Since 1985, 50 12-seeds have upset a 5-seed in the first round of the tournament. Make that 51. Welcome to the weekend High Point!

The Panthers of High Point (a Methodist school in North Carolina named after its town) came ready to play today against Wisconsin, down only a bucket at the half. It was back and forth in the second, with the Badgers up a point with 40-seconds remaining. Wisconsin ran down the clock and then Nick Boyd drove the lane and missed a contested lay-up. High Point’s Rob Martin snagged the rebound in the lane and immediately threw a half court pass to Chase Johnston, who streaked to a finger roll basket. The game wasn’t quite over, but that was the end of the scoring. The first upset of the tourney!

An exuberant Flynn Clayman, the High Point coach, expressed solidarity with Miami (OH) against the doubters who said the mid-major teams had no victories of note. Clayman complained that high majors won’t play them. He’s right. It's because the NCAA changed the way it judges wins and losses such that a ranked team losing to a quality mid-major is not worth the risk. 

The last time a team played their starters the whole game in the NCAA tourney was DePaul vs Indiana State in 1979. DePaul lost by a bucket. Fatigue may have played a role in the loss. The fact that Larry Bird poured in 35 (to go with 16 boards) probably contributed as well. Siena nearly did the same against Duke, finally making a substitution with 10 seconds to go in the game. Fatigue definitely played a role today.

Siena was the better team in the first half, leading by 11 at the break (43-32). The Saints (weird nickname, which is weirder because the mascot is a Bulldog; whatever) won every phase of the game. More rebounds, more assists, fewer turnovers, 55% from the field. Duke’s Malik Brown made the cakewalk crack at the half. You aren’t supposed to say that out loud, big fella. Not sure about leaving his starters out there nearly the whole game, but otherwise Siena coach Gerry McNamara (former player and coach at Syracuse) coached a great game. He ran a 2-3 zone that would make Jim Boeheim proud. Siena made as many 3s in the first half (5) as they typically make in a game. Predictably, it didn’t last. But it took Duke 15 minutes of the second half to finally tie it up. Siena could not buy a bucket down the stretch, hitting only one 2-point basket over the last 7 minutes. It’s surprising they only lost by six.

Duke trailed by as many as 13 in first, their largest deficit of the season. In the second half, the Boozer boys took over. Cameron was great with 22 (and 13 boards). But Cayden was the difference with a career high 19 (and 5 assists). Duke played seven, getting 3 points from the bench. I wondered about injuries and the resulting lack of depth for Duke. I didn’t think it would be an issue against Siena.

CBS’s Ian Eagle is one of the best in the game. He called Duke-Siena for television. A few chairs down, his son Noah called the game for Westwood One radio. Noah decided at an early age that he wanted a career in the family business, honing his skills calling play-by-play for football, basketball and lacrosse while a student at Syracuse. During the game, the senior Eagle cracked that “the best part has been how many have come up to me and said today ‘Hey, I just met your brother.’ That’s been a confidence builder.” Ian looks good at 57 (Noah is 29).

The two HBCUs in the First Four, Prairie View A&M and Howard, made it through to the field of 64. Prairie View is named for the town in which it is located (in Texas). Despite its prominence as an academic institution, I had no idea how Howard, which is in DC, got its name. I must admit that I rolled my eyes when I found out it honors a white dude. Founded in the aftermath of the Civil War, couldn’t they name it after Harriett Tubman or Sojourner Truth (whose names grace the quad and a dormitory)? Truth University has a nice ring to it. Tubman and Truth are African American icons and heroes, but they had nothing to do with the establishment of Howard University. The place literally would not exist if not for Oliver Otis Howard.

Howard, a Maine native, was a pious evangelical known as the Christian General. His fierce anti-slavery beliefs led him to military service. In the Civil War, he lost his right arm in the Battle of Fair Oaks, recovered and led the Army of Tennessee at Gettysburg and many other battles until the end of the war. Howard then became a champion for the formerly enslaved including ensuring their right to vote. Howard’s post-war pursuits led President Johnson to call him a fanatic (a badge of honor that looks even better in historical context). He was instrumental in the founding of what would come to be called Howard University, where he served as President, as well as Clark Atlanta University. Should they have named the DC HBCU for Tubman or Frederick Douglass instead? A strong case could be made. Regardless, what I learned today is that Oliver Otis Howard was a great American. Respect.

