@packers

4mo

The Biggest Upset in CBB History

On the late evening of March 16, 2018, one of the most shocking and unexpected upsets occurred in college basketball. Many people thought that a 16 seed beating a 1 seed was unachievable for obvious reasons. There was no chance a team that played in a small conference and a high school gym for their home games could compete against a powerhouse in arguably the best conference in cbb during this time period. But, it happened. And not in a way that people thought it was going to happen. Many people thought if a 16 seed were to beat a 1 seed, it would be by a crazy buzzer beater. But the complete opposite happened. UMBC flat out destroyed Virginia. From the first possession you could tell Virginia looked flat. They were without their valuable 6 man DeAndre Hunter, who was out for the rest of the season. Them not having him in the rotation really threw off their game. After the first half, the score was 21-21 and you could tell something was off. Virginia’s offense was nonexistent and hadn’t looked the same it had been all season long. Many people thought that they would come out in the second half and finally get their shit together, but that did not happen. What ended up happening was one of the most shocking second half performances that anybody who pays attention to cbb will never forget. UMBC not only beat the best in the country, they flat out destroyed them in them in the second half. The same team that lost to Albany by 44 points just 2 months prior beat the ACC champions and a team who only lost two games by a combined 8 points all season. In my opinion, this is easily the greatest upset in cbb history (even over the fdu Purdue game). Absolutely no one saw this coming. Virginia would go on to win the national championship the very next year in one of the greatest comeback stories ever. I think the reason why Virginia struggled so much in the tournament was because of their offensive pace/tempo. They were known for slowing the game down which is y they struggled

CBB

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Small but Mighty

In the game of basketball you are often judged on your hight. In today’s collage basketball, If your under 6’1 your considered a small guard who is going to have to fight for every minute and every shot. Well, in 2017 a man named Darnell Rogers joined Florida Gulf Coast University for the 2017-2018 season. Darnell Rogers came in as a major underdog, he stood at 5’2 140 pounds. As you might expect, he saw very little playing time throughout his freshman year at FGC. So he hit the portal and went up to Maryland to UMBC. He would stay at UMBC for his remaining three years in college. He would continue to prove everyone wrong averaging up to 14 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.0 blocks in 2019-2020 season. At the end of his career he averaged 8.6 points, 2.4 assists and 1.5 rebounds. Roger’s faced a greater challenge from the start, a challenge many face but little persevere. He faced and beat the battle of hight in Division One basketball. It goes to show that no matter how big and strong you are as long as you work hard and stay consistent you can get your flowers.

@zach

UConn Sweeps Top 3 of WNBA Draft: Today in Sports History

On April 14th, 2016, Breanna Stewart lead a UConn sweep of the first three picks in the WNBA draft, going first overall to the Seattle Storm. Moriah Jefferson went second to the San Antonio Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces) and Morgan Tuck third to the Connecticut Sun, the first time in draft history that three players from the same school went 1-2-3. It’s a first in any major sport. Stewart is now a 2x WNBA MVP, 3x WNBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 7x All-Star, 6x All-WNBA First Team member, 2016 ROTY, and is considered one of the Top 25 WNBA players of all-time. Jefferson made the 2016 All-Rookie team and finished as the ROTY runner-up behind Stewart. She's become a career journeyman, playing for five teams since 2020. Tuck didn't do much in the WNBA, but won the 2020 WNBA championship with Seattle. She is currently the general manager of the Connecticut Sun.

@FlameRaptorRaven

What does this Final Four appearance mean to Arizona?

With their win over Purdue, Arizona returns to the Final Four for the first time since 2001. Future NBA all-stars and podcast hosts Gilbert Arenas and Richard Jefferson led that 2001 team. They eventually made it to the championship game, where they lost to Shane Battier and Duke. That is their most recent appearance in the championship game and 1 of just 4 times Arizona has ever made the final. The Wildcats have exactly 1 National Championship, thanks to the 1996-97 team that included Jason Terry, Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson, and Miles Simon. To this day, that is Arizona’s only National Championship, and it is not for lack of trying. Out of every D1 men’s basketball team, Arizona has the 5th most wins in its entire history. The only schools ahead of them: Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas and Duke. That’s it. UConn, UCLA, Florida and every other school sit behind them. If we close the timeline to since their National Championship, it's a similar story. They are 6th, only behind the aforementioned schools plus Gonzaga. On top of all this, before the Elite 8, Arizona had the most wins ever in 5 years without a Final Four appearance. Now they have a Final 4 appearance. Arizona’s journey isn’t about overcoming deficiencies. It’s about proving they belong with the elites of college basketball. For decades, they have won as many games as the best programs in the country; all they’re missing is the sheer number of titles. Each team ahead of them in wins during the shot clock era has multiple National Championships. If the Wildcats can cross the finish line this year, they will put themselves in rare air. Only 3 teams in NCAA history have finished a season with 38 wins: 2008 Memphis with Derrick Rose, 2012 Kentucky with Anthony Davis, and 2015 Kentucky with Karl-Anthony Towns. Of those teams, only the 2012 Kentucky team won its national championship. Arizona currently has 36 wins. With everything Tommy Lloyd has accomplished, getting over the Sweet 16 hump could be the catalyst for a return to glory and a place among the greatest teams ever.