The 2023 March Madness NCAA basketball tournament was one of the most exciting ones I ever witnessed. Coming in to the tournament, no team was clearly favorite to win the entire thing. This year’s tournament had upsets and the Cinderella stories were all over the tournament map including a 16th seed knocking off a number 1 seed. Schools no one has ever heard of and small potato basketball universities created some much needed noise. Many of the Big Bad Wolf basketball universities as we’ve seen that done that were eliminated, which happens to most of them rather quickly. The final four had three teams making it there for the first time in their school history. In the end, the University of Connecticut prevails with another championship. A University that is big time basketball program ruins the end of this Hollywood thriller of a movie with a bad ending as the Huskies blow out the Aztecs in the championship.

Before the tournament even gets started, everyone is looking for that awesome Cinderella story. Everyone loves to see the underdog take down a big fish. The very first round had the debut of Kennesaw State University in the March Madness tournament which would have been a nice story of the school’s first ever game knocking down a big school. The Owls were quickly dispatched by Xavier University. Then Texas Southern ties a record with Coppin State and Liberty with their first round lost. Texas Southern now is tied for most tournament losses all-time with 20. The first round had its fairy tales as the Fairleigh Dickinson FDU became the second 16th seed to knock out a number one seed in NCAA history. FDU was the shortest team in the tournament and they took down the University of Purdue’s Giant in the middle cutting his bean stalk down with a weed wacker.

It’s the third year in a row that a 15th seed beat a number two seed. Those Ivy league smarties, Princeton University, pick up their first tournament win since 1988 beating the number two Arizona Wild Cats. Arizona became the first University to lose to a number 15th seed twice as Santa Clara Broncos did them in 1993. The last time Furman University was in the dance was 1980 in which they were number 13th seed and they beat the number 4 Virginia. Remember the University of Virginia was derailed in the first round by a number 16th seed and made history for UMBC, being the first team to ever accomplish that.

The former Ghostbuster, Bill Murray, was seen in every game the University of Connecticut played because his son, Luke Murray, is the assistant coach for the Huskies. We know Bill Murray is a super fan when it comes to sports as the poor bastard roots for the Chicago Cubs. Hollywood actors, when you hear their true life story, just wants to make you vomit.

TROPHY KILLS

This March Madness was really exciting because the big bad bullies on the court were quickly dispatched. Schools like Duke, University of Kentucky, Kansas, Gonzaga and Michigan State. Some schools like North Carolina did not make the tournament. It was great seeing the University of Arkansas take down the Kansas Jay Hawks.

In the state of Kansas, that left the other school doing better than the Jay Hawks. The Wild Cats made it to the Elite 8.

Kansas State would be eliminated by Florida Atlantic University in a close one while the entire school fell on Bill Self and his basketball program. No wonder why he missed the tournament.

HURLEY BLOOD

Dan Hurley’s older brother, Bobby Hurley, won back to back titles playing for Duke University as he made the final 4 3 times in his decorated college career. Dan Hurley played at Seton Hall University and would lose to his brother Bobby and Duke University in 1992 in the elite 8. Now both Hurley brothers are in the college game as head coaches. Dan Hurley has his first title while Bobby is out in the desert with Arizona State, who did not make this year’s tournament.

ELITE 8

It was the first time in March Madness history that no number 1 seeds made it to the Elite 8.

Many thought University of Alabama and University of Houston would be in the final 4. Both schools were ousted in the sweet 16 which even made this 2023 tournament special and busted up your brackets at the same time.

THE FINAL 4

The final four had three teams making their first ever appearance.

I think of palm trees when I think about Florida Atlantic University. The Owls beat number three seeded Kansas State to cement their selves in the final four for the first time. The Owls are the second number 9 seed to make the tournament since expanding to the 64 team format in 1985. The Owls were the first team since George Mason in 2006 picking up their first tournament win in the same season they made it to the final 4. The Owls would be eliminated by San Diego State in a classic final 4 game in the very last second of regulation.

The San Diego State Aztecs make the final four for the first time as a number 5 seed. The Aztecs beat Creighton University with a questionable foul call by the referee at the end in the elite 8. The Aztecs would then proceed to beat FAU with a last second shot and make it all the way to the championship to be destroyed by the Huskies. The Aztecs are still holding on to their Indian name. I’m sure some people will try to pressure the university to change their nickname. They may have already tried. That can be a debate for another time & another place. It’s a very cool logo the Aztecs have.

The Miami Hurricanes surprised me that their University never made it to the final 4.

The Hurricanes are known more for their football program as they were the cons in their rival with Notre Dame back in the late 1980’s. The Hurricanes made a huge comeback to beat number two seeded Texas University to get their spot in the final 4. The Huskies were too much for them as they were dispatched by UCONN in a blow out.

University of Connecticut with their 5th national championship as they beat up on the Aztec in the final game of the tournament. The Huskies beat up on the Hurricanes to get to the final.

Like every March Madness tournament, the ending always stings unless you have the team that wins it in your brackets or pools. If you’re not winning money on the team that wins it, then you’re going against the big time basketball programs unless you went to the school or have family there. Then you have the music chairs when it comes to coaching. The slime ball Rick Pitino leaves Iona University who he got to the big dance for St. John’s University. Then the FDU head coach, Tobin Anderson, quickly jumps ship to take the Iona job Pitino left.

Once again the smaller schools are just a stepping stone for the bigger schools. Once again, the Big Bad Wolf prevails over the smaller school in the National championship.

The 2023 tournament looked very promising most of the way. The ending is once again the same old song and dance.