March Madness: Indiana becomes 2nd No. 1 seed to be eliminated before Sweet 16 for 1st time in 25 years
It was a very bad week to be a No. 1 seed in March Madness.
No. 1 seed Indiana fell to No. 8 Miami 70-68 on Monday in the second round of the women's NCAA tournament, joining fellow No. 1 seed Stanford in going down during the first weekend.
It is the first time multiple No. 1 seeds have lost before the Sweet 16 in the women's tournament since 1998. That year, No. 16 Harvard was the first 16-seed ever to upset a 1-seed (Stanford), while No. 9 Notre Dame beat Texas Tech in the second round.
When you add in the fact that top seeds Purdue and Kansas both went down in the men's tournament — Purdue in the first round and Kansas in the second — you have maybe the most chaotic week the NCAA has ever seen on a basketball court. The Miami men also beat Indiana in the second round of their tournament.
Miami was in control all first half, but an Indiana rally in the third quarter put it in a good position to survive the upset bid. The Hoosiers eventually found themselves down 68-65 with less than 10 seconds left, when freshman Yarden Garzon hit a game-tying 3-pointer.
"Screaming. Crying. Throwing Up." - @IndianaWBB fans right now#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/9e409KZs7W
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 21, 2023
The season was saved, for about three seconds. Then, Miami's Destiny Harden came through with a floater to take the lead. Indiana, trailing again, had no timeouts and saw its season end on a steal at the other end of the court.
ANOTHER ONE (SEED) BITES THE DUST#MarchMadness x @CanesWBB pic.twitter.com/GcJYR5snvQ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 21, 2023
After the game, Harden told the ESPN broadcast that Miami assistant coach Fitzroy Anthony told her to "win the f***ing game."
The senior forward finished with 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds, while Indiana All-American Mackenzie Holmes led all scorers with 22 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Miami's reward for the upset will be No. 4 Villanova on Friday in the Greenville 2 region.