Though it might have had you busy burning all evidence of your 2018 NCAA tournament bracket and dancing in the ashes while whispering the names of every member of the UMBC Retrievers roster, it’s hard to deny a severe case of exhilarating March Madness has struck hoops fans and lovers of teams named after very good dogs alike. Here’s 10 reasons the 2018 NCAA tournament had the best opening week we can remember.
1. The UMBC Retrievers
Let’s get the most obvious one out of the way first. On the 136th try, the Retrievers of University of Maryland, Baltimore County became the first No. 16 seed to topple a No. 1 seed, the Virginia Cavaliers. The squad then stayed within a possession of No. 9 Kansas State for most of their second-round matchup, falling just shy of the Sweet 16, but not before gifting the masses with free pizza.