after defeating Saint Mary’s.
Since the 1998 Valparaiso hero took the job at Grand Canyon in 2020, the Antelopes have been nothing but a success and have consistently been at the top of the WAC. In his first season, he led the team to its first tournament appearance in school history. After a 23-8 season in 2021-22, Grand Canyon returned to the tournament last season before finally making its way into March Madness this year.
In four seasons under Drew, Grand Canyon is 94-31. Impressive for a team that was promoted to Division I in 2013.
LOSERS
Auburn’s upset loss continues SEC woes
The SEC can’t stop losing to double-digit seeds.
Auburn’s collapse against Yale was the latest embarrassing loss for a conference that sent eight teams to the big dance. In the first round, SEC teams are 3-5 and lost to:
- Michigan State, seeded number 9.
- No. 11 seed Oregon.
- Oakland, seeded number 14.
- Colorado, seeded number 10.
- Yale, seeded number 13.
Does it simply mean more?
Greg Sankey has to be punching the air when his conference fell apart in the first round, and it’s an even bigger insult when just a few days ago he suggested that the mid-career auto bids drop out of the tournament in favor of a conference with more power. equipment. Maybe Sankey will now push harder for that to happen, that way his teams can stop losing humiliating games.
West Mountain
As strong as the Mountain West Conference is, it just doesn’t seem to have much success in the tournament.
The conference got San Diego State to the national championship game last season, but also lost its three other tournament teams at the end of the first round. This season is more of the same; got six teams, but four (Boise State, Nevada, Colorado State and New Mexico) were eliminated in the first round, with San Diego State again being the only one from the group to advance to the second round.
It’s another blow to a conference that was clearly the best league on the West Coast, with so many teams at the top of the NET rankings and worthy of being in the bracket. But the conference simply isn’t strong against others in the field and fails to show its strength on the biggest stage. Utah State was able to salvage the disappointing tournament for the Mountain West with a win over TCU, but that won’t change the negative narrative.
Florida Atlantic
No magic will happen for Florida Atlantic in this year’s tournament, as the Owls will go from appearing in the 2023 Final Four to being eliminated in the first round of this year’s tournament. Florida Atlantic shot itself in the foot several times on Friday, whether by turning the ball over 21 times, not knowing how much time was left in regulation or getting outscored 19-7 in overtime.
The loss caps what was largely a disappointing season for a Florida Atlantic team that was coming off its best season in school history. With most of last season’s team back, the Owls were expected to have another outstanding season, and while the record was good, they had two losses in the Quad 4 and did not dominate the American Athletic Conference. In the conference tournament, they lost to a bad Temple team and then came Friday’s loss.
Most of the experienced players will leave the team next offseason, and head coach Dusty May could accept a higher-profile job. It’s safe to say the best period in Florida Atlantic basketball history is over.
Nebraska
Nebraska will have to wait to celebrate an NCAA tournament victory for the first time.
The loss to Texas A&M marked a difficult end to what has been a surprising season for Fred Hoiberg’s club. The team has largely underperformed since he took over in 2019, and was picked to finish 12th in the Big Ten preseason poll. But the Cornhuskers got off to a great 13-3 start that included a win over Purdue. It also saw the emergence of one of the country’s most likeable players: Japan’s Keisei Tominaga. Nebraska deserved a berth in the NCAA tournament and a chance to win its first March Madness game.
Instead, Nebraska fell to 0-8 in the NCAA tournament and remains the only Power Six team that hasn’t won March Madness.
Hoiberg has the momentum for the Cornhuskers to make their first consecutive tournament appearances since 1993-94, but this team was destined to be the March favorite. It just didn’t work.
Wisconsin
To be fair, Wisconsin had the worst matchup a No. 5 seed could have with a dangerous James Madison team. But it’s the way the Badgers lost that makes it painful.
Wisconsin ranked 24th in the country when it came to taking care of the ball, averaging just nine turnovers per game. But on Friday, at times it looked like the Badgers were trying to get the ball to James Madison. They turned the ball over seven times in the first six minutes and finished the game with 17 turnovers, which turned into 26 James Madison points, a major factor in the Dukes’ wire-to-wire 72-61 victory.
The Badgers were probably ranked too high given the horrible February they had, but they improved their stock with a Big Ten tournament that included a win over Purdue. But the Badgers had no momentum against James Madison, and it’s a disappointing end to what was a great start to the season.
Santa Maria
What was one of Randy Bennett’s best seasons at Saint Mary’s turned into another disappointment in March after an upset first-round loss at the hands of Grand Canyon.
The Gaels were able to beat rival Gonzaga twice, and one of those victories allowed them to clinch the West Coast Conference tournament title for the first time since 2019. But as has happened in most NCAA tournaments , Saint Mary’s couldn’t do much. In its last seven March Madness appearances, Saint Mary’s has failed to make it past the opening weekend, and its last Sweet 16 appearance was in 2010. Three consecutive seasons as a No. 5 seed have resulted in a 2-seed tournament record. 3.
It’s become a sad trend for a team that is one of the most successful in its conference, and while Saint Mary’s shouldn’t view its season as a disappointment, it should feel the need to change its March fortunes.