Even the Championship matchup between the Gonzaga University Bulldogs and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels was one that few could have foreseen.
The Tar Heels fought their way back to a second consecutive championship game after suffering a heartbreaking loss a year ago, while the Bulldogs finally proved their legitimacy as not only the best mid-major team in the country but one of the best teams in the country, period.
This year’s tournament did not provide as many upsets early on as has become the norm, but the surprises of the subsequent rounds certainly made up for the initial lack of unexpected outcomes.
The first round was almost entirely devoid of upsets, with only six higher seeded teams emerging from their contests victorious.
By the end of the second round though, the madness was in full gear. Villanova University, Duke University and University of Louisville, three of the most highly esteemed teams going into the tournament, were all upset in the Round of 32.
However, they lost to three teams, University of Wisconsin, University of South Carolina and University of Michigan, that hit their strides at just the right time and were much better than their seeds would have indicated.
Xavier University, a No. 11 seed, was another team that provided several stunning upsets. The Musketeers, who were the only double-digit seed to advance past the second round, made it all the way to the Elite Eight after upsetting University of Maryland, Florida State University and the University of Arizona in consecutive games. Xavier looked particularly impressive against Florida State, routing the third-seeded Seminoles 91-66.
The tournament was filled with great games, whether they resulted in upsets or not. Some of the best games included University of Kentucky vs. Wichita State University in the Round of 32, North Carolina vs. Kentucky in the Elite Eight, Gonzaga vs. South Carolina and North Carolina vs. University of Oregon in the Final Four, just to name a few.
However, in my mind, the best game of the tournament was unquestionably the Sweet 16 matchup between the University of Florida Gators and the Wisconsin Badgers, from which the Gators emerged victorious.
The game was a dogfight, from the tipoff to the final buzzer. The Badgers were up by as much as 11 in the first half before the Gators stormed back to take a two-point halftime lead. The Gators would then build two separate 10-point leads in the second half, but in both instances, the Badgers came back to tie the game.
The latter’s comeback was absolutely incredible, as it culminated with an off-balance circus three-pointer from Zak Showalter with less than three seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to the only overtime period of the entire tournament.
The Badgers had all of the momentum going into overtime and took advantage of it, quickly building a four-point lead.
However, the Gators fought back to tie the game, following a likely game-saving block from Canyon Barry and a gracious layup from Chris Chiozza. Nigel Hayes sunk a pair of free throws to give the Badgers a two-point lead with four seconds remaining, but the Gators would have the last say.
In the final four seconds, Chiozza ran the length of the court and buried a one in a thousand three-point heave for Florida. The shot outshined Showalter’s miraculous shot for Wisconsin from the end of regulation and sent the Gators to the Elite Eight.
The Final Four itself was also thoroughly entertaining. The Oregon Ducks and the South Carolina Gamecocks, who both lost in the semifinals, had memorable and unanticipated roads to the Final Four and put up admirable fights in their eventual losses.
The Ducks had played consistent basketball throughout the season and were considered one of the Pac-12’s three elite teams going into March, alongside Arizona and University of California, Los Angeles.
However, a season-ending ACL injury to senior forward Chris Boucher in the Pac-12 Tournament not only led to Oregon’s early elimination from that tournament but also cast doubts about the Ducks’ capabilities without Boucher in the NCAA Tournament.
The Ducks proved the doubters wrong, in large part due to the strong play of the rest of their starting lineup, including Tyler Dorsey, who scored at least 20 points in each of the Ducks’ five tournament games.
Oregon’s signature win came in a convincing fashion against a first-seeded University of Kansas in the Elite Eight, and they fell just short of knocking off North Carolina in the Final Four.
South Carolina, on the other hand, was a largely unknown team that quietly entered the tournament as a No. 7 seed in a loaded region that included the likes of Villanova, Duke, Baylor University and Florida.
SEC Player of the Year Sindarius Thornwell propelled the Gamecocks to consecutive victories over the latter three teams and was arguably the most dominant player in the tournament. However, it was his struggles against Gonzaga that likely did South Carolina in during their 77-73 defeat to the Bulldogs.
Monday’s championship game did not quite match the excitement of Villanova’s buzzer-beating victory from last year, but it was still a memorable contest. The game was close all the way through, with neither team ever gaining a significant advantage over the other. There were certainly a lot of missed opportunities, as neither team capitalized on the poor shooting of its opponent.
The Tar Heels and Bulldogs shot 35.6 percent and 33.9 percent, respectively, from the field and 57.7 percent and 65.4 percent, respectively, from the free throw line. Gonzaga did not execute when it counted most down the stretch, and the Tar Heels were able to squeak out a six-point victory.
Joel Berry II led the way for North Carolina and was named the Most Outstanding Player, putting up a game-high 22 points to help the Tar Heels avenge their devastating loss from a year ago.
Overall, the 2017 tournament was another extremely entertaining installment of March Madness. Did I have a good bracket? No. Did the team that I was rooting for win? No.
But, come tournament time, it is impossible to not sit down, watch and be completely enthralled by the greatness of college basketball. I’m already counting down until next year.
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