Legendary New York Jets blocker Nick Mangold didn’t handle Ohio State’s loss in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament well.
Nick Mangold‘s partaking in a different kind of blocking did not end well.
The legendary New York Jets blocker’s celebration of the return of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was short-lived, as his Ohio State Buckeyes were on the wrong end of one of the competition’s signature upsets.
Seeded second in the South region, Ohio State fell in an overtime thriller to Oral Roberts University. Mangold was an All-American and a three-year starter in Columbus before the Jets took him 29th overall in the 2006 draft.
After the game, Mangold took his frustrations out on social media.
March Madness sucks. Please respect my privacy at this time. How does OSU lose to a school that no one has ever heard of?!?
— Nick Mangold (@nickmangold) March 19, 2021
It was certainly a quick change of heart for Mangold, who gleefully displayed his NCAA Tournament set up as the early games tipped off at 12 p.m. ET. Mangold’s media room, complete with a life-size Imperial Stormtrooper model from the original Star Wars trilogy, has hosted some tough recent times.
The blocker’s Twitter timeline also showcases disappointment over Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’s 3-0 defeat to Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb in Europa League play.
Heaven #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/w261VLbeLw
— Nick Mangold (@nickmangold) March 19, 2021
Oral Roberts was making its first appearance in the tournament since 2008, having punched its ticket through shocking the Summit League with a win in the conference tournament.
The 15th-seeded Golden Eagles are only the ninth team seeded 15th in tournament history to topple a No. 2 in the Round of 64 and the first to pull it off since Middle Tennessee upset Michigan State in 2016. It’s also the program’s first win in the tournament since 1974 when they topped Louisville to advance to the Elite Eight.
With their win, ORU has likely gained a sizable following across the nation. It’s unlikely, however, that Mangold will be part of it after they ousted his Buckeyes. ORU will partake in second-round action on Sunday against the Florida Gators.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags