March Madness 2021: 6 biggest takeaways from Round of 64 action

By Matt Melton | Mar 21, 2021

WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA - MARCH 19: E.J. Liddell #32 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks on after losing to the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Mackey Arena on March 19, 2021 in West Lafayette, Indiana. Oral Roberts defeated Ohio State 75-72. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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Abilene Christian Wildcats (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

The Madness Strikes After Midnight

Just when you thought the Round of 64 was over and the First Round was finished, 14-seed Abilene Christian sneaks in the back door and upsets 3-seed Texas 53-52 a little after midnight eastern time on Sunday morning.

The Wildcats kept it close throughout and were able to grab the lead late due to two big free-throws from Joe Pleasant. Pleasant also led Abilene Christian with 11 points and 8 rebounds.

Texas on the other hand didn’t necessarily shoot the ball bad but were out-rebounded by eight while also committing 23 turnovers, 12 more than Abilene Christian. The Longhorns had three players in double-figures and struggled mightily down the stretch to score until a massive 3-pointer from Andrew Jones to give Texas a 1-point lead with 1.6 seconds left.

Everyone expected 3-seed Texas vs 6-seed BYU in the Round of 32, but now we get 11-seed UCLA vs 14-seed Abilene Christian instead. The Wildcats just picked up undoubtedly the biggest win in school history, can they keep it going and reach the Sweet 16?

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