McNeese State earns biggest upset of men’s March Madness so far

The GIST: After an edge-of-your-seat opening day, the rest of the men’s field hits the dance floor today, gloriously converging with the women’s first-round tip-off for a thrilling 32 high-stakes games in one day.

• There’s no telling where the next upset will come from in this verified hoops hurricane, but there are a few games you’ll definitely want to make time for. Here’s a recap of yesterday’s action plus a road map for the hoop-la ahead.

No. 10 seed Arkansas men survive legendary coaching battle: When former Kentucky head coach (HC) John Calipari took on a rebuilding project at Arkansas this offseason, fans wondered how much success he’d find with the historically mediocre program. But Cal proved that good coaching works anywhere, leading the Razorbacks to a wild 79–72 upset of No. 7 Kansas.

• It was a devastating blow for the Jayhawks, who’ve now fumbled away two straight preseason No. 1 rankings with early March Madness exits. Kansas HC Bill Self, who’s every bit as legendary as Cal, has some offseason soul-searching to do.

No. 12 seed McNeese State men score biggest upset of the day: Their 69–67 dub over No. 5 Clemson made them the lowest-seeded team to advance on Day 1. Don’t let the scoreline fool you, the Cowboys controlled this one nearly the entire game — Clemson couldn’t buy a bucket until the very end. That’s how you make a budding March Madness icon proud.

No. 11 seed Columbia women prove the Ivies belong: This is the first year the Ivy League has sent three schools to the women’s bracket, and although one of them is already out, the Lions showed they can hang with the big dogs when they beat Big Ten competitor Washington in a 63–60 First Four thriller.

Up next: A whole lot more hoops. The women’s first round starts at 11:30 a.m. ET with a scorcher: No. 6 seed Michigan takes on the formidable Audi Crooks and her No. 11 seed Iowa State Cyclones, who already earned a statement win, Wednesday’s 68–63 First Four dub over Princeton. A physical forwards battle over brunch? We’re so there.

• And for the men, No. 11 seed Xavier pulled off a massive comeback in Wednesday’s 86–80 First Four victory over Texas. Can the Musketeers do it again against No. 6 seed Illinois tonight at 9:45 p.m. ET? Only one way to find out.