Saturday, February 26, 2022 will go down as one of the best days of college basketball ever. The madness of March hit the college basketball world just a few days before the calendar flipped from February to the hallowed month of March. You see, in March we have come to expect the unexpected but not in February. We know March Madness, not February Frenzies. The action on Saturday emulated the spirit of March Madness in every way imaginable and might have even been better. We saw it all; upsets, courts being stormed, buzzer beaters, and so much more.
Historical Day of Upsets
For the first time in men’s college basketball history, the top six teams in the AP-Top 25 all lost on the same day. No. 1 Gonzaga fell to No. 23 St. Mary’s, No. 2 Arizona to Colorado, No. 3 Auburn to No. 17 Tennessee, No. 4 Purdue to Michigan State, No. 5 Kentucky to No. 18 Arkansas, and No. 6 Kansas to No. 10 Baylor. Baylor and No. 7 Duke were the only top 10 teams to escape Saturday with wins, No. 8 Villanova did not play and you guessed it, no. 9 Texas Tech fell to TCU. Villanova doesn’t catch a break, they lost in their last contest; a classic against No. 21 UConn on Tuesday.
Gonzaga, Arizona, Auburn, Purdue, Kentucky, Kansas, and Texas Tech were all on the road on Saturday. Some of the teams were even underdogs as they hit the road but it was almost unfathomable to think that seven of the top 10 teams in the country, including the top six teams, could all lose on the same day. Even more, the top eight of the top nine teams have lost their last contest. It’s something that can only happen in college basketball and what’s college basketball so great.
Storms in the Forecast
While school officials and leadership groups might not like to hear it, the tradition of storming the court after an upset victory is one of the best in all of college sports. That tradition followed suit on Saturday. We saw several upsets with so many top teams falling.
The first storm occurred in Boulder, Colorado. Despite falling 82-65 on Thursday at Arizona State, the Colorado Buffaloes were able to pull off a huge upset. They flipped the script from their loss on Thursday and beat No. 2 Arizona 79-63, leading to a great storming of the court in Boulder.
Then we got another storm a little farther west in Moraga, California where St. Mary’s was hosting No. 1 Gonzaga. St. Mary’s was able to complete an undefeated season at home and snap Gonzaga’s 17-game winning streak. The Gaels had control of this one throughout and it resulted in jubilation from St. Mary’s fans at the end of the night as they stormed the court.
Everything Else
Somehow more happened on Saturday in the college basketball world. No. 19 Murray State overcame a 12-point deficit with less than six minutes to play, securing an 18-0 conference record.
No. 7 Duke was the only top 10 team to go on the road and win. The trio of Mark Williams, Pablo Banchero, and AJ Griffin all scored 20+ as the Blue Devils looked dominant in the Carrier Dome against Syracuse.
Florida State overcame a nine-point deficit on the road against Virginia. Their rally was capped off by a buzzer-beating three from Mattew Cleveland to help the Seminoles escape with a one-point victory.
The Wrap-Up
Saturday was awesome and if it’s a precursor to what we’re going to see in March, I couldn’t be more excited. When college basketball is like it was on Saturday, there is nothing better. With the calendar turning to March on Tuesday, buckle up.
Most teams will wrap up their regular seasons this week, but a few conference tournaments will start this week. We can only hope the madness will continue.
