When I first saw this year's NCAA Tournament bracket, I couldn't help but think this was one of the weakest fields of 65 I have ever seen, with the absences of teams such as North Carolina (last year's champions), Connecticut, Memphis and Virginia Tech.
Despite this seemingly skimpy playing field, the first round of March Madness was one of the most thrilling and exciting in recent memory.
Three games went into overtime, with one of those heading to double overtime.
Nine games were decided by five points or less, and 10 games saw the lower seed advancing to the round of 32.
Here's some observations from the first round:
Newcomers
The Southern Conference Champion Wofford Terriers and SWAC Champion Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions made their first ever NCAA Tournament appearances.
#13 Wofford, in its first tournament appearance, drew the 4th seeded Wisconsin Badgers.
In a game that was much too close for my liking, Wofford fought back from a ten point deficit to take their first lead of the game with around five minutes left.
Jon Leuer, however, proved to be too much for the Terriors.
With less than 30 seconds remaining, Leuer hit a baseline jumper to put the Badgers up 51-49. After a Terrior turnover Leuer was fouled and hit both free throws to seal the victory for the Badgers.
Major Upsets
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Georgetown looked great heading into the tournament. They lost in the Big East Tourney Championship Game on a shot by West Virginia's DeShaun Butler in the closing moments of the game.
Ohio, on the other hand, had a losing conference record this season and was seeded ninth in the MAC Conference Tournament.
Despite the daunting challenge, Ohio came out with guns blazing. Armon Bassett dropped 32 points as the Bobcats toppled the Hoyas in convincing fashion, 97-83, wreaking havoc on brackets all over the country.
The win was the first tournament win for Ohio since 1983, when as a 14 seed they knocked off the third seeded Kentucky Wildcats.
Danero Thomas. You had probably never heard of him before this game.
Expect to see his game-winning shot over and over in future March Madness commercials.
The inbound play that led to Thomas' winning shot was intended for the Racers' star Isaac Miles. Instead, Thomas, the third option on the play, received the pass and proceeded to shock Vanderbilt, 66-65.
This upset marks the second time in three years that Vanderbilt stumbled in the first round as a four seed. (In 2008 they lost to Sienna)
Close Call
Villanova needed overtime to put away the Colonials.
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova's star point guard, shot abysmally from the field the entire game, going 2-for-15 (13%).
He made up for it in the closing minutes of the game by drawing fouls and sinking his free throws, as the Wildcats went on an 11-3 scoring run to end regulation and force overtime. Reynolds made 15 of 16 free throw attempts on his way to 20 points.
Nova escaped becoming just the fifth 2 seed ever to lose to a 15 seed in tournament history.
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