March Madness delivered another entertaining tournament filled with upsets and massive comebacks. The tournament came to an end on Monday, April 6, when the Michigan Wolverines defeated the UConn Huskies 69-63 in the national championship at Lucas Oil Stadium. 

Round of 64 

The round of 64 is generally the most chaos-filled stage of the tournament, and this year was no different. There was no shortage of upsets as No. 12 High Point defeated the favored Wisconsin badgers 83-82, and No. 11 VCU came back from a 19-point deficit to defeat No. 6 North Carolina.  

This round also delivered one of the most dramatic moments in tournament history, when Kentucky beat out Santa Clara 89-84 in overtime in one of the most entertaining game endings in recent memory.  

“The first round of March Madness is always the most chaotic because it has the most teams,” freshman Gabe Demko said. 

Round of 32  

The round of 32 also had many upsets and entertaining moments. St. John’s defeated Kansas on a buzzer-beating layup by Dylan Darling, which sent the Red Storm to the Sweet 16.

Meanwhile, the No. 1 seed Florida, widely regarded as one of the best teams in the country, became the first top seed to be sent home, falling 73-72 to No. 9 Iowa. Alvaro Folgueiras sealed the deal, making the winning shot with 4.5 seconds left.  

Sweet 16 

In this round, only 16 out 68 teams remained in the tournament. Many of these teams were talented, leading to incredible matchups across the board. No. 2 Purdue defeated No. 11 Texas 79-77 on a dramatic last second tip in.

Some other great matchups occurred when 2 seed UConn defeated 3 seed Michigan State 67-63, and when number one Duke beat St Johns 80-75 to advance to the Elite Eight. 

Elite Eight 

The Elite Eight games were filled with blow-out victories and one-sided games. However, one game stood out as one of the best games of the tournament: UConn vs. Duke.  

Duke dominated early, in every area of the paint, eventually gaining an 18-point lead. During the second half, however, UConn started a comeback and made it a two-point game with 10 seconds left, with Duke still in possession. 

The game was still not over, as UConn freshman Braylon Mullins stole the ball and hit a 35-foot three pointer at the buzzer in one of the most shocking tournament endings of all time. 

“I was the most surprised because I was not expecting him to hit the shot from the logo,” sophomore Dolan Vogel said. “It definitely destroyed my bracket,”  

Final Four 

The Final Four featured Illinois, UConn, Arizona and Michigan, playing at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. As always, the event drew the biggest crowds and was widely covered across the nation. 

In the first semifinal, UConn defeated Illinois 71-62. Later in the day, Michigan dominated Arizona 91-73. 

Championship Game

In the national title game Michigan and UConn battled for much of the first half, with Michigan taking an early lead.

Dan Hurley, head coach of UConn, and his team would not back down and started to storm back in the second half. It was not enough, however, as head coach Dusty May and the Wolverines pulled out a 69-63 victory, marking Michigan’s second men’s basketball title since 1989.

Standout Players 

During the tournament, many players excelled to the surprise of viewers. Braylon Mullins stole the show during UConn vs. Duke and was one of the most surprising and successful players of the tournament. 

Duke freshman Cameron Boozer also had a great tournament, averaging 22.5 points per game on his way to winning National Player of the Year. 

For the national champions, Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau starred throughout the tournament, steppint up big for Michigan in the championship game. 

“I think the best player in the tournament was Tarris Reed Jr. on UConn as he averaged 20 points per game,” freshman Hirsh Joshi said.  

Looking Ahead