March Madness: Takeaways from Day One of the 2018 NCAA Tournament

The FBI investigation has impacted the NCAA Tournament

It seems like Syracuse has 100 lives as a program, and uses up many of them to get into the NCAA Tournament. And in an ironic twist, the Orange, who has been in trouble with rules themselves, have benefitted the most from the FBI Investigation, who has hurt many of the teams involved.

We tend to forget that the assistant coaches that were arrested did play a big part in the day-to-day activities of their respective teams. And let’s not forget the “distractions” this caused the teams. This wasn’t a “something happened and let’s deal with it”. More like a “something is going on and there’s nothing we can do about it”. Think about it; how would you yourself feel about something out of your control hanging over your head on a daily basis? I know I wouldn’t handle it well.

Teams that were affected the most – Oklahoma State, USC, and Louisville barely missed out on the Big Dance. And Arizona flamed out in the toughest way possible in the first-round, with the key players immediately moving on afterward.

Next: Top 100 impact players of the 2018 NCAA Tournament

The only team impacted by this left is Auburn, who somehow has excelled without two key players. But they play tomorrow, with a tough game against College of Charleston. The FBI curse could strike again, obliterating everyone in their path.