## Upset Alert! Marquette Bites the Dust and the Madness Rages On
The NCAA Tournament is in full swing, and our brackets are already taking a beating! While some favorites are holding strong, Cinderella stories are blossoming, and the thrill of March Madness is reaching fever pitch.
Just when you thought you had it figured out, Marquette went down swinging against New Mexico, leaving fans reeling. But don’t worry, the drama isn’t over! UConn is facing off against Oklahoma in a showdown that could shake the entire tournament.
Selection Sunday Surprises and Takeaways
The chaos of March Madness continues on Friday with another full slate of first-round games. Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg made his NCAA tournament debut after missing a couple of games with an ankle injury, scoring 14 points with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks in a win. And two-time defending champion UConn is also in action as a No. 8 seed facing No. 9 Oklahoma. But of course, we’re always on the lookout for an unexpected upset.
Here’s how Friday’s schedule will unfold (all times Eastern, scroll for live updates):
- No. 9 Baylor 75, No. 8 Mississippi State 72
- No. 2 Alabama 90, No. 15 Robert Morris 81
- No. 3 Iowa State 82, No. 14 Lipscomb 55
- No. 12 Colorado State 78, No. 5 Memphis 70
- No. 1 Duke 93, No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s 49
- No. 7 Saint Mary’s 59, No. 10 Vanderbilt 56
- No. 6 Ole Miss 71, No. 11 North Carolina 64
- No. 4 Maryland 81, No. 13 Grand Canyon 49
- No. 1 Florida 95, No. 16 Norfolk State 69
- No. 3 Kentucky 76, No. 14 Troy 57
- No. 7 Marquette 75, No. 10 New Mexico 66
- No. 4 Arizona 93, No. 13 Akron 65
- No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma (TNT)
- No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 11 Xavier (CBS)
- 10 p.m.: No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant (TBS)
- 10:10 p.m.: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty (TruTV)
Follow along below for live reaction, highlights and more from Gizmoposts24: March Madness is here, and the craziness started with the opening game of the NCAA men’s tournament. The men’s bracket is now set at 64 teams after Xavier rallied to beat Texas in the final of the First Four. Mount St. Mary’s beat American in the earlier game. The First Four began Tuesday night with Alabama State stunning St. Francis on a layup with a second left following a football-style, length-of-the-court pass that was tipped. Alabama State will now take on overall No. 1 seed Auburn in the South region on Thursday. North Carolina ran past San Diego State, 95-68, in Tuesday’s second First Four game and will now face No. 6 Ole Miss on Thursday.
Women’s Bracket and First Four Games
The women’s First Four begins on Wednesday. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K]
Selection Sunday was full of surprises, celebration and heartbreak. The bracket reveals are complete with the full selections for the men and women listed below. Here’s how the No. 1 seeds shook out for the men:
- Auburn (South Region)
- Duke (East Region)
- Houston (Midwest Region)
- Florida (West Region)
- UCLA (Spokane 1)
- South Carolina (Birmingham 2)
- Texas (Birmingham 3)
- USC (Spokane 4)
The SEC won the day with a record 14 of 16 teams making the NCAA tournament. The Big Ten was next with eight teams, followed by the Big 12 with seven.
Here’s how the No. 1 seeds shook out for the women:
So, what can we make of the men’s committee’s selections? Here were some takeaways from Gizmoposts24 analyst Jeff Eisenberg:
It was clear by Sunday morning that Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida had each separated themselves in the race for No. 1 seeds. Credit the committee for not messing that up — and for getting that in the right order. The same goes for the SEC getting 14 bids. You’ll probably hear some complaints about it, but the truth is the SEC earned that respect.
Where the selection committee stumbled a bit: selecting North Carolina over more deserving teams like West Virginia. The Tar Heels snared the final at-large spot in the field despite going 1-12 in Quadrant 1 games and only defeating one at-large-caliber NCAA tournament team. Also wrong: The committee claims that conference tournament title games matter — even the ones on Sunday that bump right up to the selection show. That’s undoubtedly true when there’s a bid thief involved. It’s a little more difficult to believe, however, when there is just a potential seed line bump or two at stake. Michigan being slotted in as a No. 5 seed while the team it just beat (Wisconsin) was given a No. 3 seed, despite comparable résumés, makes the claim seem dubious.
Women’s Bracket Analysis
On the women’s side of the bracket, Ryan Young thinks the selection made at least one mistake. Going into Selection Sunday, it seemed as if South Carolina had the edge for the No. 1 overall seed. The reigning national champions were fresh off a blowout win in their conference championship game and looked strong closing out the year. The Gamecocks had won seven straight, all by double digits, and had clearly put a 29-point home loss to UConn behind them. But the committee opted to go with UCLA instead. And it shouldn’t have. The Bruins absolutely earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament. That was never in doubt. They went 30-2 and won the Big Ten tournament title with a win over USC. They started the year on a 23-game win streak, too. So the committee gave UCLA the top overall seed for the first time in program history. The biggest reason for that, they said on ESPN, was two-fold. First, UCLA beat South Carolina by 15 points in November. While a head-to-head matchup usually does the trick, that was months ago. The second was South Carolina losing by nearly 30 points to UConn at home. UCLA didn’t have a loss that bad.
