March Madness Recap

Similar to the first round of March Madness, the round of 32 brought fans another fantastic slate of games. The round of 32 is a pivotal time for teams as games start to get tighter and tighter. During this round, teams face some real competitors as the seeds get better. The upsets in the second round aren’t as substantial as they are in the first round, but they can still be present and can be detrimental for teams who are being looked at as tournament favorites. 

Some of the highlight matchups in this year’s round of 32 were K-State vs. Kentucky, Arkansas vs. Kansas, and Princeton vs. Missouri. Of course, there were many other great games, but these three matchups were probably the most entertaining and possibly the most anticipated, as there was a lot on the line for all the teams involved. 

The game between Kansas State and Kentucky brought nothing short of excitement. Kansas State came into this game with the higher seed, but that doesn’t mean much when playing Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas State was the #3 seed, and they matched up with Kentucky, who was the #6 seed. Markquis Nowell, who has been outstanding all year, brought maximum effort as he tallied 27 points and added 9 assists to lead Kansas State to a big-time win against one of the most prestigious teams in all of college basketball.

Arkansas did what no one thought was possible: in the round of 32, #8 Arkansas stunned #1 Kansas in a crunchtime thriller. Arkansas was down as much as 12 points in the second half and was able to rally back and knock off a national championship favorite. The last time these teams met was in 2005-2006 during the Maui Invitational when Arkansas beat Kansas by 1 in that matchup. Kansas had hoped to win back-to-back National championships, but that dream was spoiled when Arkansas knocked off the Jayhawks.

Princeton entered the second round with momentum as they knocked off #2 Arizona in one of the greatest upsets ever. #15 Princeton came into the tournament with no expectations, and after they beat Arizona, they knew there was something to prove. #15 Princeton came into the second round with a tough matchup against #7 Missouri. Princeton had momentum coming into this game, and they shocked the NCAA fan base again with another big win. This upcoming matchup against #6 Creighton will be Princeton’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 1967. Will Princeton be able to continue this wagon in the Sweet 16?