With such big upsets in last year’s tournament, such as the victory from No. 16 University of Maryland Baltimore County over No. 1 University of Virginia in the first round, the hype for this year’s tournament was through the roof. Although something that surprising didn’t happen, there were some amazing wins from lower ranked teams.

The first round brought a couple wins from low ranked teams. No. 12 Liberty University had a surprising win over No. 5 Mississippi State University. Both teams were close the entire game, Mississippi State pulling up to a 37-35 lead at halftime. After the half, Mississippi State kept a strong lead, scoring 10 points up to the final seven minutes. However, that didn’t stop the Flames. Liberty rallied in the last few minutes of the game to get a 80-76 win over Mississippi State. This was a big victory for Liberty, given their previous four appearances were losses as the No. 16 seed. They didn’t have as much luck in the next round, as they lost to No. 4 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, but it was a great step in the right direction.

Other notable wins by lower ranked teams include a first round win by Murray State University led by sophomore guard Ja Morant. Making the Top 101 players of the 2018-2019 season, Morant made the news as the tournament got closer and closer, as he made monstrous dunks against big teams such as Auburn University and the University of Alabama, showing just how powerful he and the team could be in the tournament.

When March rolled around, there was so much hype for Murray State that it seemed like they could win against their first opponent, No. 5 Marquette University, and they weren’t wrong. Morant ended up getting a triple-double in the game, the ninth triple-double to happen in the tournament’s history since 1987, when the NCAA started keeping track of them. Murray State dominated in every way, outscoring Marquette in both halves, which led to their monstrous 83-64 win.

More upsets came from University of California Irvine Aggies and University of Oregon Ducks. The Irvine Aggies’ 70-64 win over Kansas State University was their first tournament win ever. They lost their previous appearance in 2015 when they fell to the University of Louisville 57-55. A slow start to the season for Oregon threatened their tournament chances, but a strong comeback late in the season got them the win. The Ducks used this momentum to shock the University of Wisconsin when they won by a whopping 18 points, finishing the game 72-54.

Some  of the biggest upsets came in the later rounds when big names in the NCAA tournament lost, such as Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Villanova University. Duke, led by freshman Zion Williamson, was a favorite to win the tournament but lost by one point in the third round to Michigan State University. This was Williamson’s time to shine, as this tournament would be the end of his college career before his predicted move to the NBA.

Reigning 2018 national champ and No. 6 Villanova had a surprisingly early exit this year. They coasted by with a first round 61-57 win over Saint Mary’s College but struggled as they faced No. 3 Purdue University. Shooting only 34 percent compared to Purdue’s 54 percent, Villanova had a hard time coming back from deficits in each half and ended up losing 87-61.

UNC started off well with wins in the first and second rounds over Iona University and University of Washington. Later, the UNC Tarheels  faced tough competition from No. 5 Auburn, as they outscored UNC by two points in the first half. Still, UNC was determined to win, but Auburn had other plans. They went to outscore UNC by 15 points to win 97-80. This was their first trip to the Elite Eight in 33 years, while UNC was forced to go home after becoming a staple in the tournament for years.

Although the tournament did not have No. 16 seeds defeating No. 1 seeds, this year brought  great games to college basketball’s most popular month.

Although he didn’t win the National Championship, the first thing that comes to mind about the 2019 NCAA March Madness tournament is Duke University superstar Zion Williamson. The Associated Press Player of the Year put on a dominant display in the five tournament games that he participated in, only for it all to end after Duke fell to Michigan State University in the Elite Eight by a score of 68-67.

In those five games, Williamson averaged 25 points and eight assists per game, in addition to at least five highlight plays. Williamson showed that he is for real, whether it was by catching what looked like impossible lob passes and finishing with huge jams, throwing dime passes, coming out of nowhere and performing a huge block or hitting a contested three in his defenders face.

In the Sweet Sixteen, Williamson took his six-foot-seven-inch frame up against the University of Central Florida and their center senior Tacko Fall, who stands at seven feet six inches. Matching up against a player who is almost a one foot taller seems like it would be a problem for about anybody, but for Zion, it was: “Bring it on.”

