Arizona Shocked by Princeton at March Madness 2023

March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year if you’re a basketball fan. For many sports fans, March Madness beats the playoffs in terms of unpredictability and thrills, and we’ve already had a big upset in this year’s tournament. On Thursday, no. 15 seed Princeton pulled off a huge win against the no. 2 seeds, Arizona.

The Wildcats were a lot of people’s favorites to win this year’s tournament, including Joe Biden. However, they’re now out, and who knows what other shocks will happen. You can find the latest college basketball odds online to bet on March Madness.

How Princeton Beat Arizona

Most people expected the Arizona Wildcats to comfortably make it to the Final Four of this year’s tournament. However, they came up against a determined Princeton team that refused to give up. The first half of the game was evenly contested, with the Wildcats just one point ahead at the break. However, things changed in the second half, with Arizona taking control of the game.

By the last quarter of the game and with just eight minutes left to play, the Wildcats were eight points up and looked to be heading into the Sweet Sixteen. However, the Princeton Tigers had other ideas. They clawed their way back into the game, finishing on a 9-0 run to win the match 55-59.

Princeton started the game as 15-point underdogs but will now be progressing into the next round to face the no. 7 seed Missouri. Fans of the Wildcats will no doubt be disappointed, as will anyone who had them as part of their bracket. According to the NCAA, only 0.065% of people didn’t have Arizona going to the next round in their bracket.

Other March Madness Upsets

The first round has now been played, and most of the lower-seeded teams are already out of the competition. However, there are still plenty of opportunities for upsets across the rest of March Madness. Here are some of the other upsets and potential upsets that could happen over the next few weeks.

Furman vs Virginia

Princeton aren’t the only team to topple a giant as no.13 seed Furman beat no.4 seed Virginia in the last 64 round of the tournament. Virginia are a strong side but they’ve become known for embarrassing defeats in recent years, losing in the first round as the no.5 seed five years ago. After going four points ahead with nineteen seconds left, it looked like they would hold on. However, Furman hit back, scoring a three-pointer with two seconds left to win 68-67.

Penn State vs Texas

No. 7 seeds Penn State beat the no. 7 seeds Texas A&M in a blowout victory and will take on Texas in the next round. The Aggies failed to get started, and will miss out on an in-state rival match-up in the next round. However, it does give Penn State the chance to get another big win against a higher seed. They looked excellent against Texas A&M and will be hoping to dispatch the Longhorns in the same way.

Duke vs Tennessee

Duke are no.5 seeds in the tournament and most recently won nine straight games to finish with a 26-8 record over the regular season. They have Kyle Filipowski as one of their star players and are predicted to go far. However, they may come unstuck when they face Tennessee in the next round. The no. 4 seeds rank third in the country for the number of points scored per game, and will be a difficult test. It will be an upset for Duke to go home in the second round, but it’s certainly not hard to imagine them losing to Tennessee.