2023 March Madness: Arizona’s upset loss stuns Gronk, more viral moments

One of the biggest days on the sports calendar is here as the 2023 edition of March Madness begins in earnest.

We have wall-to-wall action with 16 games Thursday as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Round of 64 tips off. Social media is buzzing with incredible fan moments, stunning upsets, heartwarming stories and more!

[2023 March Madness live updates and highlights]

Here are the top moments that have captured the internet’s attention throughout the day!

2. Arizona vs. 15. Princeton

ANOTHER 15 OVER 2 STUNNER!

Less than one percent of all official NCAA Tournament Challenge brackets are still perfect after Princeton shocked Arizona, 59-55, marking the third time in as many tournaments that a No. 15 seed has beaten a No. 2 seed. It’s the longest such streak for 15 seeds in tournament history.

Arizona’s loss also came nearly 30 years to the day after the Wildcats lost to Santa Clara and a small point guard named Steve Nash. Their loss Thursday made them the first team to lose twice to a No. 15 seed as a No. 2 seed — and Arizona fans were less than thrilled about it, including former Wildcat Rob Gronkowski.

Others, though, loved the upset…

… especially the Arizona State contingent in Denver.

5. San Diego State vs. 12. Charleston

The legend of Dalton Bolon

24-year-old Dalton Bolon is in his seventh season of college basketball — and back when he was playing in Division II during the 2018-19 season, he hooped in an eyepatch after an injury. Now, he’s playing in March Madness for Charleston.

Heartbreak for Charlestona after upset bid falls short

Battle of the bands!

8. Arkansas vs. 9. Illinois

FOUR wedgies already?!?

We are barely halfway into the first day of March Madness action, and yet we already have three wedgies in three different games, including two in Arkansas-Illinois.

1. Kansas vs. 16. Howard

VPOTUS in the house!

Kansas took care of business against Howard, pulling away in the second half for a 96-68 victory. But Howard fans at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia still got a special treat as Vice President Kamala Harris, a Howard alum, was in the building to witness the action first hand.

Harris then spoke to the team in the locker room after the game.

7. Missouri vs. 10. Utah State

Utah State continued a rough streak for the Mountain West, as its 76-65 loss to Missouri gave the conference its 10th straight NCAA Tournament defeat. Missouri, meanwhile, won its first March Madness game in nearly 13 years, earning first-year head coach Dennis Gates his flowers. Less than 7% of March Madness brackets on the site’s official tournament challenge remained perfect after Maryland, Furman and Mizzou won the first three games.

One Utah State cheerleader took the loss especially hard.

4. Virginia vs. 13. Furman

FUR-MADNESS!

Despite crucial back-to-back turnovers in the closing minutes, Furman took advantage of some key missed Virginia free throws and a shocking botched pass from Cavaliers veteran Kihei Clark as JP Pegues hit a game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left to complete the massive upset — and Twitter had plenty to say.

It’s been a long time since Furman was on this stage.

And if the “Paladin” mascot was not enough, their fans also have a cheeky chant of their school’s initials.

And Colin Cowherd was among the many who predicted Furman to pull off the upset.

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