Thursday’s March Madness: Princeton Upsets Arizona, Furman Upsets Virginia – The New York Times

In a stunning display of Thursday’s March Madness, Princeton upended Arizona and Furman upset Virginia, making for a tumultuous start to the NCAA tournament.

The Tigers’ upset of the No. 4-seeded Wildcats marked the first time since 1998 that a No. 13 seed had beaten a No. 4 seed in the tournament, and the first time a No. 13 seed has won in the South region. While Princeton had previously earned NCAA tournament berths in 2011 and 2017, they had yet to win a game.

The Tigers’ victory was fueled by their tremendous defensive play, holding Arizona to 19.2 percent shooting from 3-point range. They also received a huge boost from guard Jaelin Llewellyn, who scored a career-high 26 points on the night, sinking four crucial 3-pointers in the second half.

Meanwhile, the Paladins of Furman pulled off the biggest upset of the night, taking down No. 1-seeded Virginia, who had been the favorite to win the tournament. The Paladins were led by guard Jordan Lyons, who scored 20 points, including a clutch 3-pointer late in the game to seal the victory. The Paladins’ defense was also key, as they held Virginia to only 37.7 percent shooting from the field.

The upsets by Princeton and Furman have sent shockwaves throughout the college basketball world, and it will be interesting to see how the tournament progresses from here. It’s clear that on this wild Thursday night, anything can happen in March Madness.