The last perfect bracket on CBS Sports’ Men’s Bracket Challenge was hanging by a thread on Friday afternoon but was finally busted with Villanova’s 80-60 win over Delaware.
That bracket survived a wild set of games on Thursday. The first upset was when No. 11 seed Michigan beat No. 6 seed Colorado State, 75-63. The Mountain West conference went 0-4 in the first round, but the Rams had given the conference some hope by finding a 15-point lead in the first half.
No. 12 seed Richmond took out a fifth-seeded Iowa team that was coming into the game with the fifth-best offense in the nation. However, Richmond shouldn’t have been taken lightly as the program has a history of success as an underdog in the NCAA Tournament. This was the Spiders’ ninth win as a 12-seed or worse since 1979.
The biggest bracket-crusher came when No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s took No. 2 seed Kentucky to overtime and walked away with the 85-79 upset. The Peacocks have made only four NCAA Tournament appearances, with the most recent one being in 2011.
The CBS Sports Women’s Bracket Challenge had 1% of brackets still perfect as of Friday afternoon thanks in large part to a host of first-day upsets.
On Day 1 of the women’s first found, No. 10 seed Creighton grabbed a 10-point win over No. 7 seed Colorado. Creighton sophomore guard Morgan Maly pushed the Bluejays to victory with 20 points from the bench while shooting 50% from the field.
No. 10 seed South Dakota took a 75-61 victory over No. 7 seed Ole Miss to advance to the second round of the tournament for the first time in school history. The Coyotes can thank senior center Hannah Sjerven’s perfect 7-of-7 performance from the field that helped her reach 20 points. Senior guard Chloe Lamb added another 20 points on 50% shooting.
The biggest upset on the women’s side happened in an exciting game between No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast and No. 5 seed Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley had an impressive 42-point performance, but that was still not enough to avoid getting knocked out by the Eagles, 84-81.
