It was an upset that you can add to the Wolfpack’s lore of stunning March Madness runs. Sure, it’s not quite as special as Jimmy Valvano’s 1983 championship-winning squad, but you can definitely slot this one just below that. NC State also got some help from a surprisingly tight Villanova, a far different team from the one that walloped 16 seed Lafayette by 41 points two days ago.
Villanova’s surprising early exit was the biggest storyline in a day that saw the other top seed in action, Kentucky, book their ticket to the Sweet 16 by beating 8 seed Cincinnati, serving notice yet again that they’re the clear-cut favorites to go all the way.
2 seed Arizona also advanced to the Sweet 16, as did 3 seed Notre Dame and 4 seed North Carolina. The other 4 seed in action, Georgetown, got sent home by 5 seed Utah while 11 seed UCLA continued its improbable run by running past 14 seed UAB.
For the second day in a row, favorites finished strong again, having fully recovered from the first day pasting by securing a 5-3 record against the underdogs.
Tomorrow is another day of the Round of 32 and the action is getting started early with 2 seed Virginia taking on 7 seed Michigan State. Fellow 2 seeds – Kansas and Gonzaga – are also scheduled to play against two 7 seeds – Wichita State and Iowa while the other two top seeds – Duke and Wisconsin – tussle respectively with 8 seeds San Diego State and Oregon.
Other games on the docket include 3 seed Oklahoma taking on 11 seed Dayton, 4 seed Maryland playing against 5 seed West Virginia, and 4 seed Louisville and 5 seed Northern Iowa.