For the most part, it was a fairly uneventful Round of 64 when it comes to major storylines, with all of the top 16 overall seeds advancing to the next round of the NCAA Tournament. However, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t “losers” for other reasons from the rest of the results.
Here’s a look at the biggest team and individual losers from the first round.
Greg Gard and Wisconsin
In a Big Ten Conference that’s consistently been one of the best in the country, Wisconsin has been in contention just about every year. However, the regular-season success hasn’t translated into the NCAA Tournament, with the team suffering several losses to double-digit seeds over the past decade.
The latest came in an 83-82 loss to 12-seed High Point, with the Badgers being the lone 5-seed or better to lose in the Round of 32. With the backcourt of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, this roster had the potential to make a real run this tournament. However, they were the victims of the biggest upset in the first round.
Hubert Davis
When star forward Caleb Wilson went down for the season with a thumb injury, it felt as if Coach Davis was off the hook for whatever happened in the postseason with the Heels. However, after blowing a 19-point second-half lead in an OT loss to VCU, arguably the most embarrassing result from the Round of 64.
For Davis, who seems to jump on and off the hot seat since becoming the head coach of the program, this could be the last straw. Is it too late for UNC to make a change in the current coaching carousel? That may be what saves him this time, but Coach Davis will definitely be on the hot seat if they don’t make a run a year from now.
BYU
Similar to UNC, BYU also dealt with a season-ending injury to a star player (Richie Saunders), which greatly limited the Cougars' ceiling. But it still stings that the most-anticipated season in Cougars history ends in the Round of 64, losing 79-71 to an 11-seed, Texas. Top prospect AJ Dybantsa ends his college career with 35 points for the Cougars, in what feels like a wasted year for the program after such high expectations coming in.
UCF’s free-throw woes
UCF was down by as many as 14 points to UCLA but staged a furious comeback to trail by three in the final minute before losing 75-71. The stat that stands out for the Knights is that, normally an above-average free-throw shooting team, they shot just 5/16 from the line in the loss. Bigs John Bol and Jamichael Stillwell combined for just 4/13 together, and those missed FTs proved costly in their chance at an upset.
Iowa State’s hopes at a Final Four run
The Cyclones had no issue with 15-seed Tennessee State, coasting to a 108-74 victory. But they were mostly without All-American candidate Joshua Jefferson, who suffered a lower-leg injury in the opening minutes. He’s one of the best players in the nation, and if he’s out for the next few games, Iowa State will be in danger of losing. That starts with Sunday’s matchup with Kentucky, a capable high-major opponent.