Big upsets mark early rounds of the NCAA Tournament

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Players and coaches for Oral Roberts huddle after the win over Florida. Associated Press/Photo by Jeff Roberson

Big upsets mark early rounds of the NCAA Tournament

The Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles basketball team defeated Florida 81-78 on Sunday to become the second No. 15 seed in the history of the men’s NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16. On Friday, ORU defeated Ohio State, a No. 2 seed, to advance to the game against Florida. Next up for ORU: Arkansas, the No. 3 seed in the South region, on Saturday.

Did the tournament have other big upsets? No. 14 seed Abilene Christian defeated No. 3 seed Texas 53-52 on Saturday, and Loyola University Chicago upended Illinois, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, on Sunday. Also on Sunday, Oregon State defeated Oklahoma State, the No. 4 seed in the Midwest, to set up a Sweet 16 matchup between an 8 seed (Loyola Chicago) and a 12 seed (Oregon State) on Saturday. Three No. 1 seeds (Baylor, Gonzaga, and Michigan) remain in the tournament.

Dig deeper: Get live updates on NCAA Tournament games. Eight second-round games are scheduled for today.

Timothy Lamer

Tim is executive editor of WORLD Commentary. He previously worked for the Media Research Center in Alexandria, Va. His work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Weekly Standard.