Friday Recap: Upsets, Blowouts & Bracket Chaos Take Over

Pre Game Sports
Mar 21
2 min read

Friday Games

Day two of the opening round brought another 16-game gauntlet, while Thursday cracked brackets, Friday helped keep the alive ones still in play. From statement wins by top seeds on Friday to double digit underdogs making noise on Thursday, the tournament energy hit another level.

Early Bracket Window: Favorites Hold Strong

(7) Kentucky def. (10) Santa Clara — 89–84 OT
(5) Texas Tech def. (12) Akron — 91–71
(1) Arizona def. (16) LIU — 92–58
(3) Virginia def. (14) Wright State — 82–73

The early games stayed chalk, with Santa Clara giving excitement by taking Kentucky to OT.

Midday Matchups: A Few Cracks in the Bracket

(2) Iowa State def. (15) Tennessee State — 108–74
(4) Alabama def. (13) Hofstra — 90–70
(9) Utah State def. (8) Villanova — 86–76
(6) Tennessee def. (11) Miami (OH) — 78–56

Utah State delivered the first upset of the day, edging Villanova in a tight one.

Afternoon Push: Upset Alerts Start Flashing

(9) Iowa def. (8) Clemson — 67–61
(5) St. John’s (12) def. Northern Iowa — 79–53
(7) UCLA def. (10) UCF — 75–71
(2) Purdue def. (15) Queens — 104–71

While Iowa provided the only other upset of the day it again was only a 9 over 8 seed.

Night Slate: Power Programs Make Their Statements

(1) Florida def. (16) Prairie View A&M — 114–55
(4) Kansas def. (13) Cal Baptist — 6805
(2) UConn def. (15) Furman — 82–71
(7) Miami def. (10) Missouri — 73–66

The night games brought control back to the favorites. Florida, UConn, and Kansas all handled business, while Florida set the second highest win margin in tourney history.