Tonight, Howard came out on fire against Michigan, nailing 10 (!) 3s in the first stanza. Michigan, whose players were crazy taller at every position, led in every other category. The hot shooting kept it close at the break, 50-46 Michigan. It didn't last. Michigan over-powered the Bison in the second, winning 101-80. 

VCU coach Phil Martelli, Jr. is the son of Philadelphia legend Phil Martelli, who led St. Joseph's to seven NCAA tournaments over a 24 year career. Martelli Sr recently took over as interim head coach at Michigan after Juan Howard had emergency heart surgery. Phil Martelli, Jr's little brother Jimmy Martelli is Associate Head Coach at VCU.

VCU was getting pounded by UNC tonight by as many as 19 and then Carolina completely fell apart. In the last seconds of regulation, Carolina missed free throws, had a 5-second violation, gave up a wide open VCU layup and turned the ball over at the end with a chance to win. A basic nightmare for Heels fans (feel you Price!). Overtime. No points scored over the first 3 minutes of overtime. Ugly. Then it got fun! There was a dagger 3 from VCU. UNC missed free throws they were trying to make and failed to hit the rim on a free throw that they were trying to miss. VCU held Carolina to only 3 points in OT, winning by four. Carolina is playing without their best player, Caleb Wilson. That is not the reason they blew this game. UNC Coach Hubert Davis is not the answer.

The leader in the clubhouse for the most bizarre mascot: the St. Louis Billiken.

A Billiken is a charm doll created by a St. Louis illustrator in the early 20th century.  I’m not making this up.  It is an elf-like figure with pointed ears, a mischievous smile and a tuft of hair on his pointed head.  No, really.  Billiken figures, which were given as presents to bring good luck, were one of the first toy fads.  The billiken would have faded into obscurity if not for the fact that the Jesuit St. Louis University adopted it as a mascot, supposedly because it resembled football coach John Bender.

The team came be known as Bender’s Billikens; I assume this was meant as a joke.  Amazingly the name stuck and over 100 years later the fans in St. Louis are led in cheers by a creepy full-size Buddha-elf. Seriously.

It's somehow fitting that the player with the most nicknames, by a wide margin, transferred from Indiana State to St. Louis. Robbie Avila - a 6'10" center who sports rec league goggles - has been called Larry Nerd, College Jokic, Larry Blurred, Rob Wave, Milk Chamberlain and lastly, thanks to Matt Jones, Cream Abdul Jabbar. Avila appreciates the attention and the spirit of endearment underlying his many fans' enthusiasm for sobriquets. The thing is: the goofy kid's got game. Just ask Georgia. St. Louis was by far the better team in the first half, taking a 17-point lead into the locker room. They followed by absolutely demolishing the Bulldogs in the second, opening with an 18-0 run to push their lead past 30. The Billikens cruised to a win, racking up 102 points. Next up: Michigan, which could be interesting.

Like UNC, Louisville led South Florida by as many as 19. Like UNC, they did their best to blow it, wilting against the South Florida press in the second half. Unlike UNC, they did not succeed. The Ville held on to win by 4. In case you missed it, The Cards star guard, Mikel Brown, was out today with the back injury that has plagued him most of the season. When asked about Brown's availability going forward, Louisville coach Pat Kelsey gave a meandering and contradictory response that was impossible to parse. Smart money is the next place you see Mikel Brown play is in the NBA.

Houston blasted Idaho and their Hall of Fame Mascot. They are the Vandals.

My former employer, Penn, won the Ivy tourney to make the Big Dance. They were dismantled by Illinois. Keaton Wagler had 18 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds for the Illini.

Alabama star Aden Holloway was arrested on drug charges. He's out on bail, but has been ruled out for the tourney. Holloway's apartment was raided and pot was seized. A whole lotta pot: 2.1 pounds. This is a significant number because a kilogram or more of marijuana automatically results in a drug trafficking charge. 1 kg is 2.2 pounds. That's lucky. Or deliberate, if you are cynical. Holloway says the weed was for personal use. Really? 1 kg of weed translates into something like 500 blunts (apparently). The kid is facing jail time for something that is legal in a bunch of states. You're in deep red Alabama making like half a mil to play a year of college ball. Gotta be smart. I hope it all works out for him. It's sure bad news for his team as Holloway was the second leading scorer for the Tide this season at over 16 ppg.

Kennesaw State annoyed Gonzaga in a game that went well into Friday when the Zags held on for a 9-point win. Kennesaw is a town near Marietta, which is a town near Atlanta. Their mascot is Scrappy the Owl. Their men's basketball team won the DII national championship in 2005.