Every March, there are some things you come to expect: the weather warming up, a layer of pollen on your car, and…Madness. As in March Madness. We are all familiar with the scene. Peeking at the early games on your phone when your teacher isn’t looking. Staying up till after midnight to catch the last buzzer beater. Wondering how in the world your bracket got busted after the first day. March Madness around here also usually means figuring out how far UNC, Duke, or NC State will go in the tournament. This year things were a little different. UNC was never part of the equation and with both NC State and Duke losing on the first weekend, this was the first time since 1996 that no local triangle team (this even included the women’s teams) had a representative in the Sweet 16. However, all was not lost since there is always a reason to keep watching: to root for the underdog.

This year was no different. The underdogs kept many games close and even pulled off quite a few upsets. The best part is watching the carefree neutral crowd rally behind the Davids as they battle the Goliaths. Who doesn’t love watching great teamwork and nonstop energy from players who nobody ever heard of? Just when you think there is no way they will stay on top, another amazing play happens. We all know of the top teams like UCLA, Gonzaga, and Kansas. But what do you know about the small teams?

Here are some interesting facts about 5 teams no one really knows about:

(1) Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU):  After beating top-seeded Purdue, how could FDU not top the list? You might be wondering, where in the world is FDU? The answer: Madison, New Jersey. Their nickname is the Knights, and they became only the second team ever to be a 16th seed to beat a 1 seed. If you’re trying to think of any players from FDU to play in the NBA, you can stop now since the answer is 0. They actually had a player George Glasgow who was drafted as the number 10 pick in the 1953 draft by the Fort Wayne Pistons. He however never played a minute for the team as he instead served in the US Army during the Korean War. If you have a Verizon phone, you can thank FDU graduate Dennis Strigl, who was the founder and president of the company.

(2) Florida Atlantic University (FAU): Known as the Owls, FAU entered the tournament as a 9th seed, and made an amazing run to the Final 4. The average basketball fan would have never guessed it, but FAU had an unbelievable 31-3 record in the regular season. They play in Conference USA and the university is located in Boca Raton, Florida. This was the best season in the history of FAU. They were ranked nationally for the first time ever. They only have 1 senior on their team so they play with a lot of youth and energy. The head coach for FAU is Dusty May, whose son (Jack) plays college basketball for the University of Florida. One famous FAU graduate is Mark Dean, who is a co-founder of IBM.

(3) Furman University: If you were not familiar with the Paladins, just ask the University of Virginia. Furman (13 seed) pulled off the first upset of the tournament stunning the 4th seed Cavaliers on an amazing last-second three-pointer by JP Pegues. This was the first time Furman was in the tournament in 43 years. It is located in Greenville, SC and is part of the Southern Conference. One of Furman’s reserve players (Carter Whitt) is from Raleigh and played at Leesville Road High School. If you enjoyed watching the games with some chips, you can thank Herman W. Lay (found of the Frito-Lay potato chip) who attended Furman.

(4) Princeton University: It’s hard to say nobody has ever heard of Princeton because everyone knows about Princeton, just not their basketball team. Known for its academic prestige, Princeton has traditionally been a very good basketball program. The Tigers have made the NCAA Tournament 26 times and even went to the Final 4 in 1965. Their team always plays smart with lots of good shooters. Princeton had the next biggest upset in the tournament behind FDU when as a 15 seed they beat the number 2 seed Arizona Wildcats. Princeton has sent 10 players to the NBA. There are lots of cool facts about Princeton. For example, the word “campus” which is Latin for “field” originated at Princeton. One of its alumni was Charles Pete Conrad, who was a NASA astronaut and the commander of the Apollo 12 mission. It is reported he took a Princeton flag to the moon in 1969.

(5) Kennesaw State University: I know they didn’t win their game (losing to # 3 seed Xavier) but this was still one of my favorite stories. The Owls are located in Kennesaw, Georgia and coached by Amir Abdur-Rahim, who is one of 13 siblings, including brother Shareef who played 13 years in the NBA. After winning just 1 game total in 2019-2020, they won a school-record 26 games this season. This was the first time the school has ever had a winning record in Division 1. KSU actually did win a national championship in basketball in 2004, in Division 2 though. Its most famous alumni are probably Ty Pennington from the shows Trading Spaces and Extreme Makeover.

Even though you might lose your bracket, you can always count on March Madness to keep you shocked.