Post by : Bianca
Haleem
The dream of a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket ended quickly for millions of fans as major upsets dominated the opening day of March Madness. By mid-afternoon on Thursday, over 25 million brackets were already broken after 12th-seeded High Point stunned fifth-seeded Wisconsin in a shocking first-round result.
This upset was just the beginning. By the end of Day 1, only around 10,000 out of 26.5 million entries in ESPN’s bracket challenge remained perfect, which is just 0.04%.
High Point was not alone in causing surprises. Three more double-digit seeded teams also secured victories. These included 11th-seeded VCU and Texas, along with 10th-seeded Texas A&M.
Some of these results had clear reasons behind them. North Carolina suffered an 82-78 overtime loss to VCU without their leading scorer Caleb Wilson, who missed the game due to a broken thumb. Despite this, the team’s collapse after leading by 19 points in the second half was a major factor.
Similarly, BYU struggled without star player Richie Saunders, who has been out with a torn ACL. The team entered the tournament in poor form and failed to recover from a 17-point deficit, eventually losing 79-71 to Texas.
Saint Mary’s also faced difficulties as their top scorer Paulius Murauskas was limited due to illness. He managed only four points in 23 minutes, and the team lost 63-50 to Texas A&M.
There was almost another major upset when 16th-seeded Siena nearly defeated top-seeded Duke. Siena had built a double-digit lead but failed to hold on.
According to the NCAA, predicting a perfect bracket is extremely rare. The chances are estimated at 1 in 9.2 quintillion if games are picked randomly. Even with expert analysis, the odds improve only to about 1 in 120 billion.
Overall, Day 1 of March Madness proved once again why the tournament is known for its unpredictability, with surprises quickly eliminating the possibility of perfection for most participants.
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