History has been made in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. On Friday night in the Sweet 16, San Diego State took down Alabama and Miami knocked off Houston, a pair of upsets that made it so there were no longer and 1-seeds left in the field. As a result, this year’s tournament marked the first time in history that no team with a 1 next to their name made it to the Elite Eight in the men’s or women’s tournaments.
The Crimson Tide, the No. 1 overall seed in the field, ran into the issue that was San Diego State’s ruthless defense. The team shot a paltry 23-for-71 (32.4 percent) from the field and 3-for-27 (11.1 percent) from behind the three-point line, with star forward Brandon Miller in particular struggling, as he scored nine points on 3-for-19 shooting with 11 rebounds, three assists, and six turnovers. And while the Aztecs weren’t much more efficient — 26-for-69 and 6-for-17 from three — they were just a little bit better and their defense gave Bama headaches, while veteran guard Darrion Trammell led them with 21 points.
While Alabama couldn’t hit a shot, Houston’s opponent on the night could not miss. The Cougars and their usually stingy defense ran into a scorching hot night by the Hurricanes, which won 89-75, the most that the AAC champions allowed in a game this season. Every Miami player hit double-digits on the evening, with Nijel Pack’s 26 points on 7-for-10 from behind the three-point line and Isaiah Wong’s 20 leading the way.
Previously, Purdue got upset by Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round, while Kansas fell to Arkansas in the round of 32. Two more game, Princeton vs. Creighton and Xavier vs. Texas, will determine the rest of the field in the Regional Semifinals.