While Fall had his moments against Williamson and was able to make his presence felt, it was Williamson who had the last laugh. Duke, the number-one seed, was down by three against  the ranked No. 9 UCF with 15 seconds left with the ball in Williamson’s hands. Instead of going for a three, Williamson put his head down and went straight at Fall, who was waiting for him under the basket. Williamson ended up getting fouled and converting the free throw for an and- one. Duke found themselves in a similar situation two weeks later at the Elite Eight. The difference between those two games was simple. The ball wasn’t in Williamson’s hands in the final seconds against Michigan State with Duke down two. Instead, the ball was given to R.J. Barrett who ended up missing the free throw to tie the game, ending the Blue Devils’ Season.

Regardless of how the season ended for Duke, it doesn’t take away the greatness of Zion Williamson. Given his outstanding performance in March Madness, Williamson is the overwhelming favorite to be the Number One pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The latest chapter of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s annual men’s basketball championship has concluded, with the University of Virginia’s Cavaliers being crowned the winners of the 2019 edition. The final saw the Cavaliers go up against the Red Raiders of Texas Tech University in a matchup few experts saw materializing at the tournament’s start.

While much of the media coverage will now be surrounding the heroics of Virginia shooting guard Kyle Guy and the 17 points tallied by the Cavaliers in overtime to clinch the national title, the main talking points should be focused on the future, and the future rests resoundingly in the hands of the Michigan State University Spartans.

In the immediate aftermath of the tournament, the projected national rankings for the 2019-20 college basketball season have been announced, with Michigan State topping the list at No. 1.

That the Spartans are ranked so highly shouldn’t be considered too much of a surprise, as they have reached the Final Four of the tournament three times during the decade, while also making an appearance in every single NCAA basketball tournament since 1998. However, their spot in the newly drawn rankings has been met with surprise and criticism from fans and pundits alike, who question the Spartans’ placement ahead of powerhouses such as Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and even the most recent champions, Virginia.  

To understand the favoritism being shown towards Michigan State, one has to look back to the end of the 2017-18 season, when the Spartans’ longtime head coach Tom Izzo began making the necessary moves to secure a national championship.

At the end of their 2018 campaign, the Spartans had amassed an impressive 30-5 record, while managing to capture the league championship of the Big Ten Conference, considered to be one of, if not the most, competitive league for any collegiate sport. In spite of their regular season performances, they did not see the same successes in their postseason run. The Spartans would fall at the hands of the University of Michigan Wolverines during the Big Ten tournament.

The disappointment would not end there for Michigan State, as although they made another routine trip to the NCAA tournament, they failed to make it past the round of 32 after a massive upset loss to the Syracuse University Orange caused the Spartans to crash out of the tournament early. To make matters worse, Spartan forward Miles Bridges, the team leader in points per game, elected to declare for the 2018 NBA draft.   

Following the arrival of the commitment deadline for the class of 2018, Michigan State had picked up several four-star rated players, making the Spartans’ most recent recruitment cycle one of the best in the nation. Some of these top players included forwards Thomas Kithier, Gabe Brown and, most notably, Aaron Henry. This new collection of players would prove to live up to their label as the one of the most well assembled groups in the world of collegiate basketball, as Michigan State would repeat as Big Ten champions, earning themselves the No. 1 ranking heading into the postseason conference tournament. The Spartans would go on to dominate their league tournament, besting fellow top 10 nationally ranked program Michigan in the final 65-60.

Michigan State opened up play in the 2019 NCAA tournament against No. 15 ranked Bradley University and converted all but one of 26 free throws to move on to the second round with ease. The Spartans met a conference rival in the University of Minnesota in the round of 32, decimating their opponent 70-50 en route to their first Sweet 16 in four years. Next up for the Spartans were the Louisiana State University Tigers, who held the No. 3 seed in the East Region, just one spot below Michigan State. The Spartans refused to give up their early lead to complete their second consecutive blowout, this time 80-63 over LSU, and secure their first appearance in the Elite Eight since 2015.

The greatest victory that could have come the way of Michigan State was a win over media darling Duke which would deny the Blue Devils a chance at the Final Four, which was exactly what happened. History was against Coach Izzo, who had managed only a single win in 12 contests against Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski. In a back and forth battle, the Spartans would take the contest by a single point, destroying Duke’s air of invincibility.  

