March Madness winners and losers: Pac-12 riding high after perfect first round
If this is its final NCAA men's basketball tournament, the Pac-12 is going out with a bang.
In its final year before losing 10 of its 12 members, the "Conference of Champions" had only four teams reach the field. But those squads are making the conference proud one last time, with every Pac-12 team advancing to the second round. In getting there, the quartet has compiled a 5-0 record.
Colorado got party going with its win over Boise State in the First Four, and on Thursday, Arizona dismantled Long Beach State, Oregon convincingly upset South Carolina and Washington State came back to beat Drake. On Friday, the Buffaloes were back in action and won of the most exhilarating games of the tournament so far, outlasting Florida 102-100 to cap off the perfect first round for the Pac-12.
The Pac-12 has had several Final Four teams this century, but it's hasn't been at the top of the mountain in decades, with its last national championship coming via Arizona in in 1997. It still has a ways to go to win one this year, but it's nice to take a moment and celebrate the conference that claims 16 national championships in the sport.
It's been a great start to the tournament for the Pac-12, but other conferences can't say the same, including one Power Six that keeps losing to double-digit seeds.
Here are the winners and losers from day two of the NCAA men's tournament first round.
WINNERS
James Madison
The Dukes beat Michigan State on opening night and were the last team in the country to lose a game after a 14-0 start. Even with a 30-win season, there were still doubts James Madison would get into the NCAA Tournament if it didn't win the Sun Belt Conference title.
Does James Madison have to prove anything else, now?
There was no doubting the Dukes on Friday night. They led Wisconsin wire-to-wire in a 72-61 win. The offense was good, but the defense showed why it's a solid unit in forcing Wisconsin into numerous mistakes.
James Madison proved all season it was a tournament team regardless of if it earned a conference tournament title. There should be zero doubt about its ability now after that victory.
Yale
Another year of an Ivy League team shocking a team in the first round.
Give Yale credit for not falling apart when Auburn stretched its lead in the second half, and the Bulldogs capitalizing on several Auburn mistakes in its 78-76 victory over the SEC tournament champions. The Ivy League is now becoming a conference known for providing shocks in the tournament after No. 15 seed Princeton stunned No. 2 Arizona last year. It may be time to give the league some more respect if it continues to beat these power schools.
Northwestern
When Northwestern lost Ty Berry to a torn meniscus in February, there were questions if the Wildcats would be able to replace one of its top producers for the rest of the season. But Northwestern didn't flinch, and facing an experienced Florida Atlantic team, the Wildcats beat the Owls to advance in the second round.
Northwestern got a big performance from Princeton transfer Ryan Langborg, who had a game-high 27 points, 12 of which came in overtime as he outscored Florida Atlantic in the extra period.
Chris Collins deserves credit for not faltering when his team has been hurt by injuries this season, and after Northwestern had no tournament experience not that long ago, the Wildcats have now won a game each of its three appearances. It'll be a tough task to go against defending champion Connecticut in the second round, but give Northwestern its flowers for what it's accomplished.
Clemson
There will be a No. 6 seed in the second round after Clemson dominated New Mexico from start to finish and beat the Lobos 77-56.
Clemson was a popular pick to be upset in the first round, but it went on a lengthy 19-2 run in the first half and coasted the rest of the way. Clemson had flown mostly under the radar after it finished the ACC regular season at 10-10, and New Mexico earned its way into the field by winning the Mountain West tournament title, so the easy win was certainly a surprise.
The Tigers had to enjoy Friday's performance after the three other No. 6 seeds all fell on Thursday. Had Clemson lost, it would've been the first time since 1989 all No. 11 seeds won in the first round, but instead, the Tigers are moving onto the second round for the first time since 2018.
Grand Canyon
What Bryce Drew has been building in Phoenix is finally reaping rewards with his program getting its first Division I tournament win after it defeated Saint Mary's.
Since the Valparaiso hero of 1998 took the job at Grand Canyon in 2020, the Antelopes have been nothing but a success and consistently at the top of the WAC. In his first season, he took the team to its first tournament appearance in school history. After a 23-8 season in 2021-22, Grand Canyon returned to the tournament last season before finally breaking through in March Madness this year.
In four seasons under Drew, Grand Canyon is 94-31. Impressive for a team that moved up to Division I in 2013.
LOSERS
Auburn's upset loss continues SEC woes
The SEC can't stop losing to double-digit seeds.
