Kelsey Tucker
Sports Editor
Is this madness? No, this is just March. That’s right, March Madness is upon us once again and its name has already proven itself to be very true. The Final Four is set, and the teams are ALMOST predictable. Number 1 overall seeded Kentucky is representing the South region, and 2 seeds Ohio State and Kansas are representing the East and Midwest regions, respectively. The main surprise comes from the West region, 4 seed Louisville.
The South region had arguably the most difficult bracket which boasted number 1 overall seed Kentucky, 2 seed Duke, 3 seed Baylor, and 4 seed Indiana. The winner of the First Four game on March 13 between Western Kentucky and Mississippi Valley would take on the Kentucky Wildcats on March 15. WKU won 59-58 after coming from behind in what was an exciting game. As expected, Kentucky handled WKU easily, winning 81-66. Another game of note from the South region was the Duke vs. Lehigh game. Duke, a 2 seed, was expected to beat 15 seeded Lehigh with ease. However, that was not the case. In a huge upset, Lehigh defeated Duke 75-70. Baylor and Indiana both won their games against South Dakota State and New Mexico State, respectively. Kentucky defeated their next opponent Iowa State 87-71, Indiana beat last year’s Final Four Cinderella team, VCU, 63-61. Baylor defeated Colorado 80-63, and Lehigh proceeded to lose to Xavier 70-58. In the Sweet 16, an exciting matchup was to occur. Earlier in Kentucky’s season, Indiana beat them on a last-second 3 point shot, crushing their resolve. Kentucky hadn’t lost a game since losing to Indiana, and they weren’t about to lose to the same team twice in one year. Kentucky won 102-90 in an exciting rematch. Baylor advanced, beating Xavier 75-70. The Kentucky and Baylor matchup in the Elite 8 was sure to be an exciting one. Kentucky won expectedly, with a score of 82-70, and is now the representative of the South region.
From the East region, 1 seed Syracuse, 5 seed and SEC Champs Vanderbilt, and 2 seed Ohio State were favorites. Syracuse handled their first opponent with ease, as did Vanderbilt and Ohio State. Syracuse went on to play Kansas State, winning 75-59. Vanderbilt faced Wisconsin, unfortunately losing 60-57. Ohio State faced Gonzaga next, winning with a score of 73-66. Syracuse went on to play Wisconsin, winning 64-63 in a close game. Ohio State next played Cincinnati, winning easily with a score of 81-66. Syracuse then faced Ohio State, where number 1 lost to number 2, Ohio State winning 77-70 to represent the East region.
In the Midwest region, all eyes were on 1 seed North Carolina and 2 seed Kansas, a matchup between the two almost imminent. North Carolina defeated Vermont 77-58 and moved on to play Ohio, winning 73-65. Kansas beat Purdue 63-60, going on to defeat North Carolina State 60-57. As expected, North Carolina and Kansas played against each other in a fight for who would represent the Midwest region. Kansas took the challenge and ended up victorious, winning 80-67.
From the West region hailed a local favorite, 6 seed Murray State. Coming into the tournament with a 30-1 record, great things were expected from them. Also favorites in the tournament were 1 seed Michigan State and 2 seed Missouri. Murray State defeated their first opponent, Colorado State, with a score of 58-41. However, the reign of Murray fell against Marquette, with a score of 62-53. Michigan State won their first two games with ease. However, when faced with 4 seed Louisville, Michigan State fell. Louisville pulled off the upset with a score of 57-44. Marquette’s next opponent was Florida who, although being a 7 seed, had already shown their worth in the tournament. Sure enough, Florida won 68-58. Next was the game between Louisville and Florida to represent the West region. Kentucky fans groaned as they watched Louisville take the West, winning 72-68.
This year, the Final Four will be held in the Superdome in New Orleans which hosted the BCS National Championship earlier this year. The games will be broadcast on CBS on March 31, with the National Championship game being played on April 2. Arch rivals Kentucky and Louisville will play, and Ohio State will take on Kansas. Kentucky seems to be the universal favorite to win it all, but we’ll see. After all, it is called March Madness for a reason.