The Final Four would see Michigan State fall to Texas Tech 61-51, in a game that saw their offense almost completely shutdown. Despite the exit, the Spartans have shown extreme promise for the next season, evidenced by them keeping stalwarts Nick Ward, Xavier Tillman and Cassius Winston, holding on to future leaders Aaron Henry and Gabe Brown, and securing more top tier talent in Malik Hall and Julius Marble to give them the depth necessary to go all the way in 2020.

After slightly lackluster performances in the Madeira Beach Spring Invitational and Hampton Blue and White Classic, the Dragons looked to bounce back in their last invitational to start off the year, the Maryland Invitational in College Park, Maryland.

First up was Bryant University. This was yet another strong performance for junior Linda Rush, who hit a grand slam. Sophomore pitcher Brooklyn Daly also had a strong game, as she struck out nine batters, a career high for her. What really sealed the deal were back-to-back innings where the Dragons scored six runs, which led to their 13-6 win over Bryant.

Despite Rush hitting another home run in this game, the Dragons could not get a win over the University of Rhode Island. Drexel could not mimic their success from the previous game, and in fact, Rhode Island used a similar tactic against them in this game. They had two four-inning games to get a 12-6 win over the Dragons.

Bryant had another chance to defeat Drexel, but the Dragons had other plans. Despite their victory, however, Drexel was not able to create such an explosive game, as they only won 3-2. A walk off double by sophomore Kristi DiMeo sealed the deal in the seventh inning to lead the Dragons to the win.

The Dragons ended the invitational with a match against Saint Peter’s University. With three hits and six RBIs, including a grand slam, sophomore Haley Hulitt led the Dragons to such a dominating win. A five-run fourth inning, which was led by a two-run home-run by senior Taylor M. Lee, sealed the deal over Saint Peter’s with a 10-0 win.

As far as their start to the regular, single-game season, the Dragons exploded to get four straight wins. Drexel started it off with a game against the University of Delaware. Rush continued her hot streak with two home runs, while junior Hannah Walker contributed with one of her own. This led to their first CAA win of the year over Delaware, 9-2. The Dragons also played a doubleheader against the Blue Hens. In the first game, Drexel didn’t have the same powerful performance, but they still came out on top. A couple RBIs brought the Dragons to a 5-0 lead, but in the sixth and seventh innings, Delaware got four runs of their own. However, the Blue Hens could not come up with any more runs, and the Dragons won 5-4. In the second game, Rush hit yet another home run, her ninth of the season, leading the Dragons to a 5-2 win and a sweep of the Blue Hens.

Next, Drexel had three home doubleheaders. Against Lafayette College, Drexel slightly edged the Leopards in the first game 7-6 and tied in the second game 8-8. DiMeo went 5-for-7 with a three-run home run, and Rush went 5-for-8 with two doubles and six RBI. Hulitt also hit a home run of her own in the doubleheader, getting her to three RBI. Their next doubleheader was against Saint Peter’s. Just as they did in the Maryland Invitational, Drexel demolished Saint Peter’s 10-3 in the first game and 18-0 in the second game. As usual, Rush and DiMeo hit home runs, but some new names added to the mix. Freshman Sarah Clinton and sophomore Megan Trivelpiece homered as well as junior Taylor Kent, leading to the trampling of the Peacocks.

However, Drexel’s luck ended as the Dragons played their last doubleheader against the College of Charleston. In the first game, Drexel got demolished 11-2 even with a two-run home run from Hulitt. The second game was a different story, as the Dragons fought to a 5-3 win. The game was tied 3-3, but a home run from Clinton broke the game wide open and gave the Dragons the win. A final game against Charleston continued this hot streak. After an hour rain delay, the Dragons went back to work. After falling to a 3-0 deficit, Lee and Rush both smashed home runs to give the Dragons a 5-3 lead. It all went up from there, as the Dragons dominated 8-5.

Drexel then moved onto yet another doubleheader, this time against Coppin State University. Just as the Dragons did against Saint Peter’s, Drexel dominated this doubleheader. Six RBIs by DiMeo and another Rush and Lee home run lead Drexel to a 17-2 win. In the second game, freshman Meghan Conroy threw a complete game while DiMeo had four RBI, for a total of 10 in this doubleheader, as Drexel won again, 7-1.

