So here’s hoping that by now that when you hear “Sweet 16” this is not the first thing you think of:
Because last night, our Huskies defeated Iowa State 81-76 in the Sweet 16 round of the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, advancing to the Elite Eight on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. to play Michigan State.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar, the tournament, affectionately known as March Madness, started a little more than a week ago and has yet to disappoint. They don’t call it “madness” for nothing- these games are some of the most exciting sporting events of the year. Even if you are not a frequent sports fan, these games can get anyone to jump out of their seat.
The bracket started out looking something like this:
And everyone and their mother filled out a bracket. After all, Warren Buffett promised $1 billion to anyone with a perfect bracket, so why not? There is a ONE IN 1 QUINTILLION chance of getting it all right, but worth a try!
But, as the tournament usually goes, the first rounds came and went and NO ONE got all of the games correct.
That’s exactly the magic of the tournament. Teams come to play as if their life depended on it and ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.
You have the surprise teams that no one expected to make it to past the first round.
This year’s Cinderella Story is Dayton, who beat Ohio State, Syracuse (YES), and now Stanford to advance to the Elite Eight.
And not to mention when Mercer (wasn’t aware this was even a school) beat Duke in the first round. Gotta love an underdog victory.
Besides that, you have the big powerhouses that everyone expects to make it to the final four. Among them are Michigan State, Arizona, and Florida (Who UConn beat this year…just sayin).
#Shabizzness.
So back to our Huskies. In the first round, we took St. Joes into overtime and won 89-81. Two days later we upset a strong Villanova team. Friday, we beat on Iowa State.
The matchup was an incredible one (and everyone expected it to be, judging by the outrageously expensive ticket prices). Iowa State’s point guard, DeAndre Kane, is one of the best in the nation, so his matchup with Shabazz was amazing to watch. UConn led for most of the game, and although Shabazz hit some clutch threes as usual, DeAndre Daniels was truly the player of the game.
Daniels scored 27 points, 19 of which he scored in the second half. He also had 10 rebounds and two blocks. Ryan Boatright, Niels Giffey, Terrence Samuel and Amida Brimah also contributed to the win.
The Huskies face a huge challenge in Michigan State on Sunday. The Spartans just knocked off top-seeded Virginia and all of their players are the healthiest they have been all season. UConn will have to come to play, and must avoid the inconsistency they have demonstrated in past games.
One thing that can be known for sure is that UConn students and fans will be glued to their TVs (if they weren’t lucky enough to get a ticket to MSG) on Sunday, and huge celebrations can be expected if the Huskies emerge victorious.
Otherwise, UConn students might end up looking slightly similar to a My Super Sweet 16 cast member…
GO HUSKIES!
Cover image via http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2014/03/21/uconn-vs-st-j…