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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March 16, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Scottie Lindsey (20) moves the ball against Vanderbilt Commodores guard Joe Toye (2) during the first half of the first round of the NCAA tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Northwestern Starts Out 1-for-1 in Tourney Games

While the lack of shock to start the 2017 NCAA Tournament can be pointed out, perhaps we should’ve seen it coming giving the narratives coming into opening weekend. Rather than most of the focus being on the contenders, there was an inordinate amount of attention placed on the No. 8 seed in the West Region: the Northwestern Wildcats.

Of course, that attention was every bit deserved. No, this wasn’t one of the teams that was poorly seeded and had a chance for a dark horse run to the Final Four. Rather, Northwestern deserved their shine for making the first NCAA Tournament in school history. For a program as established as the Wildcats, that’s a truly remarkable feat to finally get over that hump. With that said, there was concern about if their inexperience might cause them to be an immediate exit from March Madness.

Admittedly, that was closer than it should’ve been to being the case. While Northwestern held the lead for the majority of the game, the Wildcats allowed the 15-loss Vanderbilt Commodores to climb back into the game as Chris Collins’ team looked unprepared for the moment. Call it great fortune or even dumb luck, though, they were given one of the biggest breaks in tournament history.

After the Commodores took a one-point lead with under 20 seconds remaining, Vandy guard Matthew Fisher-Davis inexplicably fouled when the Wildcats inbounded the ball. Northwestern then sunk the free throws to regain the lead and held on for the remaining seconds. To get a win—and in such dramatic fashion—in a program’s first-ever NCAA tournament game is nothing to scoff at and will be a lasting moment from March.

Of course, it would’ve been even sweeter if they’d have been able to pull off a signature upset of Gonzaga in the Second Round after furiously coming back to make a game of it late. But alas, the Northwestern run is over. They’ll always have that 1.000 batting average to start, though—and head football coach Pat Fitzgerald joining them to party in the locker room after the win.

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