Coach Steve Alford and the Nevada basketball squad managed to win 26 games and finish second in the Mountain West. This meant that they were going dancing in March Madness against Dayton. Everything was going well when this NCAA Tournament first-round battle started. Jarod Lucas, Nick Davidson, and Kenan Blackshear all started to heat up for the Wolf Pack. However, the clutch loomed over them. In the blink of an eye, everything started crumbling down and DaRon Holmes II got on an absolute heater.
The essence of March Madness is that upsets are always bound to happen. This game between 10th-seeded Nevada and seventh-seeded Dayton looked to be one of them. Coach Steve Alford was putting out a schematic clinic in the first half and got the Wolf Pack up 34 to 25. Much like most NCAA Tournament stories, an unlikely comeback was in order.
Dayton had a 17-point comeback against Nevada in the second half. DaRon Holmes II caught fire and ended up knocking down five out of eight field goal attempts while only missing one free throw on nine tries when the game wrapped up. This performance netted him 18 points while he also grabbed nine rebounds. The game ended with a 63 to 60 scoreline with Nevada packing their bags early, via Action Network HQ.
March Madness, Dayton-Nevada breaks the internet
This baffled March Madness fans who were glued to their seats.
Nevada allowed 20 unanswered points in the second half which caused their collapse. Despite efforts from Nick Davidson, Jarod Lucas, and Kenan Blackshear who all combined for 47 out of the Wolf Pack's 60 points, it was all too late. They still had two shots off to tie the game but it was just not fate. Funnily enough, the last team to ever come back from a 17+ point deficit in March Madness was Nevada back in 2018.
Some fans were already expecting the Wolf Pack to win, “Hahaha I flipped away from that Dayton/Nevada game because I am a FOOL.”
Others were more concerned about their March Madness bracket, “Nevada bruhhhhhhhh, I had them making my sweet 16 how do you choke that hard? Noooooooooo.”
Coach Steve Alford was also not safe from getting trolled, “Wow 22-2 run for Dayton. Nevada was brutal. This is why can’t have nice things. Or why I don’t root for Alford.”
Most individuals were just marveling at the glory of the NCAA Tournament, “Woooooowwww Dayton Nevada was a wild ride.”
Almost everything was fairly even between these two teams. The clincher was the Flyers' efficiency from deep. They knocked down 42.1% of their three-pointers while the Wolf Pack only knocked down 31.8% of their attempts. Another factor was the defensive rebounding battle. The Flyers closed out possessions with 28 boards while the Wolf Pack only managed to grab 22 of them.
This game was a big bracket-buster for avid spectators of March Madness. Only 2.43% of them remain perfect and that number will only go lower. Are you one of the individuals who still have untainted predictions?
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