March Madness Scores: Instant Analysis of Early Round of 64 Results

The opening action of the 2014 NCAA tournament's round of 64 lent itself to one of the most common upsets and another upstart underdog knocking off a storied program. Otherwise, many of the favorites took care of business in dominant fashion.

Harvard won last year as a 14th seed and as a No. 12 advanced to round three for the second time in a row, defeating Cincinnati 61-57 in a tense, defensive battle. No. 11 Dayton knocked off sixth-seeded Ohio State in a thrilling interstate clash, 61-60.

Two formidable top seeds in Wisconsin and Syracuse cruised to easy victories while Pittsburgh stifled a shorthanded Colorado squad and never allowed the Buffaloes to be competitive after a swift start.

Let's take a closer look at the storylines that accompanied these games, along with a peek ahead at what awaits the victors in their next tangos in the Big Dance.

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Double-Digit Seeds Show Mettle in Early Upsets

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One of the trendy No. 12 seeds selected to win was Harvard, and the Crimson showed why in defeating Cincinnati.

SportsCenter's official Twitter account noted how common the phenomenon of a 12th seed winning has been in recent tournament history:

Ivy League Player of the Year Wesley Saunders led the team in scoring in 2013's tourney win over New Mexico, and did so again versus the Bearcats with 12 points.

It was an egalitarian effort from coach Tommy Amaker's experienced bunch, though. Guards Siyani Chambers and Laurent Rivard added 11 apiece, and two other Harvard players scored nine each.

Jay Bilas of ESPN thus didn't view the Crimson's win as an upset despite the disparity in seeding:

A matchup with Michigan State looms in the third round, presuming the Spartans don't fall to Delaware. The Crimson have all the ingredients to hang with Michigan State, although they will have to find a way to stop star big man Adreian Payne.

Draining three-pointers at a proficient rate will aid that effort, as will the spacing created by Harvard's slew of sharpshooters.

Then there was the bigger shocker: Dayton disposing of Ohio State in a sensational finish. Vee Sanford went to his right and banked a runner in off the glass for the game-winner with just 3.8 seconds remaining.

Buckeyes senior point guard Aaron Craft hit a seemingly impossible layup before conceding the final basket, then had the final shot of his career just miss at the horn.

Winning coach Archie Miller beat his mentor in counterpart Thad Matta, and was enthused about the prospect of basking in the glory of the win, per Rivals.com's Matthew Schwade:

For Craft, it's a bitter way to end what was a sensational four years in Columbus, especially considering how difficult the final shot he took was.

Next up for the Flyers is a date with Syracuse—another stout defensive team that has a little more aptitude in half-court offense. It would be a surprise to see Dayton advance to the Sweet 16, but the Orange dropped off as the season wore on and will have the pressure in their corner to defeat a perceptibly inferior opponent.

Pittsburgh Serves Notice in 77-48 Trouncing of Colorado

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The Panthers will likely have to face the top overall seed in Florida in the round of 32, but the Gators should be fearful when they watch the Pittsburgh tape from Thursday.

It was going to be an uphill battle as it was for Colorado, playing without its best offensive player in Spencer Dinwiddie. Just being in the NCAA tournament was something of a moral victory since Dinwiddie went down for the season back in January with a torn ACL. This is something ESPN's Jeff Goodman took notice of amidst the blowout:

Nevertheless, Pittsburgh was the lower seed but played the role of the favorite to a science in this one.

Exceptional, balanced offense and suffocating defense shot the Panthers out to a 33-9 lead in the beginning, and ESPN Stats & Info noted the stark contrast between the two teams at that juncture:

KenPom.com ranks Pitt 16th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, so it makes sense that the Panthers devastated Colorado in shooting 50.8 percent from the floor.

But coach Jamie Dixon has often built his team on defense, and the Buffaloes looked inept on that end of the court throughout. They looked lost without Dinwiddie, as they have at times down the stretch of the regular season against quality opponents.

Now the Panthers have plenty to look forward to, playing with little to lose against the prohibitive favorites in the round of 32. This big victory has to give them a lot of confidence, which will be necessary against the experienced, senior-laden Gators.

Wisconsin, Syracuse Dispel Cinderellas With Dominant Wins

American University had all the makings of a pesky No. 15 seed in putting a 12-0 early run on Wisconsin, but the Bo Ryan-coached Badgers bullied their outmatched foes after a slow start.

NCAA March Madness' official Twitter account noted how the Big Ten titans took it to the Eagles to close out the first half:

That avalanche continued in the second half, where Wisconsin outscored American 43-13. There was noting the Eagles could do, as they wound up a meager 29.7 percent from the field.

The Orange pounced on Western Michigan from the opening tip, taking a 40-21 lead into the intermission and not needing much else in coasting to a 77-53 triumph.

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Coach Jim Boeheim wasn't going to let his Syracuse squad slip up at all at this infantry stage of the tournament. A nice blend of leadership in the frontcourt with C.J. Fair and Rakeem Christmas is complemented by stellar guard play from freshman sensation Tyler Ennis and three-point marksman Trevor Cooney. That should translate to a rather deep run for Syracuse.

The initial madness of March offered some slightly unexpected turns, but a lot of the outcomes went as widely predicted. There should be a few more surprises before the round of 64 is done, but the fact that two double-digit seeds have advanced to the next stage shows that there is significant parity beyond the country's elite teams.

Most of the top seeds should continue to roll without too much trouble, but any underdogs in the 10-to-12 range can't be discounted in the upcoming contests.

Here's to hoping you were bold in your bracket choices in those matchups, because the chaos is just commencing.