The NCAA men’s basketball tournament wrapped up in Houston Texas, with the UConn Huskies defeating the San Diego State Aztecs 76-59 to win their fifth championship. While the tournament has always been known for upset wins and Cinderella storylines, this year in particular was more exciting with the amount of upsets that happened.

The first upset of the tournament began early in the opening round, when No. 13 seed Furman defeated No. 4 seed Virginia on a game-winning three pointer after an errant Virginia pass. It wasn’t the first time Virginia had failed to live up to their high seed: Virginia had lost to 13 seeded Ohio two years prior, and were also the first men’s No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in 2018. The afternoon saw the upsets continue, with an even bigger upset occurring when No. 2 seed Arizona fell to No. 15 seed Princeton, a school more known for academics than athletics. But the biggest upset of the whole tournament came a day later. No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson was given no chance against No. 1 seed Purdue, as they had struggled to even make the tournament, and had the shortest starting lineup in college basketball taking on Purdue and their 7’4” center Zach Edey, who would later win National Player of the Year. FDU went into halftime with a 32-31 lead, and pulled away in the second half for a 63-58 win, ruining anyone’s chances for a perfect bracket.

The upsets continued into the next round. Although FDU couldn’t keep their run going, losing to Florida Atlantic, Princeton was able to beat Missouri to advance to the Sweet 16. No. 2 and No. 3 seeds Marquette and Baylor also lost their games in the round of 32. The biggest upset that round was when defending champions and No. 1 seeded Kansas lost to No. 8 Arkansas, continuing a six year streak of the defending champions failing to make the Sweet 16.

In the Sweet 16, the final two No 1 seeds were knocked out. Alabama lost to No. 5 seed San Diego State, and Houston couldn’t beat No. 5 Miami, meaning 2023 was the first tournament where a one seed didn’t make it to the Elite 8. The highest remaining seeds were No. 2 seed Texas and No. 3 seeded Gonzaga and Kansas State. Kansas State became a fan favorite after their pregame locker room dances, but Coach of the Year winner Jerome Tang couldn’t lead them past Florida Atlantic. Gonzaga, looking for their long elusive title, were blown out by UConn, while Texas was upset by Miami, and San Diego State was able to win in the final seconds against Creighton. Three of the four teams in the Final Four were making their first appearances, and barely any brackets accurately predicted the correct teams.

San Diego State and Florida Atlantic were the first matchup of the day, and they provided an exciting matchup. Florida Atlantic seemed to carry their halftime lead into a trip to the championship, but after Johnell Davis missed a layup for the Owls, San Diego State guard Lamont Butler sunk a jumper at the buzzer to give the Aztecs a 72-71 win. UConn and Miami were next, and UConn were considered the unanimous favorite to win that game and the tournament. Miami kept it close in the second half, but they couldn’t pull away from the Huskies, who won 72-59. The championship saw San Diego State struggle to make shots in the first half, and UConn had a 12-point lead at halftime. San Diego State cut into the Huskies lead in the second half, but UConn and Final Four MVP Adama Sanogo cruised to a 76-59 win, giving UConn their fifth national championship, and the first under Coach Dan Hurley.