The NCAA March Madness tournament to crown the best college basketball team in the country has now officially begun, and as expected, there were some very big upsets, the biggest so far being 14th seed Oakland shocking one of the tournament's favorites, 3rd seed Kentucky. Meanwhile, 11th seed Duquesne also eliminated 6th seed BYU in another March Madness surprise.

While favorites like 1st seed North Carolina and 2nd seed Arizona managed to move forward in the March Madness bracket, respectively beating Wagner and Long Beach State in blowout victories, Kentucky, a perennial NCAA powerhouse, as well as BYU, were the first two of the favorites to fall.

Elsewhere in the tournament, 9th-ranked Michigan State defeated 8th-ranked Mississippi State, 3rd-ranked Creighton defeated 14th-ranked Akron, 3rd-ranked Illinois defeated 14th-ranked Morehead State, 7th-ranked Dayton defeated 10th-ranked Nevada, and 7th-ranked Texas defeated 10th-ranked Colorado State.

Other games in the tournament's first round are still ongoing or will be played at a later time as of writing, but it is shaping up to be a surprising tournament so far, as many people's expected bracket lists have now been proven false.

Kentucky Vs. Oakland Was a True David Vs. Goliath Matchup

Kentucky came into the tournament with one of the best offenses in the NCAA, with two NBA-level players heading the team, Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham. They were expected to have a deep run in the tournament, with some experts even placing them in the Final 4. However, that run was cut short by a team many did not expect: the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the 14th seed managed to hold off one of the best offensive teams in the country thanks to a career game from Jack Gohlke, who had 32 points, 10 of which came from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Try Townsend had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. He also struck the final dagger to Kentucky with his final free throw with four seconds left, giving Oakland a 4-point lead.

It was a tight game and it ended in dramatic fashion, with Kentucky's Justin Edwards missing a three-pointer after Townsend made that free throw. Kentucky did score but Oakland put the game away after DQ Cole drained a corner 3, with the Golden Grizzlies defeating Kentucky 80-76.

Duquesne Makes History With First March Madness Win Since 1969

The first upset of the tournament, however, came when the Duquesne Dukes faced off against the BYU Cougars, with the Dukes starting strong thanks to a 9-0 start. However, BYU adjusted and even took a 20-19 lead. The game then became a close match as it was tied 60-60 with 1:47 to go.

Jimmy Clark III then went beast mode, scoring seven straight points to carry the Dukes for the victory, according to Yahoo! Sports. This is also the first time that the team has won in the tournament since 1969, with the Dukes ending their 55-year drought and being congratulated by LeBron James on X.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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