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Day 1 doesn’t disappoint with buzzer beaters, bracket busters and other March Madness
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Production was down in offices around the country Thursday as March Madness kicked off. For the SEC, it was a perfect first day. Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Florida all won their first-round contests to move on to the round of 32. Technically, No. 9-seed Alabama beating No. 8-seed Virginia Tech was an upset, but it hardly felt like one.
Day 1 has already delivered one bracket buster in the form of No. 13-seed Buffalo knocking off No. 4-seed Arizona 89-68. It was a game the Bulls led closely at the half (40-38) and then widened in the second half. With the Wildcats seeding and reputation, it’s safe to say quite a few brackets are in trouble.
I picked Arizona for the Final 4.
My 3 children each picked Buffalo. Because they thought buffalos were cool.
I hate March.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) March 16, 2018
The Pac-12 had a very rough day overall, going 0-3.
After day 1 of #MarchMadness
SEC: 4-0
Big Ten: 2-0
Big XII: 2-1
ACC: 2-3
Pac-12: 0-3 ?Next up: Texas A&M vs Providence#BTHOprovidence
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) March 16, 2018
The first big upset of the day came courtesy of No. 11-seed Loyola-Chicago, which knocked off No. 6-seed Miami. Not only was it a classic March Madness upset, but it was also a buzzer beater, as seen below. The Ramblers were down 62-61, but Donte Ingram delivered a last-second three-pointer for the win.
Loyola Chicago with the SHOT OF THE DAY. #MarchMadness
🎥: @CBSSports pic.twitter.com/ohdG01OIxa
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 15, 2018
Later, No. 6-seed Houston avoided No. 11-seed San Diego State’s upset bid thanks to a later bucket from Rob Gray.
WOW. 😱😱😱
ROB GRAY gives Houston the lead & hits a new career-high with 39 PTS! pic.twitter.com/LPtUCUXY6n
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 16, 2018
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.