The NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship, widely known as March Madness, is regarded by many sports fans as the most exciting time of year, and with March coming to an end, nothing is more fitting than a summary of the action of the Tournament thus far.
The 2025 edition of the Tournament is an especially significant one, with many conferences and teams making history. The SEC set the record for most teams from one conference to make the Tournament, with 14 teams out of 16 in the conference being invited, breaking the previous record of 11 set by the Big East in 2011. University of Missouri, after a year of going winless in the SEC, was one of the 14 teams to make the Tournament. Locally, SIU Edwardsville made their first ever appearance in the big dance after upsetting Southeast Missouri State in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game.
The madness immediately began in the first round, with #8 Louisville being defeated handily by #9 Creighton 89-75. More notable upsets followed, with #12 McNeese State taking down #5 Clemson 69-67, #12 Colorado State defeating #5 Memphis 78-70, and #11 Drake beating #6 Missouri 67-57. #16 SIU Edwardsville, however, were not as prone for an upset against #1 Houston as they were against SEMO, losing 78-40 in what was an expected beatdown. In total, seven first round games resulted in the lower seeded team upsetting the higher seed.
While the upsets slowed down slightly during the round of 32, there was still plenty of excitement in terms of upsets. #10 Arkansas shocked #2 St. John’s 75-66, a team who many believed were capable of winning the Tournament. Then #6 Ole Miss beat down #3 Iowa State 91-78, while at the same time #6 BYU escaped with a 91-89 win against #3 Wisconsin following a nail-biting final two minutes which culminated in star Wisconsin guard John Tonje whiffing the would-be game-tying shot on the last play of the game. In a stark contrast to the finale of the BYU-Wisconsin game, #4 Maryland survived an upset attempt from #12 Colorado State thanks to a somewhat controversial last-second Derik Queen layup to win the game 72-71.
The amount of upsets dropped heavily in the Sweet Sixteen, with all of the higher seeded teams coming out on top of the lower seeds, although there remained plenty of excitement. #2 Alabama made an NCAA Tournament record 25 three-pointers en-route to a 113-88 blowout over #6 BYU. Later that same day, #10 Arkansas, who had made an unexpected run to the Sweet Sixteen, faced #3 Texas Tech in what could end up being the game of the Tournament. The Razorbacks got off to a hot start, getting their lead up to 16 at one point in the second half. Texas Tech did not give up, however, and sent the game to overtime, where they would win 85-83 in an instant classic.
The Elite Eight was by far the least exciting round of the Tournament, with every single one-seed advancing to the final four. While all the games in this round ended with the top seed winning, not every game was a walk in the park. #1 Auburn vs #2 Michigan State came down to the wire, with Auburn missing key free-throws in the final minute and Michigan State quickly coming down the floor and hitting crucial threes. In the end, it was not enough, and Michigan State could not keep the game close enough, losing 70-64. #1 Florida was also caught in a dogfight against #3 Texas Tech late in the game, as Texas Tech would not go away quietly. The game was tied 75-75 with under two minutes remaining, and TTU hit a layup to pull ahead 77-75. Florida responded with a quick three-pointer with just over a minute remaining, regaining the lead, which they would not give up again, winning 84-79 thanks to All-American Walter Clayton Jr. ‘s 30 points and clutch three-pointers in crunch-time.
The Final Four, set to take place in San Antonio, will be a historic one, featuring all one-seeds for the first time since 2008 and for the second time ever. Auburn and Florida will face-off in an all-SEC matchup, marking the first time that two SEC teams have ever played each other in the Final Four. Duke goes up against Houston for the Blue Devils’ first Final Four appearance since 2022 and the Cougar’s first appearance since 2021. The semi-finals will take place on April 5, with the National Championship game being played on April 7.