Auburn's collapsed against Yale was the latest embarrassing defeat for a conference that sent eight teams to the big dance. In the first round, SEC teams are 3-5 and have lost to:
No. 9 seed Michigan State.
No. 11 seed Oregon.
No. 10 seed Colorado.
No. 13 seed Yale.
It just means more?
Greg Sankey has to be punching the air at his conference falling apart in the first round, and it's an even bigger insult when just a few days ago, he suggested mid-major auto bids be taken out of the tournament in favor of more power conference teams. Maybe Sankey now will push harder for that to happen, that way his teams can stop losing humiliating games.
Mountain West
For as strong of a conference the Mountain West is, it just can't seem to find much success in the tournament.
The conference had San Diego State reach the national championship game last season, but it also had its three other tournament teams gone by the end of the first round. This season it's more of the same; it got six teams in, but four − Boise State, Nevada, Colorado State and New Mexico − were eliminated in the first round, with San Diego State again the only one of the bunch to advance to the second round.
It's another tough blow for a conference that was clearly the best league on the West Coast, with so many teams high in the NET rankings and worthy of being in the bracket. But the conference just isn't strong against others in the field, failing to show its strength on the biggest stage. Utah State was able to salvage the disappointing tournament for the Mountain West with a win over TCU, but it won't change the negative narrative.
Florida Atlantic
No magic will happen for Florida Atlantic in this year’s tournament, with the Owls going from appearing in the 2023 Final Four to being bounced in the first round of this year’s tournament. Florida Atlantic shot itself in the foot multiple times on Friday, whether it was turning the ball over a whopping 21 times, not knowing how much time was left in regulation or getting outscored 19-7 in overtime.
The loss caps off what was mostly a disappointing season for a Florida Atlantic team coming off its best season in school history. With a majority of last season’s team back, the Owls had expectations to have another outstanding season, and while the record was good, it had two Quad 4 losses and didn’t dominate the American Athletic Conference. In the conference tournament, it lost to a bad Temple team and then there was Friday’s loss.
Most of the experienced players will be leaving the team in the upcoming offseason, and head coach Dusty May could accept a more high-profile job. Safe to say the best period in Florida Atlantic basketball history is over.
Nebraska
Nebraska will have to wait to celebrate an NCAA Tournament victory for the first time.
The loss to Texas A&M marked a tough end to what has been a surprising season for Fred Hoiberg's club. The team has mostly underachieved since he took over in 2019, and it was picked to finish 12th in the Big Ten preseason poll. But the Cornhuskers had a great 13-3 start that included a win over Purdue. It also saw the emergence of one of the most likeable players in the country in Japan-native Keisei Tominaga. Nebraska deserved an NCAA Tournament spot and the chance to win its first March Madness game.
Instead, Nebraska fell to 0-8 in NCAA Tournament play and remains the only Power Six team to not have a March Madness win.
Hoiberg has the momentum for the Cornhuskers to make their first consecutive tournament appearances since 1993-94, but this team was meant to be a March darling. It just didn't work out.
Wisconsin
To be fair, Wisconsin got the worst matchup a No. 5 seed could possibly get with a dangerous James Madison team. But it's how the Badgers lost that makes it painful.
Wisconsin was 24th in the country when it came to taking care of the ball, averaging just nine turnovers a game. But on Friday, it looked at times like the Badgers were trying to give James Madison the ball. They turned the ball over seven times in the first six minutes and finished the game with 17 turnovers, which turned into 26 James Madison points, a major factor in the Dukes' wire-to-wire 72-61 win.
The Badgers were probably seeded too high given the horrid February they had, but they improved their stock with a Big Ten tournament run that included a win over Purdue. But the Badgers had no momentum against James Madison, and it's a disappointing end to what was a great start to the season.
Saint Mary's
What was one of Randy Bennett's best seasons at Saint Mary's turned into another March disappointment after a first round upset loss at the hands of Grand Canyon.
The Gaels were able to beat rival Gonzaga twice, with one of those wins clinching the West Coast Conference tournament title for the first time since 2019. But like it has in most NCAA Tournaments, Saint Mary's failed to do much. In its last seven March Madness appearances, Saint Mary's has failed to make it past the first weekend, with its last Sweet 16 appearance coming in 2010. Three straight seasons as a No. 5 seed have resulted in a 2-3 tournament record.
It's become a sad trend for a team that is one of the most successful in its conference, and while Saint Mary's shouldn't see its season as a disappointment, it should feel the need to change its March fortune.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness winners, losers: Pac-12 is perfect, SEC still struggling
