Winners and Losers of the 2023 NCAA Basketball Tournament

Sports titles are highly important and prove a team’s excellence. And it’s no different at the collegiate level. Every year, March Madness, or the NCAA tournament, is a source of suspense and interest for most collegiate basketball fans and the participating teams. The tournament is also a test of who is the best of the best and those who flopped.

Last April 3, the NCAA playoffs for 2023 came to an end, and we have winners and losers. But who were the biggest wins and losses during the NCAA Tournament? Who stood out the most during the March Madness tournament? And who was falling behind throughout the tournament?

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Rising to the Top

UConn Huskies

On April 4, the University of Connecticut Huskies were hailed the 2023 NCAA champions and sealed the status of collegiate basketball royalty. The team won against the San Diego State Aztecs, where the latter overcame a 14-point deficit in the semifinals.

But unfortunately, they were never able to overcome the Huskies. After the victory, UConn joined 1997 Arizona as the No. 4 seed to be champion of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.

LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers won the 2023 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament championship, its first-ever national title, by defeating Iowa 102-85. A 17-point halftime advantage and clutch outside shooting by the Tigers allowed them to stave off the Hawkeyes’ gallant comeback attempt.

LSU scored over 50% of their total score in the first half, including 75% from three-point shots. Jasmine Carson, who came off the bench for LSU, scored 21 points in the first half, including a perfect five of five three-pointers.

Angel Reese and Adama Sanogo

The Most Outstanding Player of the Women’s Basketball Championship was LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese. During the finals, Reese recorded a double-double in the championship game. Reese had 15 points, ten rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

On the other hand, Adama Sanogo was the Men’s Basketball Championship Most Outstanding Player. He recorded his fourth double-double of the competition with 17 points and ten rebounds during the finals. Over six tournament games the UConn Huskies had, he averaged 19.6 points and 9.8 rebounds, helping UConn win its sixth national championship.

Biggest Flops

College Blue-bloods

The second round of the NCAA Tournament eliminated the college blue-bloods, specifically Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky. Just UCLA remains in the Sweet 16 among the Top 10 winningest college basketball schools in history.

When Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky were eliminated, North Carolina failed to earn a spot in the tournament. Just twice in this century has the historic quartet not been represented in the Sweet 16.

A No-Go For No. 1 and No. 2 Seeds

No. 1 seed Purdue and No. 2 seed Arizona were the first well-known teams to lose and fail to move past the first round. But that was only the beginning of the favorites falling like dominoes. Before the dust had settled on the first weekend, more than a few brackets had already been destroyed. The No. 1 seed Kansas and No. 2 seed Marquette were among the brackets eliminated in the second round.

San Diego State Approach to Winning

The approach by SDSU to overpowering the Huskies was a half-hearted pursuit on their end. SDSU thought the strength of their offensive half-court approach could force opponents out of their comfort zones. They also thought they could win by decelerating the game’s pace.

With the Huskies’ lanky players like Sanogo, Clingan, and Karaban towering over them, it was obvious that this strategy wouldn’t succeed. Nonetheless, congratulations to the Aztecs on becoming the first Mountain West team in the NCAA’s Final Four.

Heading Onto the Next Season

NCAA’S 2023 basketball tournament was complete mayhem for three weeks, but there are finally national champions. The overall playoffs were a great representation of grit, sportsmanship, and excellence from both the winners and the losers. We can’t wait for the next season to see who’ll rise to the top and who will flop.