“March Madness Mystery: Surprising Lack of Upsets in this Year’s NCAA Tournament!”After the first weekend of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, it seems like March Madness is falling short of its name. Following the round of 64 matchups, half of the remaining 32 men’s teams hail from the SEC and Big Ten, the two most powerful conferences in college sports. By Sunday night, with just 16 teams left, the dominance of major conferences had expanded even further, with all 16 spots occupied by the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC. This marks the lowest number of conferences represented in the Sweet 16 since the creation of this round in 1975. In previous years, the Sweet 16 always featured teams from at least seven different conferences, with the record being 11 conferences represented in one year.The hopes for an underdog team from a smaller conference to advance to the second weekend were dashed this year. Colorado State, a 12th seed from the Mountain West conference, lost to Maryland from the Big Ten on a buzzer-beater, closing the door on Cinderella stories. Conference realignment has played a significant role in this trend, as schools from larger conferences now have a higher chance of making it to the tournament due to conference expansions.Surprisingly, the tournament still saw a few upsets in the opening weekend. McNeese State, the Southland Conference champion, defeated Clemson from the ACC, while Drake from the Missouri Valley Conference beat Missouri of the SEC in the first round. However, overall, this year’s tournament has favored higher-seeded teams, with only one lower seed winning in the Midwest region through the first two rounds.The Big Ten dominated the early stages of the tournament, winning its first 10 games. The SEC, coming off a record-setting achievement of placing 14 teams in the 68-team bracket, saw seven teams advance to the Sweet 16. Out of the 16 top-seeded teams in the tournament, 12 are still in contention for the championship. With the elimination of the two-time defending champion Connecticut, a new champion will be crowned this year, but it is unlikely to be a surprise contender.”
