And Just Like That, New England Is Out Of March Madness

Today is one of the best sports days in the calendar year. The beginning of March Madness. It is one of the few sporting events able to captivate audiences that may not ordinarily be fans. People who generally have no real interest in it  root for an Alma Mater or a local school. Well casual fans of New England, the tournament is over for you.

New England schools didn’t have a heavy presence in the tournament to begin with. Only Yale, Northeastern and the University of Vermont were selected to the field of 64. After Thursday’s action, all have been eliminated.

Yale

In the second game to tip-off in this year’s tournament, Yale faced off against LSU. While the Bulldogs were able to keep it a very close, but couldn’t hit the tough shots at the end, losing by a final of 79-74. Senior guard Alec Copeland finished the game with 24 points for Yale.

Vermont

In Connecticut, UVM took on Florida St, the ACC runner-up and lost 76-69. It was the starters who did most of the scoring for Vermont with three players ending the game with 15 points and another with 16. Ernie Duncan, one of the three Duncan brothers on the team was one of those who had 15. In the end Florida State’s depth proved to too much for UVM, despite the Catamounts shooting 16-32 from three.

Northeastern

Northeastern had a tough draw going up against CBB blue-blood Kansas and got they got rocked. Kansas cruised in the second half to win 87-53. Senior Center Anthony Green, a Quincy native, had the tough assignment of being matched-up with Kansas Forward Dedric Lawson, who finished with 25 points.

So ya, it was another disappointing year for New England area teams in the big dance, something we’ve all grown accustomed to. Providence College, Boston College, UConn, and UMASS all failed to make the tournament which is a huge blow to the region since they are the biggest programs.

It’s alright though, we’re more of a hockey place anyway.

-Dillon Leary