Practical Aspects and Tips
Here’s what you need to know about March Madness:
- First-round game schedule
- No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 16 Alabama State (Lexington, Thursday, 2:50 p.m. ET, CBS)
- No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Creighton (Lexington, Thursday, 12:15 p.m. ET, CBS)
South region
Opening odds for every March Madness men’s first-round game at BetMGM
March Madness is here and the 2025 NCAA tournament bracket on both the men’s and women’s sides has been revealed. For the men’s tournament, Duke, Florida, Houston and Auburn are the four No. 1 seeds, with Auburn grabbing the top overall seed. Florida is the betting favorite to cut down the nets with +350 odds at BetMGM, with Duke (+360) and Auburn (+400) right behind the Gators.
The opening game of the men’s First Four started with a bang on Tuesday as Alabama State slipped past St. Francis, 70-68, winning on a layup off a tipped full-court pass with a second left. Alabama State will now face No. 1 overall seed Auburn in the South region on Thursday. UNC followed that on Tuesday with an absolute blowout on fellow No. 11 seed San Diego State. On Wednesday, Mount St. Mary’s beat American 83-72 and won the right to face Duke in the first round. Later, Xavier rallied to knock Texas out of the tournament and complete the 64-team field.
[Full NCAA tournament bracket revealed | Printable bracket]For a deeper look at who might win the tournament — and who might pull off an early upset — our experts have made their picks, choosing the winner for each first-round matchup of the men’s tournament. The clock is already ticking for you to fill out your bracket and join our Bracket Mayhem game, and the odds for every first-round March Madness games are already up at sportsbooks and moving, as bettors place their wagers. If you need any tips on bracket strategy, we also have you covered. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K]
First Four Tuesday
No. 16 Alabama State (-3.5) vs. No. 16 St. Francis (PA) — Alabama State 70, St. Francis 68
No. 11 North Carolina (-3.5) vs. No. 11 San Diego State — UNC 95, SDSU 68
First Four Wednesday
No. 16 American University (-1.5) vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s — Mount St. Mary’s 83, American 72
No. 11 Xavier (-1.5) vs. No. 11 Texas — Xavier 86, Texas 80
East Region
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s
No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Baylor (-1.5)
No. 5 Oregon (-4.5) vs. No. 12 Liberty
No. 4 Arizona (-15.5) vs. No. 13 Akron
No. 6 BYU (-3.5) vs. No. 11 VCU
No. 3 Wisconsin (-17.5) vs. No. 14 Montana
No. 2 Alabama (-22.5) vs. No. 15 Robert Morris
Midwest Region
No. 1 Houston (-27.5) vs. No. 16 SIU-Edwardsville
No. 8 Gonzaga (-4.5) vs. No. 9 Georgia
No. 5 Clemson (-7.5) vs. No. 12 McNeese State
No. 4 Purdue (-10.5) vs. No. 13 High Point
No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 11 Texas/Xavier
No. 3 Kentucky (-10.5) vs. No. 14 Troy
No. 7 UCLA (-5.5) vs. No. 10 Utah State
No. 2 Tennessee (-19.5) vs. No. 15 Wofford
South Region
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 16 Alabama State
No. 8 Louisville (-1.5) vs. No. 9 Creighton
No. 5 Michigan (-3.5) vs. No. 12 UC San Diego
No. 4 Texas A&M (-7.5) vs. No. 13 Yale
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 UNC/SDSU
No. 3 Iowa State (-13.5) vs. No. 14 Lipscomb
No. 7 Marquette (-3.5) vs. No. 10 New Mexico
No. 2 Michigan State (18.5) vs. No. 15 Bryant
West Region
No. 1 Florida (-28.5) vs. No. 16 Norfolk State
No. 8 UConn (-4.5) vs. No. 9 Oklahoma
No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State (-3.5)
Conclusion
March Madness Live Updates: Chaos Unfolds in the NCAA Tournament
As the NCAA tournament continues to intensify, we’ve witnessed a series of upsets and thrillers that have left fans on the edge of their seats. In the latest development, Marquette fell to New Mexico, while UConn is set to face Oklahoma in a highly anticipated matchup. The article highlighted the key takeaways from these games, including the Golden Eagles’ inability to contain the Lobos’ scoring prowess and the Huskies’ potential showdown with the Sooners. The analysis also shed light on the implications of these upsets, including the shifting balance of power in the tournament and the emergence of new contenders.
The significance of these live updates cannot be overstated, as they have a direct impact on the trajectory of the tournament. With each passing game, the stakes grow higher, and the competition becomes increasingly fierce. The article’s expert analysis has provided readers with a deeper understanding of the complexities of the tournament, including the factors that contribute to a team’s success or downfall. As we move forward, the next few days will be crucial in determining the ultimate champions, and fans can expect even more thrilling moments and unexpected twists.
As the tournament reaches its climax, one thing is certain – only the bravest and most skilled teams will emerge victorious. The road to the championship is paved with uncertainty, and only time will tell which teams will rise to the challenge. One thing is for sure, however: the 2024 NCAA tournament will go down in history as one of the most unpredictable and exciting in recent memory. The question on everyone’s mind is: who will be crowned the ultimate champion? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – the next few days will be an unforgettable ride.
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