Weekend 2 Update - UConn Is Good At Basketball

While Caitie and I might have been moving further west into NJ this weekend, I moved much further South in our bracket, as we saw a big shake up with weekend #2. We'll break it down by region to go through the madness as we head into our championship weekend.

East

I'll make this short and sweet. UConn is really good at basketball. Sean Harrington, ESPN analyst and Illinois alum, should keep his mouth shut prior to playing the #1 seed. I hope Alabama learned their lesson from this.

West

The West bracket saw the first #1 seed to fall, as Alabama had a great close game vs UNC, winning by 2 after being down 8 at the half, thanks to a go-ahead 3 point play with 38 seconds left. Clemson, still the least visually intimidating team in this tournament, managed to take down popular final 4 (if not champion) pick Arizona, but the only team still rolling is the Tide as 'Bama is in their first ever final 4. We'll see if they can give UConn any sort of test- if their 3 point shooting is as timely as it was vs. Clemson, they hopefully can make it a game. If they keep it to single digits, that's practically a win with how UConn has been playing.

Midwest

After a close first half, Purdue silenced the noise around last year's loss by beating Gonzaga to match up against Tennessee, who punched their elite 8 ticket after Creighton choked. However, Tennessee had no answer for Zach Edey with an impressive 40 points and 16 boards. Are rebounds easier to come by when you're 7'-4" going against all other players under 6'? Yes, but credit the big man, despite some people hating on him for "just being tall" (he is just really tall though...). Can Purdue make official the newest march madness "trend" of when you lose to a 16 seed, you win it all next year?

South

The most shocking of the brackets, NC State dominated Marquette who couldn't have traded all the cheese in Wisconsin for a 3 pointer. Duke had another close elite 8 game to take down the second #1 seed in Houston, setting up an ACC matchup for the last spot in the final 4. The hottest team in college basketball prevailed though as NC State is heading to Glendale Arizona. DJ squared led the Wolfpack team with an insane second half, shooting 73% and scoring 55 points. NC State beat Duke in both the ACC tournament and now elite 8, claiming a surprise title as best team in North Carolina over Duke and UNC. This run is just improbable, as State was 4-10 in their last 14 games. They actually have the most losses of any final 4 team ever in tournament history, and wouldn't have even made the tournament had it not been their suprise run to win the auto bid in the ACC Tournament. It's weird to call a Major Conference team a Cinderella, but given how bleak their season was, it is appropriate for NC. We'll see if the clock strikes midnight vs Purdue, or if they can channel another fairytale and read up on Jack and the Beanstalk when they face Zach Edey.

It's Easter weekend, and God helps those who help others. Jim and Lelia jump to the top of the leaderboard, receiving grace from God for helping Caitie and I move. With 3 correct final 4 teams, Lelia has a comfortable lead, but having a team in the championship is 16 points, and the champion is 32. If UConn hangs on, there won't be too much room to shake it up though. The Clousers are riding the Boilermaker Train, and despite a drop still have a chance with a Purdue win and UConn loss. Just like the AMEX Building, Kayla has come out of the ground and is now on grade, as she jumps into 3rd place thanks to 5 correct elite 8 teams. Carly's officially out on points, as her Illinois loss took away her chance at victory like a last minute NCR that "we told Delta on the walk, just ask *random person who shouldn't be trusted*." Lastly, a shout out to Casey and Ryan with the only two brackets to have 0 correct final 4 teams, just brutal. JVN, you're not doing great. 

The final 4 resumes Saturday night, starting with Purdue and NC State. On paper, neither game is supposed to be close. But with how each team has played this tournament, I'd bet NC State with the -8.5 line. I would not recommend betting the -11.5 line for Alabama though... even though anything is possible, it just does not seem smart...

We will have an update before the championship game on Monday! Enjoy the weekend's games. As always double check your own scores please!

Rory F Beglane

Founder of the 85 Expansion Bracket Challenge

Villanova Enthusiast

0 Time Bracket Winner