INDIANAPOLIS — There are many things we know to be true this time of year. On Friday, we confirmed for certain that it is no longer February and not yet April, and in dramatic fashion.
The very first game of the men's first round, between Florida and Virginia Tech, tipped off at venerable Hinkle Fieldhouse, a treat for this first-time visitor and a locale more than worthy of that honor. Of course, the crowds were sparse and masked, the chief reminder of the past year’s trials and our ongoing, strange circumstances. Many fans here are neutrals, only some of whom are visibly taking sides. Concession options are limited, though there's still beer, and there are, mercifully, no bathroom lines. There are smaller touches, like pre-taped school dance teams performing on arena scoreboards, rather than at center court. ()
That game ended frantically in overtime, with a series of small plays and big gaffes on both sides—missed free throws, unforced turnovers, a rare five-second inbound violation by the Gators, a game-tying three by the Hokies' Nahiem Alleyne—building to a surgical three-pointer from Florida's Tre Mann. And naturally, that set up a matchup not with No. 2 seed Ohio State, but No. 15 seed Oral Roberts, who would topple the Buckeyes shortly afterward behind the formidable duo of Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor. Some brackets were busted within a few hours. And the comforting thing that echoed across all six venues on Friday was the wonderful, familiar chaos.
There were upsets and almosts. The only Indiana team in the Indiana tournament, naturally, is already out. Purdue was outplayed by North Texas in front of an overwhelmingly friendly crowd, sending a large fan contingent back into the arms of what one can only hope are socially-distanced downtown bars. Early in the day, there were maybe 10 minutes where it felt like Colgate could rightfully knock off Arkansas. No. 10 seed Rutgers won its first men's tournament game since 1983. Not to be outdone, No. 12 seed Oregon State broke a streak that dated back to '82, forcefully taking Tennessee apart at that. There have already been four overtime games, if you include the First Four on Thursday.
Still dancing: Jim and Buddy Boeheim. Gone, for the first time ever in the first round: Roy Williams.
We should probably not bet against Jay Wright anymore, either: Villanova, widely pegged for an early exit by experts, handled Winthrop capably. The public was spared Cade Cunningham and Oklahoma State, who navigated an off night and pulled away from pesky Liberty late. We also got some Sister Jean screen time, setting up a tasty second-round game between Loyola Chicago and Illinois. Somewhere along the way, Wisconsin even found its mojo. Well, maybe.
The night wrapped up at 12:40 a.m. Eastern Time at Lucas Oil Stadium, technically Saturday, where No. 14 seed Morehead State ran with West Virginia for the better part of 30 minutes. The Eagles were then deftly put away by Miles McBride, who may have turned in the best individual performance of the day with 30 points, six rebounds and six assists.
One byproduct of the times: the venue setup at this year’s tournament, with single-game sessions only and additional cleanup required, has produced hellishly late tip times in the final TV window of each night so far. Generally speaking, proclaiming that you’d never want a day to end is made much easier when one is not sitting in an empty arena after hours. Still, the whole basketball thing has started to feel sort of normal. A lot of change can happen in two years, but the best part of Day 1 is that we get to wake up and do it all over again. Mercifully, this year, Day 2 is on a Saturday. —
