Yahoo Finance 2021 NCAA Tournament - Biggest surprises, disappointments of first round
Yahoo Sports' Krysten Peek recaps a wild first round of the NCAA Tournament, including plenty of upsets and the PAC-12 finishing a perfect 5-0.
Video transcript
KRYSTEN PEEK: The first round of the NCAA tournament did not disappoint. There were plenty of upsets that killed a bracket or two, and fun match ups to look forward to in the second round. Let's break down the biggest surprises and disappointments of the first round starting with the biggest surprise upset of number 15, Oral Roberts, over number two, Ohio State.
Oral Roberts became only the ninth number 15 seed in NCAA history to upset a number two seed-- with the last upset coming in 2016 when Middle Tennessee State upset Michigan State. That wasn't the only bracket breaking upset that took place in the first round, number 14, Abilene Christian, won its first ever NCAA tournament game upsetting number three, Texas. There are also two number 13 seeds advancing as North Texas defeated number four, Purdue. Senior guard Javon Hamlett led them in green with a double-double, finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
The other 13 seed to advance was Ohio, who got the upset win over the defending champs, Virginia. One of the biggest surprises has to be number five, Colorado, annihilating Patrick Ewing and Georgetown-- with 16 three-pointers shooting 64% from deep. The Buffaloes will advance and face number four, Florida State, in the next round. Another surprise has to be number 12, Oregon State, upsetting the favorite number five, Tennessee, led by Junior point guard Ethan Thompson-- who's averaging 15 points and four assists per game. They will face the potential number one player in the NBA draft, Kidd Cunningham, and Oklahoma State.
The Pac-12 is the real winner of the first round-- going 5 and 0 to advance, including number 11 upsetting number six, BYU. And of course, we have to recognize the devastating news of VCU's run ending even before it began due to COVID-19 safety protocols. Number seven, Oregon, will advance and face number two, Iowa, on Monday. I'm Krysten Peek. And for continual coverage on the NCAA tournament, keep it right here on Yahoo Sports.
