NCAA Tournament 2017: 10 best moments from opening weekend

Mar 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wichita State Shockers guard Daishon Smith (2) controls the ball against Kentucky Wildcats guard Dominique Hawkins (25) during the first half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

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ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 16: Darius Thompson #51 of the Virginia Cavaliers drives to the basket against Denzel Ingram #10 of the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 16, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

4. Chalk First Round Means Second Round Drama

It’s been discussed relentlessly at this point, but the fact that only six lower seeds advanced past the First Round was absurd. Even crazier is that no team seeded below the 12-line advanced to the Round of 32. For comparison’s sake, 13 lower seeds advanced to the Second Round in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, with five of those teams being seeded at No. 12 or lower.

Everyone loves a good upset and the potential at a cinderella team being able to go on a run. It’s a fun narrative to follow and get behind, especially if your team gets bounced early. But the dirty secret of cinderella runs and have a great deal of upsets in the tournament is that it often affects the overall quality of the ensuing rounds in a negative fashion. I know the Orange made the Final Four last season, but was anyone really pining for another Syracuse-Middle Tennessee type matchup from last year’s Second Round?

What happened instead was that fans were treated to a fantastic Second Round slate. As a result, 11 of the 16 games played in the Round of 32 to close out opening weekend were decided by 10 points or fewer, many of them with the two teams being separated by just a couple of scores down the stretch.

Yes, it’s quite general to point all of this out, but it’s worth recognizing how fortunate we were to see a Second Round such as this over opening weekend of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. This lack of upsets is uncommon (or at least feels so), meaning this type of high-caliber entryway to the Sweet 16 is also rare. Thus, we need to appreciate it and the First Round that led to it.

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