The doubleheader against Coppin State was just the first of many to come against teams such as University of North Carolina Wilmington and La Salle University. The Dragons next game will be April 4 against Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Despite their impressive mid-season run of eight consecutive wins, the Drexel University men’s tennis team closed out March with a string of four losses in a row, evening out to 8-8 overall. In the span of three weeks, the Dragons faced the University of Pennsylvania, St. John’s University, the College of Charleston and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Drexel took to Penn’s Hecht and Hamlin courts March 10 in a rivalry match against the Quakers. Though the courts serve as Drexel’s home courts during the indoor part of the season, they were designated as the visitors on the occasion.   

The Dragons fell to their Philadelphian neighbors 5-2, earning wins at third doubles as well as the fourth and fifth singles spots. The pairing of junior Youssef Lahlou and freshman Juan Manuel Sanchez took the sole win for Drexel in the doubles matches. Sophomores Xandy Hammitt and Sanil Jagtiani, while unable to take their doubles match, each emerged victorious in their individual efforts at singles.

Up next for Drexel was St. John’s, a match up that saw the Dragons return as hosts at the Hecht and Hamlin Centers March 16. Sanchez and Lahlou were paired again to great effect at third doubles where they worked hard to secure a close 7-6 win over their opponents. The first doubles space was occupied by freshman Gustav Wogen and senior Sinan Orhon, who bested their opposition 7-5. The win put Drexel ahead on the doubles aggregate, bringing the Dragons up 1-0 overall.

While the outcome of the doubles matchups showed great promise for Drexel, the Dragons lost in each of their singles matches, ultimately granting St. John’s the match with a 4-1 final score. Competing for Drexel at singles were Orhon, Wogen, Lahlou, Jagtiani, Hammitt and junior Alvaro Cruz Chamorro. Orhon and Jagtiani did not finish their matches while the rest of the Dragons lost in straight sets.

March 28-29 had Drexel pitted against Charleston and UNCW, respectively. Drexel dropped the contest against Charleston 5-2 in a match that saw wins from Hammitt and Lahlou at singles. The duo of  Orhon and Wogen earned Drexel’s only win at doubles.

Drexel had to make the quick turnaround to face UNCW in a Colonial Athletic Association league matchup a day after their loss to Charleston. Unfortunately for the Dragons, their performance was no better their second day of competing, as they went winless at each doubles and singles spot. The final point tally was 7-0 in favor of the Seahawks. The highlight of the day for Drexel was Orhon and Wogen taking the lead at first doubles before having to leave the match unfinished as a result of behind on doubles aggregate.

Although the outdoor part of the season has already kicked off for Drexel, the Dragons had their first true home match of the season on their very own outdoor Vidas Courts. Drexel made their home outdoor debut against Saint Joseph’s University April 4. The tennis squad will be keen on making the opener a winning one, as they hope to build momentum going into the CAA tennis championships.

After struggling to a record of 5-8 last season, the Drexel University Men’s Lacrosse team looked to bounce back in 2019 with a winning record and more consistent performances. Though they’ve had some success, the Dragons have continued to stumble against stiffer competition. After nine games, the Dragons have a record of 4-5 with all four of their remaining games coming against Colonial Athletic Association opponents.

The Dragons’ most impressive win this season so far came March 10 against Villanova, who ranked No. 11 in the country at the time of the matchup. The Dragons won that game by a score of 15-10 in the final game of the Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic. The team had dropped the two games prior to the Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic to unranked opponents (the University at Albany and Jacksonville University) by a combined total of eight goals. This unpredictable level of play has left the team hungry for more.

Drexel’s most recent game came March 30 in a CAA conference matchup against the University of Massachusetts, which ranked No. 16 in the country at the time of the matchup. The Dragons were led by juniors Matthew Varian and Reid Bowering and sophomore Nick Fox, who accounted for seven of Drexel’s nine goals in the game.

The Dragons led UMass by a score of 6-2 heading into the third period thanks to a strong defensive effort. Unfortunately, the second half saw a shift in momentum as UMass took control of the game. In the final two periods, UMass outscored Drexel 8-3 to pull out a hard-fought 10-9 victory for the Minutemen. The Dragons were outshot 42-31 and also had 12 fewer ground balls than UMass throughout the course of the game. Despite the Dragons’ early season success with extra-man opportunities, the unit went 0-3 in opportunities against the Minutemen.

