Elite Eight Recap:

Three Duds + A Classic

The Cinderella Story Nobody Saw Coming

A Special Word About Tired and Guessing

There is a bracket in this pool called Tired and Guessing. It belongs to my kid, who — and I say this with a parent's full love and complete exasperation — openly hates sports. Not mildly indifferent. Not casually uninterested. Actively, philosophically opposed. If sports were a class, they would withdraw before the add/drop deadline.

They filled out this bracket the way all of the best brackets get filled out: purely based upon vibes, or perhaps by whatever they were thinking about at the time that had nothing to do with basketball. They have not watched a single game. They do not plan to.  I've had games on while they were in the room, and they watched YouTube on their laptop literally facing the opposite direction instead.

And yet: after the Elite Eight, Tired and Guessing is sitting in 29th place out of more than 300 entries. They jumped 110 spots — from 139th to 29th — after this round alone. That is the single biggest climb in the entire pool this round.

Here's the part that makes this genuinely interesting from a pool-math perspective: Tired and Guessing picked Illinois and Michigan in the Final Four, UConn as runner-up, and Arizona as champion. Illinois is in the Final Four. Michigan is in the Final Four. UConn is in the Final Four. If Arizona beats UConn in the national final, Tired and Guessing wins money.

My bracket is toast (and let's be honest, as are most of yours), but I have literally never been more invested in an Arizona basketball game in my life. I have a personal and parental interest in this outcome. I need Arizona to beat UConn in the championship. So, with no disrespect intended towards those of you that may be negatively impacted by an Arizona championshio, please root for Arizona. Not for me — for the possibility that a teenager who despises this tournament might, through sheer indifference but nevertheless listening to some basic bracket picking strategy from Dad, beat most everyone in it. If that doesn't warm your heart, I don't know what to tell you.

If it happens, I will absolutely use it as evidence that sports are worth paying attention to. I will not be subtle about it.  Please help.

The Games

Sunday, March 29

East Region · Washington, D.C.

(2) UConn Huskies 73

(1) Duke Blue Devils 72

The Shot Heard 'Round the Bracket

Last game of the Elite 8 was by far the best, so let's get into it. Duke led for most of this game. They were up by as many as 15 in the first half. They led 44-29 at the break. Then UConn came out of the locker room, chipped away, clawed back — and then with the clock expiring, freshman Braylon Mullins – who had actually been recruited by Duke and spurned them to sign with UConn – launched a 35-foot prayer from well beyond half-court that dropped with less than a second to go. Duke tried to do another Laettner-esque full-court pass, but it was knocked away by UConn, and that was it. UConn 73, Duke 72.

The CBS broadcast crew lost their minds. The internet broke for approximately four minutes. The Cayden Boozer turnover that gave UConn a chance will be replayed on highlight/lowlight reels for years.

For pool purposes: anyone who had DUKE as their champion cannot finish first. And there were a lot of you. 

Midwest Region · Chicago, IL

(1) Michigan Wolverines 95

(6) Tennessee Volunteers 62

Michigan came to Chicago and put on a clinic. The Wolverines led 48-26 at halftime and never looked back, cruising to a 95-62 final. 95 points. Against a 6-seed Tennessee. In the Elite Eight. Sports media is already asking if this Michigan team could be the best in program history — and they may not be wrong. Dusty May has this team humming, and the fact that UNC is already circling him for their coaching vacancy is a storyline that's following Michigan everywhere. Coach May insists he's focused on the Final Four, but he'll have decisions to make soon enough.

Saturday, March 28 · 

South Region · Houston, TX

(3) Illinois Fighting Illini 71

(9) Iowa Hawkeyes 59

Illinois had no trouble with Iowa, pulling away in the second half for a comfortable 12-point win. The Illini started off in a deep hole, clawed back to make it competitive at the half, and then poured in 43 second-half points to pull clear. Iowa, a 9-seed that had no business still being here at this stage, ran out of magic. For pool purposes: Illinois advances, and everyone who picked ILLINOIS as a Final Four team is breathing a little easier tonight. That's a significant chunk of the leaderboard.

West Region · San Jose, CA

(1) Arizona Wildcats 79

(2) Purdue Boilermakers 64

Arizona rolled. The Wildcats trailed at halftime 38-31, then outscored Purdue 48-26 in the second half to win going away. The final score of 79-64 doesn't fully capture how dominant Arizona was once they got rolling. Purdue — which entered as a 2-seed and had a legitimate shot at a run — is done. Arizona is the top overall seed, and they look like it. Every ARIZ champion pick in the pool just got significantly more optimistic.

We'll see you for the Final Four recap. In the meantime: root for Arizona. Literally begging.  You know why.

-Jamie