Winners and Losers from Day 1 of 2023 NCAA Tournament results
By Brian Emory
Winner #3: The SEC
Tied with the Big 10 at 8, the SEC got more teams into the 2023 NCAA Tournament than any other conference. It has wasted no time in showing why.
Thursday was a strong day for the Southeastern Conference. Six SEC teams played Thursday and five of them won. As I write this, Texas A&M is getting boat raced by Penn State. So barring a historical comeback, the SEC will finish five of six on the day.
Not many teams were more up-and-down in SEC play than Auburn this season, but the Tigers went on an electric run of play in the second half of Thursday’s win over Iowa. Auburn had six players score in double-figures, led by sophomore Johni Brome who scored 19 points and collected 12 rebounds.
Bruce Pearl’s team will meet a Houston Cougars squad Saturday that wasn’t overly convincing in its Round of 64 victory over Northern Kentucky. The Tigers will open as underdogs, but there was enough displayed Thursday to lead me to believe Auburn could be capable of pulling off an upset in this spot.
Speaking of Tigers, Dennis Gates continues to shine in his first season as the head coach at Missouri. Mizzou took care of business Thursday afternoon with a convincing 76-65 win over Utah State. And while nothing is given in this tournament, Martin’s group is now staring a Sweet 16 berth in the face after Princeton stunned second-seeded Arizona.
The Arkansas Razorbacks were the architects behind one of the day’s most impressive performances. In a game that was supposed to be evenly matched, Arkansas controlled the game throughout its entirety and cruised past Illinois 73-63. Eric Musselman has a team that possesses as much raw talent as any, it just gets held back by inconsistency.
When the Razorbacks are firing on all cylinders, they’re capable of beating anyone. This includes the reigning national champion Kansas Jayhawks, who Arkansas will be looking to upset come Saturday.
It got a bit dicey towards the end, but the Tennessee Volunteers secured a win over an upset-minded Louisiana squad late Thursday evening. The Volunteers led by as many as 18 at one point, but the Ragin’ Cajuns came storming back down the stretch.
It didn’t wind up being as easy as Rick Barnes would have liked, but the Volunteers never surrendered the lead and wound up preserving a 58-55 victory. Tennessee has been defined by its defensive superiority all season, and the Volunteers’ sternness on that end will make them a tough out for anyone.
As expected, first-overall-seeded Alabama easily handled business Thursday in a dominant 96-75 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Five Alabama players scored in double figures, and the Crimson Tide lit it up from downtown converting on 15-33 attempts from range. Alabama will move on to play Maryland Saturday.