14 Seeds UAB and Georgia State Knock Out 3 Seeds Iowa State and Baylor
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Mike Schultz
The first day of the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament did not disappoint as a handful of upsets broke several March Madness fanatics brackets. While several people suspect the no. 5 seed losing to the no. 12 seed, this year it was no. 14 seeds beating the no. 3 seed as Iowa State made an early exit form this year’s tournament.
No one really gave the UAB Blazers much of a chance heading into a game against no. 3 ranked Iowa State as they’re currently the youngest team in the tournament, lacking a single player with March Madness experience under their belts. It didn’t matter as they rallied late to take down the Cyclones 60-59.
Iowa State, one of the most offensively skilled teams all season, was unable to put points on the board, scoring under 60 points for the first time this year. The inability to match the intensity of the scrappy Blazers would eventually be their downfall.
The biggest moment came when UAB’s Robert Brown sank a three-pointer with just under a minute remaining to put the Blazers up 56-55. The final moments had plenty of lead changes with Iowa State’s Monte Morris hitting a runner to give the lead back to the Cyclones 55-57, but the Blazer’s William lee would nail a jumper and sink two free throws on the ensuing foul to give UAB the lead for good.
Iowa State wasn’t the only no. 3 seed to fall, as the Baylor Bears lost in a stunner to the Georgia State Panthers who played relentless defense, forcing 21 Baylor turnovers. Offensively, the Panther’s struggled at times, with their top scorer R.J. Hunter managing only two points late into the second half.
Hunter came alive in the final three minutes of the game, scoring 12 points on a Georgia State 13-0 run that would put the Panthers within striking distance of the Bears. After the Bears missed a free-throw with just 15 seconds remaining, Hunter sank a deep three-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining to secure the wild win.
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