What happened to March Madness? This year's tournament is lacking in upsets
One weekend into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, March Madness hasn’t lived up to its name.
One weekend into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, March Madness hasn’t lived up to its name.
When the brackets settled Friday night after the round of 64, half of the remaining 32 men’s teams came from college sports’ two most-powerful conferences, the SEC and Big Ten. And by Sunday night, when just 16 teams remained, that major-conference dominance extended even further, with all 16 spots occupied by either the SEC (seven), Big Ten (four), Big 12 (four) and ACC (one).
It’s the fewest number of conferences ever represented in the Sweet 16. Since tournament expansion created the Round of 16 in 1975, every Sweet 16 has featured at least seven conferences, with a record of 11.
Yet midnight arrived early for Cinderella in 2025.
The last, best hope for a “mid-major” conference to advance to the tournament’s second weekend was 12th-seeded Colorado State of the Mountain West, which lost to Maryland of the Big Ten on Sunday night on a buzzer-beater.
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/ncaa/march-madness-lack-of-upsets-rcna197838
Rating: 5