The Colorado State University Rams was the lowest ranked seed to win at March Madness on Friday as they defeated the University of Memphis Tigers 78-70 from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. The Rams were the 12th seed in the West Regional and the Tigers were the fifth seed.
Even though the Rams were the lower ranked seed, they were actually the 1.5 point favourite. How a 12th ranked seed in the opening round was actually a 1.5 point favourite at the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament is quite frankly remarkable and those that determine who plays who when it comes to the selection committee need to significantly criticized and questioned. At the end of the day, the Rams proved the odds makers right and those in charge of the selection committee wrong as they came through with an eight point win.
So why were the Rams favoured to get the win? The answer was the fact that the Rams looked great in games played within the Mountain West Conference. Colorado State beat Nevada 67-59, Utah 83-72 and Boise State 69-56 to take the tournament title.
In the Rams’s win over the Tigers, guard Kyan Evans of Kansas City, Missouri led the way with 23 points. It was a dominant second half for the Rams as they outscored the Tigers 47-34.
Next up for the Rams is the fourth seed Maryland on Sunday. Colorado State was one of two lower ranked seeds to win on Friday. The other win saw the 10th seed New Mexico, who beat the seventh ranked Marquette 75-66 in the first round of the South Regional in Cleveland, Ohio. The Lobos were a 4.5 point underdog even though they had a better record than the Golden Eagles. New Mexico was at 27 wins and seven losses and Marquette was at 23 wins and 11 losses. The Lobos were led by guard Donovan Dent of Riverside, California, who had 21 points. New Mexico will play Michigan State next on Sunday.
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