Barstool boss Dave Portnoy has called this year’s first round of March Madness the worst ever, with no seed lower than a No 12 winning in the first round.
All No 13 through 16 seeds are headed home, alongside with many favorites winning across the board, keeping most of the best teams from the regular season still in play over the weekend.
Those smaller schools seeded very low provide a flavor to each NCAA Tournament to make it unique, like Saint Peter’s did three years ago.
The lowest-seeded teams left in the tournament are McNeese State, who nearly lost to Clemson despite only giving up 13 first-half points, and Colorado State, who ended Memphis’ season.
‘Worst 1st round of the tournament ever,’ Portnoy said on social media.
Portnoy did not go into further detail about his opinion, but it may have something to do with 20 first-round games being decided by double digits.
Barstool boss Dave Portnoy has called this year’s first round of March Madness the worst ever
All No 13 through 16 seeds are headed home, alongside with favorites winning across the board
Only four first-round games were decided by three points or less, with Friday’s opener between Baylor and Mississippi State arguably being the best game of the day for impartial fans.
Portnoy will back his beloved Michigan on Saturday as it faces Texas A&M, with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
Other games on Saturday include No 1 overall seed Auburn playing Creighton, who upset Louisville in the first round.
No double digit seeds will face each other in the second round, an odd staple of March Madness between two upset-minded teams.
Portnoy has not revealed much about who he plans to bet on in the second round, with that likely early on his to-do list on Saturday morning.