One of the biggest days on the sports calendar is here as the 2023 edition of March Madness begins in earnest.
We have wall-to-wall action with 16 games on Thursday, like the Round of 64 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Social media is full of amazing fan moments, awesome pranks, heartwarming stories and more!
[2023 March Madness live updates and highlights]
Here are the best moments that captured the internet’s attention throughout the day!
15. Colgate vs. 2. Texas
Wedgie number five!!!
The first day of March Madness 2023 has not only been an annoying bonanza, but also a wedding bonanza.
9. Auburn vs. 8. Iowa
Connor McCaffrey leaves it all on the court
10. Boise State vs. 7. Northwestern
The Northwest Crying Boy is all grown up
Remember the young Northwestern fan who went viral during the Wildcats’ close loss to Gonzaga in 2017? This young man’s name is John Phillips, and he is the son of then-Northwestern athletic director and now ACC commissioner Jim Phillips. Oh, and John is now a freshman in college.
5. Duke vs. 12. Oral Roberts
O(h) No)ral Roberts
Duke led by as many as 27 in the first half against Oral Roberts as the Golden Eagles didn’t even score a point until more than seven minutes into the game.
2. Arizona vs. 15. Princeton
ANOTHER 15 OVER 2 GREAT!
Less than one percent of all official NCAA Tournament Challenge brackets are still perfect after Princeton stunned Arizona, 59-55, marking the third time in as many tournaments that a No. 15 seed has beaten a seed number 2. It is the longest streak of 15 seeds in the history of the tournament.
Arizona’s loss also came nearly 30 years after the Wildcats lost to Santa Clara and an undersized point guard named Steve Nash. Their loss Thursday made them the first team to lose twice to a No. 15 seed as a No. 2 seed, and Arizona fans were less than thrilled, including former Wildcat Rob Gronkowski.
Others, however, loved the discomfort…
… especially the Arizona State contingent in Denver.
5. San Diego State vs. 12. Charleston
The legend of Dalton Bolon
Dalton Bolon, 24, is in his seventh season of college basketball, and while playing in Division II during the 2018-19 season, he wore an eye patch after an injury. Now, play March Madness for Charleston.
Heartbreak for Charlestona after upset bid falls short
Battle of the bands!
8. Arkansas vs. 9. Illinois
FOUR tasks already?!?
We’re barely halfway through the first day of March Madness action, and yet we already have three assignments in three different games, including two at Arkansas-Illinois.
1. Kansas vs. 16. Howard
VPOTUS at home!
Kansas took care of business against Howard, pulling away in the second half for a 96-68 victory. But Howard fans at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia still got a special treat, as Vice President Kamala Harris, a Howard alum, was in the building to witness the action firsthand.
After the game, Harris spoke to the team in the locker room.
7. Missouri vs. 10. Utah State
Utah State continued a tough streak for the Mountain West as its 76-65 loss to Missouri handed the conference its 10th straight loss in the NCAA Tournament. Missouri, meanwhile, won its first March Madness game in nearly 13 years, earning the praises of first-year head coach Dennis Gates. Less than 7 percent of March Madness brackets in the site’s official tournament challenge remained perfect after Maryland, Furman and Mizzou won the first three games.
A Utah State cheerleader took the loss especially hard.
4. Virginia vs. 13. Furman
PELL-BORIA!
Despite back-to-back turnovers in the final minutes, Furman took advantage of some key missed free throws by Virginia and a surprising missed pass from Cavaliers veteran Kihei Clark as JP Pegues hit a game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left. mass unrest, and Twitter had a lot to say.
It had been a long time since Furman had been on this stage.
And if the “Paladí” mascot wasn’t enough, his fans also have a cheeky chant of his school’s initials.
And Colin Cowherd was among the many who predicted Furman would pull through.
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