The Beauty of the NCAA Tournament

Thursday was a slow day for upsets in the NCAA tournament, but Friday made up for it.

Wow!

Can you believe a couple No. 2 seeds went down in the same evening? It was high drama. First, Missouri falls to Norfolk State as the Tigers had a chance to win it on a last-second three-point shot. Then Lehigh shocks Duke with a workman-like performance.

Iowa State fans painfully remember the last time a No. 2 seed team lost to a No. 15. Hampton was in that position against Iowa State in 2001. Maybe now they will retire that footage and show Missouri and Duke losing instead.

I’m glad both Missouri and Duke lost. Missouri was an extremely talented team and since it was playing its final season in the Big 12, most people (other than Tiger fans) were probably cheering against Missouri. Duke is one of the New York Yankee teams of college basketball. Either you love them or hated them. There is no middle ground.

Many upset teams don’t survive in the next round. With two No. 15 seeds advancing, the next round will be unusually interesting.

It’s the beauty of the NCAA tournament.