Updated March Madness bracket entering Saturday’s games

Day 2 of March Madness is upon us, and the bar for absolute chaos has been set very high. 

Brackets were meant to be busted, and after missing March Madness last year we’re all being quickly reminded how fast such a thing can happen.

The first day of the NCAA Tournament started off by lulling us into thinking things would be tighter than usual but this would be a year where higher seeds simply prevail. After a season of weird scheduling due to COVID-19, there was a distinct possibility that the better teams stood above and the madness of March we’ve grown accustomed to would not be making an appearance.

Then it happened.

Ohio State lost to No. 15 seed Oral Roberts, North Texas bodied Purdue, and both Tennessee and San Diego State — sleeper favorites in many brackets to make a deep run — was utterly embarrassed.

The upsets swelled as the day went on, but the question is whether or not the madness has crescendoed. That’s an answer we’ll get during the second day of the tournament.

Updated March Madness bracket entering Saturday’s games

Here’s a look at how things stand as we enter the second day of madness.

While we were treated to a buffet of upsets on the other side of the bracket on Friday, neither of the No. 1 seed had any trouble at all moving on to the Round of 32. That’s good news for Gonzaga and Michigan, but there are worrisome matchups all across the board.

Michigan seems to be in no danger of getting bounced on Saturday, but the Big Ten has been stuffed into a locker this far in the tournament. The weekend started with eight teams from the conference but already over one-third have been vanished like Thanos snapped them out of existence. Iowa should tread lightly given what happened to fellow No. 2 seeded Ohio State, while Maryland has a tough matchup against a UConn team that could last deep into the tournament.

Upsets weren’t exclusive to Big Ten teams, as Tennessee and San Diego State were teams many thought would go on runs as mid-tier sleepers. Similar things are being thought of Florida State, Kansas, and Virginia — all teams with seemingly easy wins that could end up as upsets.

Keep an eye on Virginia specifically, as the Cavaliers face an Ohio team that feels a lot like the North Texas Mean Green squad that bodied Purdue. Ohio almost beat Illinois earlier this season and plays a style of basketball that takes advantage of all of Virginia’s weaknesses.

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