theScore runs down the top storylines and developments from Saturday's biggest NCAA Tournament games and what it all could mean moving forward.
Abilene Christian upset makes tourney history
No. 14 Abilene Christian accomplished a number of things with Saturday's stunning upset of No. 3 Texas. The victory represented the first NCAA Tournament triumph in school history for the Wildcats; it also gave them in-state bragging rights over the Longhorns - no small thing considering Abilene Christian is a school of 5,200 students compared to 51,000 in Austin. With the win, it was also the first time in NCAA Tournament history that four teams seeded 13th or worse claimed victories in the opening round. No. 15 Oral Roberts and No. 13 North Texas got the party started on Friday, with No. 13 Ohio and Abilene Christian supplying the drama on Saturday.
Ohio sends the champs packing
After almost two full years as NCAA champion, Virginia will relinquish its title in 2021. The fourth-ranked Cavaliers fell in the opening round for the second time in three tournaments, this time to No. 13 Ohio on Saturday night. Due to COVID-19 quarantine rules that followed the team's withdrawal from the ACC Tournament, Virginia couldn't practice all week and didn't arrive in Indianapolis until Friday. That situation made the Bobcats a trendy upset pick, and the MAC champions delivered with a sparkling second-half performance in the second half.
Ohio star Jason Preston flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists in the victory. The Bobcats' defense stifled the Cavaliers, holding the ACC program to a dismal 35% shooting from the floor. Don't assume Ohio is done after just one upset either, as the Bobcats now advance to face a fifth-ranked Creighton outfit that narrowly got past No. 12 UC Santa Barbara earlier in the day.
UCLA keeps Pac-12 perfect
The much-maligned Pac-12 is showing out in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. After No. 11 UCLA's impressive Round of 64 win over No. 6 BYU on Saturday, the conference improved to 5-0 for the event. (Oregon advanced via no-contest following VCU's withdrawal due to COVID-19.) Two of those wins came from Mick Cronin's Bruins thanks to a play-in game victory over Michigan State. Johnny Juzang is becoming one of the stars of March, continuing his stellar play with a 27-point effort. The 20-year-old now has 50 points through two games of the event, joining Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Reggie Miller as the only Bruins to top 20 points in each of his first two NCAA Tournament games.
Gonzaga as good as advertised
Gonzaga entered the tournament with a perfect 26-0 record on the season and wasted no time showing exactly why they are the major favorites to win the national title. The top-ranked Bulldogs absolutely pounded No. 16 Norfolk State by 43 points, the largest margin in the tournament since 2016. Oklahoma now gets the monumental task of trying to slow down the Gonzaga machine in the Round of 32. If Saturday taught us anything, that doesn't seem very likely for the Sooners ... or anybody else in the bracket.
UConn tosses up bricks
Georgetown wasn't the only Big East program to turn in a shocking shooting performance Saturday, as No. 7 UConn couldn't buy a bucket for the majority of its loss to No. 10 Maryland. The Huskies connected on a paltry 32.3% of its shots from the floor, including an abysmal 15-for-53 performance from the starting lineup. They were able to keep the contest close due to an outstanding showing on the boards, as Danny Hurley's outfit ripped down 11 more rebounds than the Terrapins. Maryland's lockdown defense throughout should be a warning to No. 2 Alabama that it's in for a battle Monday in the Round of 32.
Kansas runs away in 2nd half
It took Kansas some time to get rolling in its first appearance since being forced to withdraw from the Big 12 Tournament, but the third-ranked Jayhawks showed in the second half versus Eastern Washington on Saturday that they're a team to watch in the West Region. After trailing by eight at halftime, Kansas hung 55 points on its opponent in the second to claim the 93-84 victory. All-Big 12 forward David McCormack came off the bench to grab 22 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes in his first action since a bout with COVID-19. If he can continue to provide that type of contribution going forward, the Jayhawks could make some noise in the bottom half of the bracket.
LSU could be trouble for Michigan
While LSU entered the tournament as a No. 8 seed, the Tigers certainly have one of the more talented rosters in the country. That was on full display in a 76-61 romp over St. Bonaventure; star freshman Cameron Thomas' 27 led four Tigers with 11 or more points. LSU dominated the rebound margin in the victory, pulling down 49 total to the Bonnies' 30. That will certainly serve them well in a potential upset over No. 1 Michigan in the Round of 32.
Due to the absence of standout Isaiah Livers, Michigan certainly enters March Madness as the No. 1 seed facing the most questions. While the Wolverines ended up with a comfortable 16-point victory on Saturday, a large part of that was based on Texas Southern's horrific 1-of-12 shooting performance from 3-point range. The Wolverines will need to shut down Thomas and get a big game inside from Hunter Dickinson to avoid the upset.
Colorado can't miss
If the Colorado-Georgetown game Saturday was played on NBA Jam, the announcer certainly would have lost his voice from screaming, "He's on fire" for 40 minutes straight. The Buffaloes put on a shooting display for the ages against the Hoyas, going absolutely bonkers from deep en route to a 96-73 blowout win. Colorado entered play ranked 51st in the country in 3-point percentage at 36.7 but poured in 16-of-25 triples for an astonishing 64%. The Buffaloes are just the second team in the last 25 seasons to shoot at least 60% on field goals, 64% on 3-pointers, and 86% on free throws, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Jabari Walker led the Buffaloes off the bench to their first tournament win since 2012, scoring 24 points and connecting on all five of his 3-pointers. Remarkably, Walker came in averaging just 7.3 points per contest and having made just 18 triples on the season. The victory is more proof that the Pac-12 was severely underrated heading into the tournament. UCLA, Oregon State, and Colorado all have notched a win already with USC, Oregon, and the Bruins in action later Saturday.
