NCAA Tournament 2013: 5 Shocking Stories of the First Weekend

This NCAA tournament has not been short of upsets and big wins in its first weekend of competition. There are always Cinderella stories each year and this year is no different. No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast has advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 and hopes to continue its historic journey.  

The big storylines from the first weekend weren't hard to find, as some of the tourney favorites were sent packing before Sunday. Teams like No. 1 seed Gonzaga, No. 2 Georgetown and No. 4 St. Louis all had their dreams of cutting down the nets ended early.

Here are the five most shocking stories from the first weekend of the tourney:  

Florida Gulf Coast's Miraculous Run

The biggest shocker of the weekend was No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast. This is their first time in school history in the NCAA tournament field. Also, it's the first time for a No. 15 seed to make the Sweet 16.

In their first game against No. 2 seed Georgetown, the Eagles offense kept attacking the Hoyas defense and didn't allow their opponent to establish its Princeton offense.

In their round of 32 game, Florida Gulf Coast defeated No. 7 seed San Diego State because of point guard Brett Comer's unselfish play that led to balanced scoring. Comer was not afraid to unleash some big passes that led to major dunks in the game.

We'll see how long this journey lasts, but give Florida Gulf Coast a lot of credit for how far they have already made it.

La Salle's Winning Streak Continues

The next-best story after Florida Gulf Coast’s run has to be No. 13 seed La Salle.

The Explorers played their first three tournament games against quality opponents. First, they had to beat Boise State in their play-in game to even make it to the larger part of the bracket.

Next, the Explorers defeated No. 4 seed Kansas State and No. 12 seed Ole Miss in their second- and third-round games to make it to the Sweet 16. Both teams have very solid rosters, but La Salle battled it out and won by two points in both games.

Their next opponent, No. 9 seed Wichita State, will make it very difficult for La Salle to win. But, winning this Sweet 16 game seems more possible than Florida Gulf Coast beating No. 3 seed Florida in the South region.  

Harvard Proves Too Much for New Mexico

One of the biggest upsets behind No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast’s second round win was No. 14 Harvard defeating No. 3 New Mexico. The Lobos were one of the West region favorites, but the Crimson were hitting the right shots at the right time in the game.

Harvard played solid defense against two of New Mexico's top players, Kendall Williams and Tony Snell. Both players scored below their regular-season average.

The Crimson weren't able to keep their luck alive, as they lost their next game to No. 6 seed Arizona.     

The Ducks Succeed in the Midwest Region

The NCAA tournament committee did an injustice to No. 12 seed Oregon when they seeded the Ducks that low. Certainly, they should've had a higher seed with a 26-win season and the Pac-12 conference tournament title on the tournament resume.

Even though the Ducks' seed wasn't what they hoped for, they have continued to win in tough games. Oregon beat No. 5 seed Oklahoma State in the second round and one of the best mid-major schools in No. 4 St. Louis in the round of 32.

Both are quality wins, but beating tournament favorite No. 1 seed Louisville will be a very difficult task. 

Gonzaga Gets Knocked out Early

No. 1 seed Gonzaga was one of the hottest teams headed into the tourney. The Bulldogs won 14 games in a row and were looking for their first Final Four appearance in school history.

But, their dreams were shot down, when they lost to No. 9 seed Wichita State in the third round.

The main reason for Gonzaga's loss was their poor shooting effort compared to the Shockers. Wichita State shot 50 percent from the field, while the Bulldogs shot 35.6 percent.

A low shooting percentage will send a team packing very quickly.