Well, that was some kind of weekend huh? While we were all out enjoying our pints around St. Paddy's, there were some major upsets happening. March Madness doesn't even begin to define it.
- Arizona, with arguably the best player in the country, lost to Buffalo.
- Loyala-Chicago, led by a 98-year old nun, has stampeded into the Sweet 16.
- My beloved Syracuse Orange, the last team into the tournament, has already won 3 games in 5 days on its way to breaking America's hearts and brackets.
- The UMBC Terriers became the first 16-seed in the history of men's basketball to beat a #1, as it absolutely dominated UVA by 20, much to the delight of literally everyone... except UVA fans, of course.
- Xavier, Cincinnati, UNC, Miami, Aurbun- All gone. Nevada, Florida State, Kansas State- Still dancing.
So, what to look forward to next weekend?
Midwest
In what can only be called the only true blue-blood bracket remaining, Syracuse gets to play potential spoiler again as it faces arguably the most talented team in the country, ACC foes Duke. How torn the nation must be, having to decide between the team that didn't deserve to be there but wins, and the team everyone historically hates that, of course, still has Grayson Allen. The winner of the matchup gets to take on the winner of #1 seed Kansas and the upset-minded Clemson Tigers, who completely dominated #4 Auburn in the Round of 32. I'd guess that a Duke/Kansas matchup may be the result folks get on Sunday, but who knows with the way this tournament has gone so far. In the end, Duke's talent may be just too much for anyone else to handle.
East
The East bracket is the only one in which only teams that were Top 5 seeds remain, led by #1 seed Villanova. They have been dominant so far, as has their weekend opponent, the West Virginia Mountaineers. The winner will take on upstart Texas Tech, who will look to take advantage of an injury to Purdue's second leading scorer, Isaac Haas. One of these 1-seeds must make it through, and Villanova may be experienced enough to pull it off.
South
Either Nevada or Loyola will be in the Elite 8, as the two upstart Cinderellas meet in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night. The winner may have a a decent chance to get to the Final Four as well, as neither Kansas State nor Kentucky is without flaws. I'd put my money on John Calipari, though, to bring his team through to San Antonio.
West
Florida State vs Gonzaga. Michigan vs Texas A&M. What has happened to the West regional? Michigan survived by a miracle over Houston, and A&M dominated the defending champs IN CHARLOTTE! Maybe they peaked early, and Michigan is just lucky enough to advance. They'd have to take on the winner of the Noles and Gonzaga, who should be able to punch their ticket back to the Final Four if they play at their best.
So, I supposed those are my picks for the Final Four. Villanova vs Duke, and Gonzaga vs Kentucky. Of course, I had UVA, Arizona, and Michigan State in my original Final Four, so buyer beware.
Enjoy the games!
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