The final seconds tick away on scoreboards sprinkled across the arena. One bench is full of smiling faces, while the other is riddled with blank stares. A passionate contingent dressed in blue and gold elevate from their seats, and cheer as they anticipate a triumph. A buzzer screeches through Thompson-Boling Arena: Toledo has completed an upset victory on the biggest stage in the sport.
The twelfth-seeded Toledo Rockets defeated the fifth-seeded Iowa State Cyclones 80-73 in the opening round of the national tournament on Saturday night, ensuring their advancement into the second round of March Madness— with the potential to play in the Sweet 16 with another victory on Monday night.