Given the zero perfect brackets remaining before the first round even ended, it is safe to say there was plenty to learn from the first weekend of March Madness. The first NCAA Tournament with fans since 2019 did not disappoint with regard to atmospheres or the level of play and a much-needed three-day break from the madness ensues.
If you’re sitting at home with a busted bracket and no teams to root for like myself, here are 16 things we learned from this first weekend that might help you make it to the second weekend next year when you’re filling out your bracket.
1. Peacocks CAN fly
Mark Wahlberg already knew this, so it is reasonable to expect he has Saint Peter’s winning the entire tournament, but the rest of us were left shocked when the Peacocks took down the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Led by Shaheen Holloway and suffocating defense, the MAAC Champions are improbably heading to the Sweet 16. It is the second consecutive season that a 15-seed shocked the world and reached the second weekend, so don’t be afraid to do some more research next year before you automatically put all your 2-seeds in the second round.
2. Jaden Ivey is the best player in the country
The race for national player of the year is a tight one, and with many stars heading home before the second weekend, Ivey has a chance to make a final case for this prestigious award in his breakout sophomore season. I read recently that his athleticism looks like a mix of De’Aaron Fox’s speed and Zion’s leaping ability, which is the most apt description I can think of for a player who leaves us at a loss for words more than any guard in recent memory.
3. The ACC wasn’t as bad as we thought
I spent this season covering the ACC and while it was miserable to watch at times, you could see that there was more talent than many people gave it credit for. Now there are three teams in the Sweet 16, which is tied for the most in the country, and all three have a legitimate shot to reach the Final Four. The valuable lesson to learn here is that teams are not defined by their conference, so look at the team before you look at the conference when you pick your winners next year.
4. Hubert Davis is more than deserving of his job at UNC
The Tar Heels underwent an identity change this summer without much change in the roster, so it is easy to see why they struggled so much at the beginning of this season. It took a few months, but Davis now has this team clicking on all cylinders at the perfect time of the season. Don’t expect North Carolina’s recruiting struggles to continue now that Davis is proving he is worthy of carrying on the Tar Heel tradition of success in Chapel Hill.
5. Jay Wright is as good a coach as there is in college basketball
Wright was another coach who people somehow placed on the hotseat despite two National Championships in the last five NCAA Tournaments. Fast forward a few months and he is in his eighth Sweet 16 and two wins away from his fourth trip to the Final Four. The Pennsylvania native continues to do more with less and sustains the consistency that you rarely see in a sport as unpredictable as college basketball.
6. Ed Cooley doesn’t care if you believe in him or not
Analytical systems refused to give the Friars the respect they deserve all season and it made them the most popular upset pick among 4-seeds, which I am culpable for as well. Their KenPom rating remains in the 30’s despite improving to 27-5 in a power conference. There aren’t many resumes, if any, more deserving than Cooley for national coach of the year and his first trip to the second weekend is just the latest impressive achievement for him.
7. Conference championships do NOT translate to NCAA Tournament success
I feel like I’ve said this for years, but every year no one seems to listen that just because a team enters the tournament on a roll, it doesn’t mean it will continue in March Madness. Iowa, Tennessee and Virginia Tech were all trendy picks because of how well they finished the season and two of them lost their first game while another failed to reach the second weekend.
Arizona, Kansas and Houston all made it to the Sweet 16 after winning a conference championship, but they played like elite teams all season, not just for a few days in a row in the conference tournament.
8. Penny Hardaway and Juwan Howard deserve our respect
Both coaches came under fire, deservedly so, for actions in the middle of the season, but they now deserve all of the respect in the world for maintaining control of their locker rooms and playing their best basketball to close the season.
Memphis nearly took down Gonzaga with their best player being limited to 19 minutes due to foul trouble. It took a Herculean effort from Drew Timme to avoid the upset and if the Tigers faced any of the other 1-seeds, I think they’d still be playing right now.
Howard (pictured) returned from a five-game suspension just to get ousted by Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament, but responded with a pair of upsets to get his Wolverines to the Sweet 16 for the second time in two tries as a head coach at his alma mater. These two coaches are here to stay as they look to bring their former schools success from the sidelines after doing so for years on the court.
9. Refs shouldn’t be allowed to see the score when they’re officiating
There is a hint of sarcasm with this one, but the officiating in the Baylor-North Carolina game was horrific, to put it nicely. Matthew Mayer probably could have fouled out six times if the officials didn’t know he already had four fouls and refused to call the fifth.
Every call seemed to go Baylor’s way after Brady Manek fouled out and it is probably the biggest reason why the Bears were able to crawl back into the game. The Tar Heels are obviously also responsible for allowing this comeback, but when your two best players are disqualified from the game while your opponent is fouling without consequence, it is tough to hold off a team as talented as Baylor.
10. The SEC social media team should start talking about football early
The SEC had three teams enter the tournament as a 3-seed or better and all three failed to make it to the Sweet 16 while losing to double-digit seeds in the process. They also had a pair of 6-seeds go down in the first round, leaving just Arkansas from the conference that “just means more.” The Razorbacks have their work cut out for them as they prepare to take on the top overall seed on Thursday night.
11. Being the defending champion SUCKS
Ever since Florida went back-to-back in 2006 and 2007, college basketball hasn’t had a defending champion reach the Elite Eight, nonetheless the Final Four. Now, there hasn’t even been a defending champion survive the first weekend since 2016. When a champion is crowned in a few weeks, keep in mind that they probably won’t reach the Sweet 16 when you fill out your bracket next year.
12. Size doesn’t matter
USC and Auburn boast formidable frontcourts with tremendous length, but the short and pesky Hurricanes were still able to pull off a pair of upsets to advance to Jim Larranaga’s third Sweet 16 as the head coach. They can wear home whites, if they choose, since No. 11 Iowa State made it through as well, but I hope they stick with the orange or black uniforms that look oh so pretty on TV.
13. UCLA loves March
This team just plays better when the middle of the floor has a March Madness logo. Mick Cronin has his team ready to play for the second consecutive season when the lights are brightest and he is two wins away from returning to the Final Four 12 months later. With the top 2 seeds gone in the East, the Bruins could be the favorites to win the region and face off with Gonzaga for the second consecutive season.
14. Gonzaga and Houston should join better conferences
I am sick of the arguments that go on every year that Gonzaga and Houston are frauds because of the conferences they are in. I don’t want them to join better conferences to prove they belong, I want them to join so people realize they will dominate anyway. They are currently ranked 1st and 2nd in KenPom and if I had to re-seed every team, I think I’d keep it that way.
15. Pick upsets in your bracket, don’t be chalky
There is nothing as satisfying as picking a big upset and seeing it come true during the tournament. It’s an achievement that you can brag about a lot more than just picking all of the higher seeds and winning your bracket that way. The only way to ensure you don’t get a perfect bracket is to pick all of the higher seeds and be boring. A perfect bracket will almost certainly never happen, but the thrill of potentially being the first should encourage you to get creative and have some fun while filling out your bracket.
16. This is the best postseason format in all of sports
I think a lot of people agreed on this coming into the tournament, but it’s hard to argue that any postseason format is as beautiful as the NCAA Tournament. No matter how much research you do or how many games you watch during the season, you are guaranteed to always be surprised by something that happens.
There is nothing as beautiful or as heartbreaking as these upsets and hearing the fans for the first time in three years is a beautiful reminder of how far we’ve come and how lucky we are to experience the madness of March. Enjoy it all while it’s here everyone!
