Zopes Exchange:Grand Canyon gets first March Madness win, is eighth double-digit seed to reach second round

2025-05-03 01:13:42source:TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Centercategory:News

The Zopes Exchangefirst round of the 2024 men's NCAA Tournament ended with a bang, as No. 12 seed Grand Canyon upset No. 5 Saint Mary's 75-66 to become the eighth double-digit seed to advance to the second round of March Madness.

The Antelopes had a one-point lead at halftime, but they really stretched it out in the second half, which included an 17-1 run that made it a 17-point game with 12 minutes to go. Saint Mary's was able to cut it to a five-point game with six minutes to go, but Grand Canyon was able to hold on for the win.

It was a monumental win for the Antelopes as it was the first Division I tournament win in school history.

NCAA Tournament double-digit seed wins

Eight double-digit seeds will be playing in the second round this weekend after the first two days saw seven "upsets" in total. The NCAA defines an upset in March Madness as beating any team whose seed is at least five spots lower. So, a true first-round upset can only come at the hands of any team seeded No. 11 or higher. There were seven upsets in this year's first round, an uptick from last year's four. Here are the double-digit seeds that won in the first round:

FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.

  • No. 11 Duquesne defeats No. 6 BYU
  • No. 11 Oregon defeats No. 6 South Carolina
  • No. 14 Oakland defeats No. 3 Kentucky
  • No. 11 NC State defeats No. 6 Texas Tech
  • No. 13 Yale defeats No. 4 Auburn
  • No. 10 Colorado defeats No. 7 Florida
  • No. 12 James Madison defeats No. 5 Wisconsin
  • No. 12 Grand Canyon defeats No. 5 Saint Mary's

Grand Canyon NCAA Tournament history

This is the second straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Grand Canyon and third in the past four years. But Friday's victory marked the first March Madness win in school history.

The Antelopes, who moved up to Division I in 2013, have had postseason success before. It won the NAIA national championship in 1975, 1978 and 1988.

Who will Grand Canyon face next in NCAA Tournament?

Grand Canyon will play No. 4 seed Alabama on Sunday. The game will be played at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington.

More:News

Recommend

The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test

A private company aiming to build the first supersonic airliner since the Concorde retired more than

Fixing the health care worker shortage may be something Congress can agree on

Senators are eying the growing shortage of health care workers in the United States as one of the fe

Saving Ecosystems to Protect the Climate, and Vice Versa: a Global Deal for Nature

For years, experts in conservation and climate science have urgently pursued two parallel paths—one