March Madness 2023 Recap
As UConn was crowned the 2023 National Champions on Monday night, the college basketball season and the NCAA tournament came to a conclusion.
March Madness brought the usual upsets and buzzer beaters, but this year’s postseason tournament was like no other. In a year with no clear number one team, the tournament was as unpredictable as ever.
This March Madness featured the biggest upset in the history of this tournament with No.16 Fairleigh Dickinson beating No. 1 Purdue and the best player in the country, Zach Edey.
The tournament was filled with high seeds making a deep run like never before, but at the end of the day, this March Madness will be remembered by how dominant the eventual National Champions were.
UConn Dominance
The main storyline of this regular season was the lack of a clear number one team. The typical blue bloods like Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky were all having down seasons. As a result, every team that was awarded the number one overall ranking seemed beattable.
However, this past month, the University of Connecticut played like the best team in the country. The Huskies during the regular season got as high as number two in the national rankings. Everyone knew UConn had talent, it was just a matter of putting it all together.
The Huskies went through a rough stretch back in January, losing five out of six games at one point. As a result, Dan Hurley’s squad entered March Madness as a four seed.
However, once UConn exited out of Big East play and in the postseason they were a different animal. UConn beat every opponent by double digits on their way to a convincing National title.
Funky Final Four
The four teams that made it to Houston were one of the more odd groups in college basketball history. FAU, Miami and San Diego State all made first- time appearances in the Final Four after improbable runs as higher seeds.
FAU showed how underseeded it was after an impressive run. Head coach Dusty May recently signed a contract extension, which will keep him in Boca Raton and make the Owls a consistent tournament team. No. 9 FAU came two wins away from becoming the highest seed ever to win a National Championship.
San Diego State’s run was filled with miraculous finishes. In the Elite Eight, the Aztecs topped Creigthon after a controversial foul call in the final seconds which allowed Darrion Trammell to hit the game winning free throws.
The play of the tournament came in the Final Four as the Aztecs advanced the title game thanks to a Lamont Butler game winning mid-range buzzer beater. San Diego State had the flair for the dramatics on its way to the national championship game.
Nowell Madness
Markquis Nowell took the college basketball world by storm, as Kansas State advanced to the Elite Eight.
The 5-foot-8 New York native grabbed the attention of everyone watching because of his deep threes and impressive passing prowess. Nowell set a March Madness record with 19 assists against Michigan State in the Sweet 16.
The New York native lit up Madison Square Garden, and was the talk of the tournament. Nowell’s incredible run turned out to be more like Carsen Edwards instead of Kemba Walker, as the Wildcats couldn’t get a final shot off against FAU in the Elite Eight..
However, Nowell’s play won’t be forgotten. The beauty of this tournament is how teams or players you would never expect can grab the attention of the entire world for three weeks.
Aidan Torok is a third-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email ajt6051@psu.edu.