Drexel’s next game comes April 6 as they host the rival University of Delaware Blue Hens, who currently have a record of 8-2. They look to avenge last year’s 17-8 throttling against Delaware.

After a successful fall season, in which they had three top-three finishes, the Drexel University men’s golf team looks to continue their success in the spring. Their first tournament was the Lonnie Barton Invitational in Daytona Beach, Florida, March 4 and 5. They were up against teams such as Iona College and Towson University.

On the first day, the Dragons looked to dominate against these teams from across the nation. Junior Connor Schmidt opened the invitational with an even-par 72 for the first round. This was a great way to start off the season, especially since Schmidt’s play was exactly how he played in the fall, showing the world that Drexel is a force not to be messed with anytime in the year.

Overall, the Dragons shot a 311 for the first day, putting them at 10th place out of 21. Junior Alex Butler was the second-lowest scorer with a 79, with sophomores Angelo Giantsopoulos and Jeffrey Cunningham scoring 80s.

On the second day Schmidt was even more successful, shooting a three-under par 69 to earn medalist honors. He ended the tournament also three-under for a total score of 141 (despite being third place on day one), earning first place in the tournament as an individual. Cunningham continued his dominance by placing second on the Drexel team, with a score of 156. Butler and sophomore Stephen Cerbara shot a 160, while Giantsopoulos shot a 161. This brought the Dragons up from 10th place to fifth place, which is a huge recovery from the first day.

Overall, Bethune-Cookman University won the tournament with a score of 584. The University of North Alabama came in second, 20 shots back of Bethune-Cookman. Drexel stood just behind Longwood University and Wright State University in the top five.

The Dragons will head to the Redhawk Invitational April 1 and 2.

Coming into the game as underdogs despite being at home, the Drexel University men’s basketball team put up a good fight against Hofstra University, who is in first place in the Colonial Athletic Association. Despite the efforts from the home squad, Hofstra defeated Drexel by a score of 80-77, Feb. 28.

In the first half, the Dragons struggled offensively. As a team, they shot just 20 percent from three-point range and 42 percent from field goal range. Despite the poor shooting, Drexel only trailed by six points at halftime. Drexel did a solid job of limiting the offensive production from Hofstra senior standout Justin Wright-Foreman, who made only four of his 13 shot attempts in the first half. Junior Alihan Demir led the Dragons in scoring with 12 points on 4-6 shooting in the first half. Graduate transfer Trevor John made history after hitting a three in the first quarter giving him 93 threes on the season, a new Drexel record. He passed former standout Dominick Mejia who made 92 three-pointers during the 2005-06 season.

In the second half, the Dragons caught on fire offensively. Drexel shot 45 percent from three and 52 percent on field goals in the second half. John added to his special night in the second half, hitting five of his eight three-point attempts. Demir continued to produce in the second half as well, going for 12 points to give him 24 on the night overall while making an incredible nine of his 13 field goal attempts. Unfortunately, one of Demir’s misses was a three-point attempt at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime. Despite Drexel’s strong scoring effort in the second half, Wright-Forman’s second half offensive display was too much to handle. After starting out slow in the first half, the senior hit eight out of his 10 attempts in the second half including four three-pointers. This accounted for 23 of his total 32 points in the game.

The Dragons’ next game came against Northeastern University March 2, marking the last regular season game.. The first half was a back-and-forth battle as the Dragons found themselves down 37-33 at halftime. The Dragons were led by freshman standout Camryn Wynter who had 13 points and five assists by halftime.

The second half was a different story as the Dragons got outscored by 20 points. Drexel could not contain Northeastern redshirt junior Vasa Pusica who scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half. The final score of the game was 90-66 in favor of Northeastern.

The loss gives Drexel a regular season record of 13-18 overall and 7-11 in CAA. Despite the losing record, Drexel did well enough to secure the sixth seed in the CAA tournament with a date against the third seeded College of Charleston (23-8 overall, 12-6 in CAA conference play). The game will take place March 10 at 8:30 p.m. in North Charleston, South Carolina. Leading Charleston is junior Grant Riller who is averaging 22 points, three rebounds and four assists per game. The teams haven’t met since Feb. 9 in Philadelphia, which saw Drexel lose to Charleston 86-84.