Top 5 upsets of March Madness 2016

Ah, the annual March Madness heartbreak has finally sunk in. With many fan’s brackets in the trash, including my own, stress-free basketball has been plentiful during the past few weeks. However, one cannot help but wonder what the nail in the coffin was for his/her bracket, the bracket breaker if you will. As painful as it may be, we as fans must acknowledge and mourn the upsets that utterly destroyed our March.

5. Little Rock (12) over Purdue (5)

This was one that really should have gone the other way. Had it not been for the late-game heroics of Josh Hagins, Purdue would have ended with a double-digit lead on their way to the next round. But all the way into double overtime, Little Rock’s stellar defense kept them alive while Hagins’ 30 points commanded the offense possession after possession. Little Rock scored 25 points off of turnovers, the most Purdue allowed the whole season. The Trojans also recorded 13 steals. Hagins came away with 5 of those steals in a game that will certainly be remembered because of the effort of one player.

4. Yale (12) over Baylor (5)

Yale’s first tourney win ever was won in glorious fashion against a high-powered Baylor squad. Baylor was ready to remedy their issues of years past and make a run, but Yale had other plans. Rallying behind the immense leadership of Makai Mason (scoring 31 points), Yale thoroughly out-rebounded and out-hustled the Bears. Hitting all of their 13 2-point attempts gave them the confidence they needed down the stretch as Baylor was no match for Mason’s consistent mid-range shooting and free throw ability.

3. Stephen F Austin (14) over West Virginia (3)

West Virginia had a firm grip for most of the first half of the game, but it became extremely evident that they were simply no match. All bets were off when the second half began. SF Austin managed to completely shut down the Mountaineers on defense, causing 22 turnovers. Their shaky  offense (shooting 30.9% from the field) didn’t penalize the Lumberjacks much as their defense almost completely made up for it.. Thomas Walkup punished WVU with 33 points, 19 of them free throws, as the team easily won by a margin of 14 points.

2. Texas A&M (3) over Northern Iowa (11)

   

These last two upsets were absolute tearjerkers to say the least. Sort of strange how a #3 seed beating a #11 seed has made it to the runner-up on this list, right? Wrong. Never have my eyes witnessed a comeback of this proportion since Tracy McGrady against the Spurs back in 2004. The Panthers blew a 10-point lead with under 30 seconds remaining and were given two chances in double overtime. They were ravaged by the press established by the Aggies late in the game and managed to turn the ball over enough to give Texas A&M a very feasible chance at winning the game. Alex Caruso of the Aggies poured in 25 points and led the charge as his team would eventually win 92-88. An utter embarrassment for the players of Northern Iowa and one for the history books.

1. Middle Tennessee (15) over Michigan State (2)

You saw this coming. The biggest bracket breaker of this year’s NCAA tournament goes to none other than the Blue Raiders. Starting the game with a 15-2 lead, the players of Middle Tennessee were absolutely fearless. The Spartans` leader, Denzel Valentine, disappeared in the beginning of the game and never seemed to surface. He would commit 6 turnovers and eventually get into serious foul trouble. Matt Costello, another experienced member of the team, showed up big with 22 points on 9 for 10 shooting. But no matter how offensively effective Michigan State appeared to be, they could not slow down the Blue Raiders who were red hot from three, shooting 57.9%. All 5 of their starters scored in double digits and managed to choke out the Spartans` lackluster defense. With championship aspirations and a team full of seniors, Michigan State simply couldn’t keep up.