March Madness REcap

March Madness is over and that means basketball season is winding down — but have no fear, baseball is here. Before we can move on to predicting the winner of the World Series, let’s recap March Madness 2017.

Like most tournaments, upsets happen and the underdog pulls through for the win. Villanova, No. 1 overall seed and defending champion, lost to Wisconsin. The first real upset. Everyone on Twitter lost it, as millions of brackets were broken. The eighth-seeded Badgers punched their ticket to the Sweet 16, but eventually lost to the Florida Gators.

While there were many other upsets, the South Carolina Gamecocks proved the biggest surprise throughout the entire tournament. The South Carolina team that was just average in February stepped up their game in March and could not be stopped. Not by No. 2 seed Duke, or No. 3 seed Baylor, or even No. 4 seed Florida. South Carolina trailed at halftime in three of its four tournament games, but finished strong to make it to the Final Four for the first time in school history. The Gamecocks lost in the Final Four to Gonzaga, who played UNC in the championship game.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs were fired up for their first chance to compete in a national title game, while the seasoned North Carolina Tar Heels hoped to add a sixth NCAA championship title to the school’s legacy. An unwatchable National Championship game turned into a wonderful night for the Tar Heels.

UNC may have been the first to score in the game, but Zaga pushed to close out the first half with a three-point lead: 35–32. In the second half, the teams kept fans guessing as the team leading frequently changed. What seemed to be a terrible game for both teams — the score was tied 65–65 in the last two minutes of the game — delivered a heart-racing final for fans and competitors.

With a dunk from the Tar Heels, they sealed their fate and won by six for a final score of 71-65, adding a sixth championship to their legacy.

Even though Zaga didn’t win the title, this year marked their first time ever competing in the Final Four and the final match of the tournament — there’s always next year!