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2023 March Madness Highlights: Underdogs Ruled, UConn Reigned
Oh March Madness, college basketball’s biggest tournament of the year. There’s so much to love about it that, at times, online betting fans even let go of the misery and hardship that comes from seeing their bracket burst one or two games into the tourney.
Take last year’s tournament, for example. If I had a dollar for every March Madness bracket that got destroyed faster than a knife fight in a phone booth, I would probably be writing this from a beach-front mansion in Bali.
For now, while we wait for the college basketball regular season to wrap up and March Madness to get going, let’s look back at the competition in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Looking for First-Round Upsets? Hold My Bracket
Last season’s tournament was one where underdogs not only showed up to compete, but also to take everybody’s March Madness predictions and say: “Yeah, no, not today.”.
If you were to ask any true March Madness bracket analysis expert, he or she would probably not hesitate one bit to tell you that 2023’s tournament was one where true madness ruled above everything else.
Take No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson knocking out the No. 1 Purdue in the first round. I wouldn’t even bother looking anywhere else – that right there was and will probably remain as the biggest tournament upset in history.
Not to be outdone though, maybe inspired by FDU’s massive win over Purdue or just looking to put on a historic run of their own, No. 15 Princeton pulled an upset of its own in the first round when the Tigers took out No. 2 Arizona.
Princeton was 15.5-point underdogs against Arizona. Yes, 15.5 points, with the college basketball lines for the game only slimming down to 14.5 before tipoff. And yet, when push came to shove, the Tigers said “yes, we’re them” and shook the March Madness bracket predictions landscape by knocking out the Wildcats from the competition.
Just for kicks, since we’re talking about first-round upsets, how about when the No. 13 Furman Paladins took down the No. 4-seeded Virginia Cavaliers? Behind most of the game, the Paladins put on a comeback worthy of tournament greatness, finishing off with a game-winner that left the Cavaliers reeling in despair.
If anybody last year was looking for upsets, they sure got their fill.
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— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 20, 2024
2023: It was an Underdog’s World and We Were Living in It
Three teams in particular – a pair of No. 5 seeds in the Miami Hurricanes and San Diego State Aztecs alongside No. 9 Florida Atlantic – took on the job of being the favorite March Madness betting underdogs in 2023. The Hurricanes and Aztecs both took the Sweet 16 scene by storm when they knocked out the No. 1 seeds Houston and Alabama, respectively.
Not ready to bounce from the competition just yet, in the Elite Eight, Miami routed No. 2 Texas while San Diego State sent Creighton packing, setting up a Final Four showdown between three underdog and the March Madness finals odds favorite, the No. 4 seed UConn Huskies.
And as far the FAU Owls went? After sending FDU packing in the round of 32, they made quick use of No.4 Tennessee in the Sweet 16, followed by taking down No. 3 Kansas State in a thrilling three-point win in the Elite Eight, only to end up falling to San Diego State in the Final Four by one point.
At the End, UConn Prevailed
Enough with underdogs. As much of a fan as I am of feel-good Cinderella-type stories, I’m also a sucker for a team that shows dominance from beginning to end in the tournament, such as last year’s March Madness champion UConn.
Starting out their March Madness schedule by making quick use of the No. 13 Iona Gaels, the No. 4 Huskies continued in their road to the NCAA title beating the likes of No. 5 St. Mary’s in the second round and No. 8 Arkansas in the Sweet 16.
It was in the Elite Eight round where the Huskies truly solidified their status as one of the best March Madness picks by beating No. 3 Gonzaga by 28 points and following that up with a 13-point victory over Miami in the Final Four.
At the end, even if San Diego State had true visions of greatness, the Huskies would end up closing the tournament with another double-digit win 76-59, winning the fifth national title in school history.
To close out with the team’s overall dominance in the NCAA Tournament, Chicago Bulls undrafted rookie center and former Huskies star Adama Sanogo would end up winning the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player Award.
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Questions Of The Day
When Does the 2024 NCAA Tournament Begin?
The 2024 NCAA Tournament is set to begin on March 19 and 20 with the “First Four” round. March Madness will run until April 8 when the national championship game is played.
Which Teams are Favorites To Win March Madness This Year?
The UConn Huskies at +550, the Purdue Boilermakers at +700, and the Houston Cougars at +900 stand out as the three teams with the best odds to win this year’s national title.
