March Madness 2022: Historic Upsets Of Gonzaga, Arizona Shake Up NCAA Tournament

The two top-ranked teams in the entire NCAA Tournament have been eliminated from March Madness 2022. No. 1 seeds Gonzaga and Arizona both suffered upsets in the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday night, improving the national championship chances for the rest of the field.

By losing to No. 4 Arkansas 74-68 in Thursday’s Sweet Sixteen matchup, Gonzaga became one of the most disappointing teams in recent March Madness history. The Bulldogs are the first NCAA Tournament favorite that has failed to reach the Elite Eight in the last 11 years. Gonzaga entered the tournament as an odds-on favorite to win the West Region and make the Final Four.

Gonzaga continues to fall short of expectations in March Madness. The Bulldogs have made the NCAA Tournament in every season since 1999 and are still seeking their first national championship. Gonzaga was considered to be college basketball’s best team all season long for the second straight year.

In the 2021 national championship game, Gonzaga suffered its first loss of the entire season against Baylor.

Arizona trailed wire-to-wire in Thursday’s 72-60 loss against No. 5 Houston. The Wildcats won more games than any team in the nation before being upset by the Cougars in the Sweet Sixteen.

Thursday marked the first time in 27 years that two No. 1 seeds were beaten on the same day in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

The defending national champions didn’t survive the first weekend of March Madness. No. 1 Baylor was upset by No. 8 North Carolina in a thrilling second-round overtime game.

That leaves No. 1 Kansas as the only top seed left in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas is favored by 7.5 points over No. 4 Providence in Friday’s Sweet Sixteen matchup.

For the third time in seven years, there won’t be multiple No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. If Kansas loses in the Midwest Region, the Final Four won’t feature a single No. 1 seed for just the third time in history.

Of the 12 remaining teams, six have +1000 odds or better to win the national championship at BetMGM. Houston leads the way with +350 odds. Kansas is the second favorite at +400. The Jayhawks will likely jump ahead of the Cougars with a victory over Providence.

No. 2 Duke has the third-best championship odds at +450. The Blue Devils beat No. 3 Texas Tech in the Sweet Sixteen as slight underdogs. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has a real chance to win a sixth title in his final season on the Duke bench.

Ahead of their Elite Eight matchup with Houston, No. 2 Villanova has +600 championship odds.