March Madness Round: Top seed Stanford shocked in the NCAA Women’s Tournament, Men’s Sweet 16

(CNN) March mad It never fails to disappoint in terms of excitement, and this one year No different.

There were upsets, with “Cinderella” runs off and braces aplenty going into this year’s NCAA college basketball tournament on both the men’s and women’s teams, while some of the top-seeders handled their business with confidence, avoiding any potential banana peels.

On Sunday, top seed Stanford became the first seed to be eliminated from this year’s women’s tournament, while the round of 16 was decided on the men’s side.

Let’s take a look at the main headlines:

Cardinal drop

The Stanford Cardinal became the first top seed eliminated from the women’s tournament this year after losing 54-49 Sunday night to No. 8 seed Ole Miss.

Angel Baker led the Rebels with 13 points, while Markesha Davis and Madison Scott added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Stanford, who never advanced in Sunday’s game, became the first No. 1 seed to fail to reach the Sweet 16 in the women’s division since 2009 and only the fifth seed since 1994 to be knocked out of the tournament before a game. The second weekend.

The Cardinals led the scoring with forward Cameron Brink, with 20 points. Brink tied the game at 49 with 1:16 remaining but a 5-0 onslaught from Ole Miss took the game out of sight and he cruised to a famous victory.

The Rebels’ qualification to the Sweet 16 is the program’s first since 2007.

“Everybody was dreaming,” Ole Miss coach Yollett McPhee-McQueen told reporters afterward.

“I’m a dreamer, and I try to be a dream merchant for my players. But how cool it is to break someone you love.” [in Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer]? Like, that was so cool… so I’ll never forget this. “

Ole Miss will face either No. 4 seed Texas or No. 5 seed Louisville in the next round.

The end of a fantasy race

In the men’s category, Sunday marked the end of the year’s headlining “Cinderella” run.

The No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, who earlier in the tournament had become the second team in NCAA Men’s Tournament history to defeat a No. 1 seed in the first round after upsetting Purdue, lost 78-70 to the No. 1 seed. 9th seed Florida Atlantic Owls in the second round on Sunday.

Florida Atlantic entered the half with a 32-25 lead, but the Knights stormed back, taking an 8-0 lead to start the second half to take the lead. However, the Owls took over and broke the game open with less than five minutes to play.

Owls guard Jonell Davis led the scoring with 29, while Demeter Roberts kept Fairleigh Dickinson’s 20 points close, but it wasn’t enough in the end.

Although the Knights’ career came to an end, the team’s spirit, determination and penchant for winning against all odds meant that they became the second team for many people, as fans believed in the continuation of the dream.

After the game, FDU coach Tobin Anderson said the last few weeks would be something he would live with forever.

When asked what he would remember most about 2023 March Madness, he said: “Everything. Everyone chanting ‘FDU’. The place went crazy. The police escort. Leaving the hotel with the marching band. Every part of this I will remember forever – and they will, too.”

He added, “What we did was incredibly special. And that would be something [we’ll have] for the rest of our lives.”

With the Knights’ loss, the 16th seed has yet to advance to the Sweet 16 in NCAA Men’s Tournament history.

This is the first Sweet 16 appearance for Florida Atlantic in program history, and the Owls will take on No. 4 Tennessee on Thursday in New York.

After Sunday’s results, that means the men’s Sweet 16 tournament is set, with teams needing just four more wins to be crowned national champions.

The round will kick off on Thursday, March 23 and begin with No. 7 seed Michigan State playing No. 3 Kansas State, followed by No. 4 Yukon against No. 8 Arkansas, No. 4 Tennessee against No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic and No. 8 Arkansas. 2. UCLA seeded against No. 3 Gonzaga.

On Friday, top-seeded Alabama will play No. 5 seed San Diego State, Houston faces No. 4 seed Miami, while Creighton faces No. 15 seed Princeton and second seed Texas against No. 3 seed Xavier. The Sweet 16 closes.