Column: NCAA Tourney upsets no surprise

Odds are, your bracket is demolished thanks to Florida Gulf Coast, Harvard or Wichita State.

It happens every year. Upsets are just a part of the NCAA Tournament, and most would say these upsets were a little more surprising than in years past.

I don’t believe that’s the case. I’ll examine why it isn’t a surprise to see some of these upsets.

Exhibit A: Florida Gulf Coast, a 15 seed who just two years ago was not eligible for the Big Dance and six years ago didn’t even have a basketball program.

Led by senior guard Sherwood Brown, FGCU has become the first 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16.

They have to be considered a surprise because of their seeding and short program history, but they’re a legitimate force in this tournament.

FGCU didn’t get lucky in either of their tournament wins. In fact, they outplayed both
No. 2 Georgetown and No. 7 San Diego State.

Why? This team moves the ball as well as any team left in the tournament. They never had to solely rely on Brown to stay in the game the way Lehigh University did last year when they needed superhuman efforts from C.J. McCollum to win big games.

While Brown was on the bench against SDSU in the second half, FGCU extended the lead and continued piling on when Brown came back.

And while I believe Friday will mark the end of the road for the underdogs, don’t expect them to just lie down against Florida.

Exhibit B: La Salle, one of six 13 seeds in history to make the Sweet 16, is a shock to most.

La Salle defeated No. 13 Boise State in a play-in game, and No. 4 Kansas State and No. 12 Ole Miss on a buzzer-beater, reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since the tournament field expanded.

Not only have they made it to the Sweet 16, but they also got a gift with No. 1 Gonzaga falling in the second round, allowing La Salle to play No. 9 Wichita State.
How? They have a high scoring back court and excellent shooters who have shot better than their opponents.

They haven’t been rotating many players either, which is usually a recipe for success in the tournament.

Truthfully, they got fortunate with their matchups. KSU was an overrated four seed that had a new coach, and Ole Miss was a team that relied too heavily on its top player.
Regardless, La Salle has earned their spot in the Sweet 16.

Exhibit C: Oregon, a 12 seed that was way under-seeded this year.

There’s a perfectly logical explanation as to why Oregon made their way past No. 5 Oklahoma State and No. 4 Saint Louis.

While there may have been more talent on both teams they played, the games were being played in San Jose, which isn’t all that far from Eugene.

That doesn’t take away from the talent that Oregon has, but don’t expect them to make it past No. 1 Louisville in Indianapolis on Friday.

Harvard’s win as a 14 seed against No. 3 New Mexico may have been a fluke, considering how they played against No. 6 Arizona in the second round.

Either way, their upset was legitimate, and it was nice to see them get their first tournament win ever.

Moving forward, the tournament may still have some surprises, but to those of us whose brackets are not covered in red ink, let’s hope the upsets don’t continue.