The primary spherical of the 2025 NCAA males’s basketball event kicked off on Thursday. So let’s check out a number of the greatest winners and losers from the day.
Winner: John Calipari, head coach, Arkansas
When John Calipari left Kentucky, it was fairly clear that this system had develop into stale. The Wildcats had not superior past the Spherical of 32 since 2019 and had misplaced within the first spherical of the event in two of the earlier three seasons. This system wanted a change. He wanted a brand new problem. He acquired it at Arkansas, and on Thursday, his No. 10-seeded Razorbacks superior with a 79-72 win over No. 7-seed Kansas.
Loser: The ACC
The ACC had simply 4 groups make the event this season and there’s a sturdy argument to be made that considered one of them — North Carolina — shouldn’t have been there in any respect. It is already a down time for the convention, and Thursday didn’t do something to vary that as its two groups in motion each misplaced in ugly video games. No. 9-seed Louisville misplaced by 14 factors to No. 8 Creighton (89-75), whereas No. 5-seed Clemson misplaced to No. 12-seed McNeese (whose head coach seemingly already has one foot out the door for his subsequent job) in a recreation that was not likely as shut because the two-point ultimate rating (69-67) signifies. Ugly day for the convention.
Winner: No. 1 seeds caring for enterprise
The hole within the enjoying discipline has leveled off in males’s school basketball in recent times, and we have now even seen a few No. 16 seeds win video games. There was no hazard of that on Thursday as No. 1 seeds Auburn and Houston each gained by greater than 20 factors. Talking of huge wins and anticipated groups caring for enterprise …
Loser: Lack of drama
In case you watch the NCAA event for main upsets, chaotic video games and last-second buzzer-beaters, Thursday was sadly not your day.
Outdoors of some of double-digit seeds profitable (No. 10 Arkansas, No. 11 Drake, No. 12 McNeese State) there weren’t a ton of big upsets, whereas nearly all the video games have been decisive blowouts that basically took away from the drama. It was not likely an edge-of-your-seat sort of day.
Winner: BYU bounces again
Being a No. 6 seed has not handled BYU properly in latest tournaments, shedding back-to-back first-round matchups to No. 11 seeds in 2021 and 2024. That modified on Thursday with an 80-71 win over No. 11-seed VCU. That win snapped what had been a five-game event shedding streak for the Cougars.
Loser: Georgia’s begin
It isn’t simply that No. 9-seed Georgia misplaced by 21 factors in an 89-68 defeat to No. 8 Gonzaga. It is that the Bulldogs merely didn’t appear ready a the beginning, falling right into a 27-3 deficit inside the first 9 minutes of the sport. Not even No. 16 seeds carry out that poorly.
Winner: Jamiya Neal, guard, Creighton
Neal was one of many massive particular person stars of the day on Thursday in No. 9 Creighton’s massive win over No. 8 Louisville. Neal had considered one of his greatest days of the season, scoring a season-high 29 factors with 12 rebounds and 6 assists. The 12 rebounds additionally matched his season-high.
