The first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament are some of the best sports days of the year with wall-to-wall action for 12 hours each day. It all started on Thursday with an incredible day of upsets in the opening round. Here are some takeaways from Thursday’s action.
1. Another brutal tournament showing for Kentucky and Coach Cal
John Calipari brought a national title to Kentucky more than a decade ago, an achievement that can never be taken away. But with each disappointment that follows, the luster of his Kentucky resume continues to dim. It dimmed even further on Thursday with a stunning loss to No. 14 seed Oakland, handing the Wildcats one of the worst tournament defeats in program history.
This was supposed to be a team that had a chance to win it all, and it will not even make it to the first weekend of the tournament. Even with all of the five-star recruits and loaded rosters, Kentucky hasn’t made it beyond the Sweet 16 since 2019 and has failed to make it past the round of 32 in three consecutive tournaments. That is not the standard Kentucky expects.
2. Duquesne’s magical run continues
It had been 47 years since the Duquesne Dukes played in the NCAA men’s tournament. It had been 55 years since they actually won a game. Both of those streaks came to an end on Thursday with a 71-67 win over BYU. This is a really impressive win for the Dukes because BYU was regarded as an extremely dangerous No. 6 seed, and perhaps one that was seeded too low by the committee.
The Dukes earned their bid by winning the A-10 tournament and have been on a 16-3 run over their past 19 games. That includes an ongoing eight-game winning streak.
3. Tom Izzo loves being the lower seed
There was every reason to be critical of Michigan State’s inclusion in this year’s tournament field, including the fact they lost 14 games and only won three road games all year. The committee was still willing to overlook that and give them a No. 9 seed and a first-round matchup against No. 8 seed Mississippi State.
That is where head coach Tom Izzo seemingly feels most comfortable. His Spartans picked up a dominant 69-51 win to advance, giving Izzo his 17th NCAA Tournament win as a lower-seeded team. That is an NCAA record. He has a chance to extend that record on Saturday against No. 1 seed North Carolina.
4. Nevada had it, then lost it
Nevada is going to look at this as a massively missed opportunity. A 10-seed with a 17-point lead over a No. 7 seed with seven minutes to play? And then losing? The win probability chart is staggering.
