Sports
Where’s the March Madness? Making sense of the NCAA Tournament’s Cinderella shortage
The Athletic has live coverage of 2025 Men’s March Madness
CLEVELAND — Trailing by one with less than eight minutes remaining, Robert Morris guard Amarion Dickerson swatted a shot attempt by Alabama guard Mark Sears, sending the first-team All-American to the floor and the ball caroming out of bounds. Then Dickerson, the suddenly not-so-anonymous Horizon League defensive player of the year who scored 25 points on Friday, stepped over Sears, a la Allen Iverson over Tyronn Lue, and flexed for the crowd.
Thousands roared back their approval, a throng of Robert Morris diehards who made the trek from Pittsburgh buoyed by an arena of new fans who had adopted the underdog.
Seconds later, the 15-seed Colonials harnessed that momentum, taking a one-point lead over the 2-seed Crimson Tide. And for a moment, the game felt destined for a classic David-over-Goliath upset, the stuff March Madness montages are made of.
Instead, Alabama ripped off a quick 6-0 run and never looked back, muscling its way to a nine-point victory.
It was the story of the round of 64 in this year’s NCAA Tournament. For the first time since 2017, no team seeded lower than No. 12 made it to the Saturday of the first weekend.
Only five double-digit seeds advanced over the past two days: two No. 10s, one No. 11 and two No. 12s. (And of those 12-seeds, Colorado State was a betting favorite.) That ties for the fewest first-round wins by double-digit seeds since 2007. The 2023 tournament produced the same number, but that first weekend featured No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson toppling No. 1 Purdue and No. 15 Princeton reaching the Sweet 16. Prior to that were similarly chalky first rounds in ’17 and ’15.
The fact that most of the games weren’t particularly close didn’t help this year’s early shortage of March magic, either: Only four of the 32 first-round games were decided by two possessions or less, the fewest since 1997. We did get a couple thrillers at the First Four in Dayton, but Thursday and Friday were noticeably light on madness.
So what’s the deal? Is it a one-year, one-round aberration? Or is it — like everything else in college sports these days — a referendum on the power-hungry power conferences, or the pernicious impact of name, image and likeness money and the transfer portal fully taking hold?
The Athletic’s own C.J. Moore and Brendan Marks actually predicted this could happen in their bracket picks earlier this week, getting out in front of any commenters looking to skewer them for playing it safe. As both explained, the advanced metrics pointed to a top-heavy group of No. 1s and other high seeds, which manifested on the court.
This could end up being a good omen for the second and third weekends, setting up some high-wattage matchups. And recent history, including a comparably top-heavy 2015, suggest this is simply a product of the natural cycles of college basketball. But it’s still kind of a bummer.
The joy and beauty of the NCAA Tournament lie in those unpredictable early-round upsets, the ones we can all rattle off from memory. FDU over Purdue. UMBC over Virginia. Lehigh over Duke. Saint Peter’s over Kentucky. Bucknell over Kansas. Cinderella is what makes March so special, making this one feel a tad hollow in the early going.
“Sometimes I hate them,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who lost to 15-seed Middle Tennessee in 2016. “But most of the time, I love them. … Everybody loves Cinderella. Everybody loves the underdog. Everybody loves the small school. This is the difference with the NCAA basketball tournament compared to just about any other tournament there is.”
Minutes after the clock struck midnight, literally and metaphorically, on the first round, Izzo avoided another of those memorable moments he’d rather forget. His 2-seed Spartans turned a narrow five-point halftime lead over 15-seed Bryant into a 25-point blowout, a fitting capper to the round of 64. Asked afterward about the predictability of the first round overall, Izzo, coaching in his 27th straight tournament, mostly shrugged, and pointed to those 12 seeds that prevailed over 5 seeds. The man has seen it all this time of year, and he’s not ready to sound any alarms just yet.
He’s probably right. March Madness remains one of sports greatest gifts, even if the glass slippers didn’t quite fit this time around. Perhaps the rest of the bracket will make up for it, too.
But it won’t change the fact that one of this tournament’s most electrifying moments came a few hours before Michigan State took the court in Cleveland, when Robert Morris — America’s new favorite team — had mighty Alabama on the ropes.
And almost something more.
(Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
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Kai Trump’s LPGA debut did not go exactly as she planned.
