The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is nicknamed March Madness for a reason. With the sheer quantity of games and the inevitable upsets from underdogs, the competition can be a frenzy.
After last season’s edition was canceled due to the coronavirus, the 2021 version has ramped up the madness to make up for last year. The NCAA defines an upset as a team seeded five or more spots lower than their opponent coming out with the win.
And midway through the second round of action, the NCAA Tournament already has a new record of upsets prior to the round of 16. There have been 11 so far, most notably with No. 15 seed Oral Roberts knocking off No. 2 Ohio State and No. 7 Florida to advance to the Sweet 16.
No. 8 Loyola Chicago also dispatched No. 1 Illinois, making the Fighting Illini the first top-seeded squad to head home.
We define an upset as a team seeded five spots or more lower than their opponent. We’ve already set the record with 11 such occurrences. We’re midway through the second round.
— David Worlock (@DavidWorlock) March 22, 2021
But they aren’t alone, and a slew of double-digit seeds could still make noise in this tournament. The record for the most double-digits seeds making the Sweet 16 is five, set in 1999. That record could soon be broken, with three double-digit seeds already booking trips to the next round — Oral Roberts, No. 11 Syracuse and No. 12 Oregon State.
Three more could join those ranks, depending on how Monday’s slate of games plays out. No. 11 UCLA and No. 14 Abilene Christian meet Monday, meaning one more double-digit seed is assured a Sweet 16 spot. No. 10 Maryland faces No. 2 Alabama on Monday night, and No. 13 Ohio — fresh off an upset against No. 4 Virginia — faces No. 5 Creighton.
The Orange secured a spot in the Sweet 16 with wins over No. 6 San Diego State and No. 3 West Virginia. And the Beavers, who won the Pac-12 Tournament title, downed No. 5 Tennessee and No. 4 Oklahoma State to reach the next round.
The Bruins beat No. 6 BYU while the Wildcats toppled No. 3 Texas this weekend. As a No. 10 seed, the Terrapins’ win over No. 7 UConn doesn’t count as an upset in the NCAA’s book. But a meeting with the Crimson Tide could lead to another upset.
Up to this point, March Madness has been madder than usual. And the second round hasn’t even finished yet.
• Andy Kostka can be reached at akostka@washingtontimes.com.
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