In the words of the great Dick Vitale, “IT’S MARCH BABY!” Every fan of college basketball knows EXACTLY what that means…time to fill out those NCAA brackets! And so far, we’ve seen upsets, overtime, sometimes double, and tears. While many wait until Thursday for the start of the Men’s Sweet Sixteen portion of the tournament, some of us, including yours truly, have experienced a busted bracket or several, but through all the excitement and shock, there were several moments that stood out to me during these past few post season weeks:
MICHIGAN HEAD COACH JUWAN HOWARD & TENNESSEE STAR KENNEDY CHANDLER

(Photo: ESPN via Twitter)
Yes. Humanity. It was present during some parts early into the tourney, and for Head Coach Juwan Howard, who endured his regular season ending on sour note due to a suspension for his role in the scuffle that took place vs. Wisconsin, many wanted to ride him off, hoping he would get termed. The names this man was called will not be repeated in this blog, and what his family endured was even worse. Michigan with a 17-14 had a tough season and many questioned if they should have been in the tourney at all. With a come win against Colorado State, it was on to face to heavily favored Tennessee, lead by star point guard, Kennedy Chandler. Michigan won, but it was what took place after the game, during the handshake line, that a sobbing Chandler leaned into the shoulder and arms of Howard. A young man they played AAU with Howard’s youngest son (Michigan prospect Jett Howard), it was clear to see the moment of humanity between Coach & player…from opposing teams. Howard, by many, has been credited as a good man, and has owned his fair share of mistakes. However this moment, win or lose, with stay with me for a lifetime.
SAINT PETER’S MENS BASKETBALL
Wait? The who? And please miss me with the whole, “I picked them to pull off this upset, because unless you attend the school or an alumni, NO ONE DIDN’T SEE THIS COMING! A number 15 seed, the handled Kentucky in the first round, then continued their momentum in the second round against Murray State, (aka, the court that Ja Morant built), and for the first time ever, they are in the Sweet Sixteen to face Purdue. Head Coach Shaheen Holloway said after the game when asked by a reporter on how he prepared them for these higher seed tough opponents, "I've got guys from New Jersey and New York City. You think we're scared of anything?"
Let’s just say that this next game is going to be interesting to watch. And expect Holloway to be getting a ton of head coaching offers pretty soon.
NAZ HILLMON. HER-STORY.
(Photo: Detroit Free Press)
Hillmon has made her presence felt ever since coming to Ann Arbor, MI and playing literally OUT OF HER MIND basketball! She is the 1st man or woman to score 2000 points and have 1000 rebounds (cue mind blown emoji). The Wolverines had one of the most epic seasons ever, and the highest ranking in the tournament, 3 seed, as they hosted their first two games as home, which is Hillmon’s final game at Chrysler. She and the Wolverines now take on the team that stunned Baylor, the South Dakota Coyotes.
Which team busted your bracket? What moments so far have been or favorite, or the most shocking? Let me know by leaving a comment below!
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