Upsets already?!?! The NCAA Tournament Starts with a Bang!

The tournament is in full swing, as Old Dominion has already upset Notre Dame, and Villanova is locked in a battle with Robert Morris.  The Florida vs. BYU game is going into the second overtime in what looks to be an instant classic.  This is what we love about March Madness: upsets, close games, and unexpected finishes.

But looking at this closely, are those not two Big East teams struggling with what would be inferior competition from inferior conferences?  We are talking about the proclaimed best conference in basketball, yet in the opening round one of their best teams is struggling with a No. 15 seed.

To be honest I do not think many people can name where Old Dominion or Robert Morris are located off the top of their head.  What does this say about the Big East conference?  Well, it really does not say much of anything except that even with the best sporting event in the country, there are still intrinsic flaws.

The NCAA tournament is nothing more than a one game playoff over several weeks, and teams like Robert Morris and Old Dominion have nothing to lose because no one expects them to win anyway.  I did not get to watch the Notre Dame game, but I am watching Villanova tie the game up with 39.0 seconds to go, and they looked lethargic to start the game.

I am sure they looked at the seeding and thought Robert Morris would be a walk in the park. I am sure they were saying, “We play in the Big East, we are a No. 2 seed, and this should be a cake walk”.  Well, Robert Morris had a surprise for them, and as the clock winds down here, Villanova may make a very early exit from this tournament.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, from all accounts just were beaten.  They had an eight point lead early in the second half before letting ODU go on a 9–0 run.  They seemed to be in a dogfight after that.  If you remember, Notre Dame was one of the hottest teams in college basketball going into the tournament, and now they are going home.

Villanova has taken a four point lead in overtime and might have finally awakened to put Old Dominion away.  Inevitably this does not have any bearing on how good the Big East is, but simply on how unpredictable the tournament can be.  This is a great start to March Madness, and I might be saved because I have Villanova in the Final Four on most of my brackets!!