Abby Witt, Sports Writer
March is a sports lover’s favorite month, but for many people “March Madness” quickly turned to “March Sadness” in the 2016 NCAA National Tournament.
After an Elite Eight showdown of many more upsets, this year’s Final Four will consist of: Villanova, Oklahoma, University of North Carolina, and Syracuse. And let me point out the fact Syracuse is a 10-seed, a great accomplishment for Boeheim and his team.
But what were some of the most heart-breaking moments in the tournament? Let’s start off with Northern Iowa (11) defeating Texas (6) by a buzzer-beater. This advanced Northern Iowa unexpectedly. How did Northern Iowa even make it to the tournament this year? A buzzer-beater in the Missouri Valley Championship, a trend quickly developed for this team and their tournament season.
I cannot go on any longer without acknowledging how many brackets were busted after Middle Tennessee State, a 15-seed, defeated Michigan State, a 2-seed, 90-81. Michigan State was one of the two top favorites to win this tournament, and in my Final Four bracket, unfortunately. But the Spartans easily made one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, and this happened the first round of the tournament.
How about the Atlantic Coast Conference and their dominance in this year’s tournament? Before the Elite Eight even began we already knew an ACC team would play in the National Championship game. Virginia vs. Syracuse, North Carolina vs. Notre Dame. Now, North Carolina will take on Syracuse for a spot in the National Championship. According to sbnation.com, the ACC will win at least 19 games in the tournament, breaking a record the Big East previously held in 1985. A true testament to conference dominance and proudly held by the ACC.
Without a doubt, this tournament has been great. There was no game that didn’t have good basketball and even though there were many upsets, it’s always fun to watch. Tune in April 2nd to see who will compete on April 4th in this year’s NCAA National Championship. And for all your Kentucky fans wondering why I did not directly speak about your team, there’s always next year, right?