The 18-year-old high school senior shot a first-round 83 at The ANNIKA at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, putting her in last place out of 108 players through one round. The next day, she bounced back with a five-over 75, but it wasn’t enough to make the cut.
It was invaluable experience for Trump, who will play college golf at the University of Miami next year.
Kai Trump hits a shot on the 18th hole during the second round of The ANNIKA golf tournament at Pelican Golf Club. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Bryson DeChambeau , who shared a hug with the president’s granddaughter at the Ryder Cup, was impressed with Trump’s showing.
“She shot five-over the second round, which is really, it’s actually really impressive. We didn’t know how she was going to do, she handled herself very well, and what a great opportunity,” DeChambeau told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
“I was talking to [tournament host] Annika [Sorenstam]. She’s a part of the council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, and we were just talking about how, you know, ‘What do you think about it?’ We were both talking, and this is a great opportunity. She’s like, ‘There’s plenty of others that have gotten invites that didn’t do well, but it was a great experience for them. And I think it’s going to be a great experience for her.’
Amateur Kai Trump of the United States plays her shot from the 16th tee during the first round of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican 2025 at Pelican Golf Club on November 13, 2025 in Belleair, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
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“It was awesome to see her go out there and compete doing what she loves doing, and she’s getting better,” DeChambeau added. “We’ll see what the story has for her, but she’s a grinder and a competitor, and it’s fun to see her out there competing with some of the best in the world, even though there’s a long way to go, but she is a grinder. You never know.”
After finishing her second round, Trump said she felt more “peaceful” compared to the first, which led to the improvement.
Kai Trump tees off during the final round of the Medalist Tour tournament at Lost City Golf Club on July 17, 2025 in Atlantis, Florida. (Greg Lovett/Palm Beach Post / USA Today Network via IMAGN Images)
“For the first day I was definitely really nervous. I think the nerves just got to me,” she said. “When I went out there today, I felt very calm and peaceful, to be honest with you. That’s why I played better. I did everything I could possibly have done for this tournament. So, I think if you prepare right, the nerves can … they’re always going to be there, right? They can be a little softened. So, I would just say that.”
Trump officially committed to the Hurricanes earlier this month.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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The preseason high school girls’ basketball top 20 rankings produced by CalHiSports.com and Harold Abend.
1. Ontario Christian
2. Sierra Canyon
3. Etiwanda
4. Mater Dei
5. Corona Centennial
6. Sage Hill
7. Fairmont Prep
8. Moreno Valley
9. Windward
10. Bishop Montgomery
11. Oak Park
12. Brentwood
13. Villa Park
14. Lakewood St Joseph
15. La Salle
16. JSerra
17. Harvard-Westlake
18. Rancho Christian
19. Esperanza
20. Troy
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Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Nyier Daniels was kicked off the team on Monday following his arrest on multiple charges resulting from a high-speed police chase, coach Kirby Smart said.
Daniels was arrested Sunday and booked into the Jackson County Jail in Georgia. He was charged with three felonies, including fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, and 10 misdemeanor charges.
Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Nyier Daniels (79) blocks against Georgia outside linebacker Quintavius Johnson (33) during the Georgia Spring game at Sanford Stadium on April 12, 2025. (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)
The other felonies against Daniels were two counts of cruelty to children because his two younger siblings were in his vehicle at the time, officials said. The misdemeanor charges included reckless driving and speeding.
He reportedly reached speeds of 100 mph in a 25-mph zone in Commerce and 150 mph when the chase continued on Interstate 85.
“I have not had a chance to talk to him or his family, but obviously he’ll no longer be with us,” Smart said.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart reacts during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Charlotte, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Athens, Georgia. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
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Brandi Canada Green, Daniels’ mother, was also arrested after she allegedly drove another vehicle that became involved in the chase. She faces a felony charge of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, as well as a misdemeanor charge of willful obstruction of law enforcement.
Capt. Cole Edwards said in the police report that he asked Daniels why he fled and Daniels responded “he did not want his mother to get a ticket.”
Daniels was able to get away from the police, but was arrested after officers learned he was a Georgia player and contacted team coaches, who provided assistance, according to an incident report.
Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Nyier Daniels (79) in the fourth quarter of the NCAA football game between the Marshall Thundering Herd and the Georgia Bulldogs on Aug. 30, 2025, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. (John Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Daniels was listed as a redshirt freshman and appeared in three games this season. He played in the Bulldogs’ 35-3 win over Charlotte on Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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