By ANTHONY PUCIK
In my last overtime, I said that I expected this year’s March Madness to be loaded with upsets and surprises considering how many upsets there were on the first weekend of March, but I don’t think anyone was prepared for this. On the first day of the tournament, we witnessed four games go to overtime, the most ever in a single day in NCAA Tournament history. We also saw multiple baffling decisions, like fifth-seeded Oklahoma not fouling when up by three in the last minute of the game, which let North Dakota State to come down the court, shoot a three to tie the game and eventually win in overtime. We also saw fifth-seeded VCU stupidly fouling SF Austin from three when up by four, allowing SFA to complete the four-point play and eventually win the game in overtime.
VCU and Oklahoma’s seemingly absurd decisions down the stretch led to two of the biggest upsets in the first round, even though there have been multiple twelfth-seed over five-seed upsets in recent years. But, even higher seeds fell. The most notable was fourteenth-seeded Mercer, which shocked third-seeded Duke in the first round of the tournament, something that nobody saw coming. In the Atlantic Sun Conference, the same conference as the Cinderella of last year’s tournament, Florida Gulf Coast University, Mercer had the potential to be this year’s FGCU, but it ended up bowing out to Tennessee in the next round. Now that we’ve reached the Final Four, there is no question who this year’s Cinderella is: the eleventh-seeded Dayton Flyers out of the Atlantic-10.
It has been a magical run for the Flyers, who found themselves going all the way to the Elite Eight and defeated multiple big-name opponents in the process. They started their run by upsetting sixth-seeded Ohio State in the first round 60-59, but it was one of many surprising upsets, so people didn’t put Dayton on their radar just yet. It was when the Flyers defeated third-seeded Syracuse in the Round of 32 that people started noitce this team. It won 55-53, and found itself in a favorable matchup in the Sweet Sixteen, playing tenth-seeded Stanford, who upset second-seeded Kansas in its third-round matchup. In the Sweet Sixteen, it wasn’t even close. Dayton defeated Stanford 82-72, solidifying its position as the Cinderella Story of March Madness 2014.
Unfortunately, it ended up losing to first-seeded Florida in the Elite Eight, a team that was also the top-ranked team in the country heading into the tournament. But keep in mind, this Dayton team was on the bubble heading into the tournament and was thought of as a mere one-and-done team. This was the same team that, just a few weeks ago, struggled to defeat Fordham in the A-10 Tournament and bowed out to the eventual winner of the tournament, St. Joseph’s, in the quarterfinal rounds.
What this shows, though, is that the Atlantic 10 is no joke. There were six teams in the tournament from the A-10 Conference and, while none made it as far as Dayton, they certainly made an impression. St. Louis and VCU were both five- seeds, and St. Louis made it to the Round of 32 after a thrilling game against NC State. VCU did end up getting upset by SFA, but it was without its Sixth Man of the Year Melvin Johnson, who injured himself in the A-10 Championship game against St. Joe’s.
Speaking of St. Joe’s, it ended up losing to UConn, a team that is in the Final Four. UMass and George Washington both lost their opening round matchups, but there is something to say about a conference having six teams that are worthy of making it to the big dance.
The A-10 saw Dayton go to the Elite Eight, something that couldn’t be said about the ACC, a conference that is filled with teams like Duke, Syracuse, UNC and Virginia. Many thought it was ridiculous that the Atlantic10 Conference had so many bids into the tournament, but Dayton has silenced those critics. The A-10 is a conference that is on the rise and will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. All teams and all conferences should beware the A-10 and not take it lightly in the tournament; just ask Ohio State and Syracuse.
Anthony Pucik is Assistant Sports Editor at The Fordham Ram.
