2023 NCAA Tournament: Biggest surprises through the first weekend

The 2023 NCAA Tournament's second week is fast approaching. Before the games start on Thursday, let's look at the biggest surprises of the first week of the tournament.

2023 NCAA Tournament Biggest Surprises

Princeton Tigers

Princeton, a 15th seed in the South, is 2-0 in the 2023 March Madness after impressive upset victories over No. 2 Arizona, winning 59-55, and then No. 7 Missouri, winning 78-63. The Tigers, dancing for the first time in six years, won a tournament game for the first time since 1998. They last won multiple tourney games in 1983.

Princeton has been excellent on the defensive end. As has been the case all season, Princeton has competed hard on that end and defended the 3-point line well. The Tigers have also not fouled much and kept their opponents off the offensive glass.

Princeton's top two players have shown out. Leading scorer Tosan Evbuomwan led the way against Arizona, while Ryan Langborg put up 22 points and six rebounds against Missouri. More importantly, 6-foot-6 freshman forward Caden Pierce has dominated the glass (24 rebounds over the two games), and sophomore guard Blake Peters has added some unexpected scoring.

Fairleigh Dickinson Knights

Fairleigh Dickinson was the darling of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. FDU finished second in the NEC in the regular season and conference tournament. The Knights got into the 2023 NCAA Tournament due to Merrimack being ineligible.

FDU entered the tournament with a 17-15 record. But the Knights won two tournament games, including becoming the second No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed (Purdue). They were eliminated by Florida Atlantic on Sunday, although the Knights kept it close throughout.

Arkansas Razorbacks

While Arkansas' inclusion in the Sweet 16 is not as shocking as Princeton's, the Razorbacks weren't expected to pull off an upset against No. 1 Kansas. Arkansas was wildly inconsistent, and while the Hogs won 20 games during the regular season, they entered the 2023 NCAA Tournament having lost four of five.

Arkansas (22-13) is a young team with just two seniors in their regular rotation. The Razorbacks' returning players made up just 16.6% of last year's minutes and 13% of their offensive production.

Arkansas takes good shots as the Hogs aren't much of a threat from beyond the arc, and they get into the paint. The Razorbacks are athletic, get to the free-throw line and are an excellent rebounding team. They use a three-guard starting lineup led by junior Ricky Council and freshman sensation Anthony Black.

However, it is on the defensive end where the Razorbacks have thrived. They use their length and athleticism to challenge 3-point shots, protect the rim and force turnovers.

Pittsburgh Panthers

Pitt was disrespected all season long. The Panthers were among the last four teams to receive an at-large bid, even though their resume and play throughout the season said they were a No. 9 or 10 seed.

Pitt used great 3-point shooting and strong defensive efforts to defeat Mississippi State in the First Four and Iowa State in the first round. This year's tournament marked the Panthers' first appearance since 2016, Jamie Dixon's last year in the Steel City.

Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State (21-12) didn't look like a 2023 NCAA Tournament team for much of the season. The Spartans played a semi-challenging nonconference slate. But MSU is in the Sweet 16 after defeating USC and upsetting No. 2 Marquette.

Michigan State is strong defensively, rebounds the ball on both ends well and doesn't turn it over. Offensively, the Spartans have three players who can take over games: Tyson Walker, Joey Hauser and A.J. Hoggard.

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