5 Biggest Losers From the First Weekend of the NCAA Tournament

The Midwest Region

Fifty-two games later, the NCAA Tournament has whittled its 68-team field down to 16. While some regions of the bracket featured mighty upsets and unexpected results, the Midwest Region did not. 

All of the top-four seeds are onto the Sweet Sixteen, and there was hardly any drama in between. The McNeese State Cowboys were the only lower-seed to advance past the first round. Worse, only three underdogs covered the spread, with all but three of those games going over the total. 

While they were spread across several venues, none of the Midwest Region games delivered the excitement basketball fans deserved in March Madness. Here's hoping the field has been condensed enough to get more exciting contests, particularly in the Midwest.

Big East Basketball

St. John's struggles were emblematic of more significant issues plaguing every Big East team in the NCAA Tournament. They can't keep up with the top teams in the country. 

Despite its reputation as one of the premier basketball conferences in the country, not a single Big East team is off to the Sweet Sixteen. The UConn Huskies were the closest and most unsuspecting team of the bunch. The Huskies nearly knocked off the top-seeded Florida Gators in the second round, only to lose by two points. The Creighton Bluejays suffered a similar fate, failing to hang tough with the Auburn Tigers. 

The Marquette Golden Eagles and Xavier Musketeers round out the Big East competitors who suffered unceremonious exits. The way things are going, next year is of little consolation to a struggling conference.

Mid-Major Programs

The realities of the NIL landscape are slowly revealing themselves, and it's an unfortunate portrait for mid-major programs. 

Not one mid-major program advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Worse, they stacked up poorly against the premier conferences at the outset of the tournament, with just a few programs pulling off first-round upsets.

We've grown accustomed to an unfamiliar team stealing our hearts in March Madness, but that wasn't the case this year. Given the major conference appeal and NIL money available, it's becoming increasingly unlikely we'll see that again.

Illinois Fighting Illini

At the outset of the tournament, many people were high on the Illinois Fighting Illini. Despite being a sixth seed, Illinois was expected to make some noise in March Madness and potentially bust a few brackets. Instead, they were dealt a second-round loss while being installed as betting favorites versus the third-seeded Kentucky Wildcats. 

Illinois was never in the fight versus Kentucky. They trailed early, were down at half, and eventually lost by nine. Unfortunately, that was the poetic ending they deserved after going 5-5 over their final 10 games of the season. 

The future is bright for the Fighting Illini. This roster was led by a trio of underclassmen who had no tournament experience to draw on. If Tomislav Ivisic, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Will Riley are all back next year, Illinois might go on that ride everyone was expecting. 

The Midwest Region

Fifty-two games later, the NCAA Tournament has whittled its 68-team field down to 16. While some regions of the bracket featured mighty upsets and unexpected results, the Midwest Region did not. 

All of the top-four seeds are onto the Sweet Sixteen, and there was hardly any drama in between. The McNeese State Cowboys were the only lower-seed to advance past the first round. Worse, only three underdogs covered the spread, with all but three of those games going over the total. 

While they were spread across several venues, none of the Midwest Region games delivered the excitement basketball fans deserved in March Madness. Here's hoping the field has been condensed enough to get more exciting contests, particularly in the Midwest.