It’s not over yet. Just three games remain to crown a champion. What started as a wide-open tourney on the men’s side has delivered an unexpected and historical Final Four slate. For the women, South Carolina remains unbeaten at 36-0 and looking to repeat as national champions.
Let’s look at the best of the best from March Madness:
San Diego State advanced to the Final Four for the first time in program history. The Aztecs aren’t the only men’s team to make history. Florida Atlantic University and Miami achieved historic firsts after making it to the Final Four.
Best Upsets: No. 16-seed Farleigh Dickinson knocked out No. 1-seed Purdue, 63-58; No. 13-seed Furman Paladins took down the No. 4-seed Virginia Cavaliers, 68-67; No. 15-seed Princeton bounced No. 2-seed Arizona, 59-55. No. 5-seed SDSU taking down another No. 1-seed Alabama Crimson Tide, 71-64.
Biggest Letdowns: Iowa, Texas A&M, and Illinois.
Best of the Worst Performance: Iowa State vs. Pittsburgh.
Best Shooting Performance: In the women’s NCAA tournament, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was the first player to record a 40-point triple-double in an NCAA Division I basketball tournament game (men’s or women’s). Clark had 41 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, and nine steals against top-seed Louisville.
Best Defense: San Diego State Aztecs. When you hold a team that averages close to 90 points per game way under its average, then come back and do it again and again, you get the award.
Best Men’s Team Shooting: Miami Hurricanes. Against No. 1-seed Houston, the Canes shot 11-25 from behind the arc in the Sweet 16 round.
Best of Top Seeds: By the Elite Eight, all of the top-seed teams were eliminated from the tournament.
Best Comebacks: Princeton stuns Arizona, 59-55; SDSU drops Alabama, 71-64; Furman upsets Virginia, 68-67.
Best of Two Halves: UCLA vs. Gonzaga: After losing a 13-point second-half lead, UCLA held a one-point lead over the Bulldogs with 13 seconds remaining in the game. But Gonzaga’s Julian Strawther nailed a game-winning shot, sending the Zags to the Elite Eight.
Best Coaching Job: San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher against Alabama. Dutcher and the Aztecs made major adjustments with a well-timed timeout, trailing the Crimson Tide by nine. SDSU went on a 12-0 run immediately after to take control of the game and knock out Alabama.
Best SmackDown: Connecticut over Arkansas. The Huskies followed it up with an 82-54 rout of Gonzaga.
Best Unknown: Florida Atlantic University (FAU), of the Conference USA, is heading to Houston from Boca Raton, Florida.
Best of March Madness All Time: UCLA Bruins with 11 titles.
Up next: Final Four, April 1
FAU vs. San Diego State 3:09 p.m. (CBS)
SDSU – 1.5 Total 1311/2
Miami vs. Connecticut 5:49 p.m. (CBS)
CONN -5 1/2 Total 1491/2
