We are halfway to deciding the Final Four as the Connecticut Huskies and Alabama Crimson Tide both clinched berths in Glendale/Phoenix/Scottsdale for the Final Four. What this means is that the NCAA says the Final Four in Phoenix (see above), but it is actaully played in Glendale (about an hour away during game days), but the most fun will be in Scottsdale. Anyway, these two teams both punched their tickets in way different manners.
Connecticut beat Illinois. I mean it. Literally beat them. Like Old Testament, flood the world, turn whole teams into stone or pillars of salt type of ass-kicking. Really don't need to say much about the game because it was so horrific. I will give my apologies to Terrence Shannon of Illinois, who apparently I cursed by calling him one of the best two players in the tournament. We shall see if the curse affects Zach Edey today.
Alabama defeated Clemson in a close, fun, brutally-tough matchup that featured a lot of up-and-down the court, three-pointers and athleticism - and PHYSICALITY! This matchup was brutal down low. But fun. There was one stretch mid-way through the second half where the teams hit 5 consecutive three-pointers. This is Alabama's fist trip to the Final Four. I hope their fans bring their football zeal and anxiety to the Arizona!
Social Media Posts
Thousand upon thousands about Connecticut destroying Illinois. That is all.
Stats of the Day
There are so many amazing stats from the UConn game, that they dominate this list, so of course I will start with the other game.
8. Clemson was top 10 in the country in free throw shooting for the season, and the #1 ranked free throw shooting team in the tournament at 78.71%. So of course, they shot 8-16 from the free throw line.
7. Illinois leading-scorer Terrence Shannon had 2 points at half-time.
6. Connecticut and Illinois combined to shoot 31% in the first half.
5. Connecticut has now won 10 straight NCAA Tournament games by double-digits, and including the Big East Tournament, have won 13 straight elimination games, having last lost in the 2023 Big East Conference semi-finals 70-68 to Marquette.
4. Illinois's shooting efficiency was 29.9%!
3. Connecticut held Illinois to 14 total points with Donovan Clingan on the court.
2. Illinois was 019 on shots at the rim with Donovan Clingan challenging. He blocked 5 of those shots.
1. CONNECTICUT WENT ON A 30-0 RUN! A 30-0 RUN!!!
Since Illinois lost, another champion is down! The remaining six-teams all have champions in our pool, so lots of competing interests remain! Our remaining champions are: ALABAMA, Auburn, Arizona, Baylor, CONNECTICUT, Creighton, DUKE, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State, North Carolina, NORTH CAROLINA STATE, PURDUE and TENNESSEE. So, out of the 12 remaining teams in the tournament, entries have each of them as their champion, except Clemson. Best of luck to all those entrants that have a champion remaining - Your Tournament Host does not.
Eight people in our pool did pick Alabama to advance to the Final Four. And although Marcus Jackson of Reston, Virginia, Braeden Helland of Riviera Beach, Florida, Dave Piasecki of Tacoma, Washington, Coco Wynne of Delray Beach, Florida, and Savannah Grace Pressly of Boca Raton, Florida all deserve mention for their pick, only Jane Reynolds of Greenacres, Dawn Lamb of Delray Beach and Barbie Curlett 1 of Jacksonville, Florida had both Alabama AND Connecticut. So Jane, Dawn and Barbie - congratulations on your award for the "Pick of the Day!"
For the history section, I usually just see what memory or anniversary or something the games of any particular day trigger, and if possible, I will write about that. For today's history lesson, it wasn't anything that occurred on the Court, but rather the fact that I saw one commercial on numerous occasions yesterday that triggered my memory, likely intentionally. The commercial is Coach Krzyzewski talking about the importance of being in uniform, with a montage of athletes and members of the military while Coach K keeps talking. The first person shown is current NBA great C.J. McCollum, in what looks to be a facsimile of his college uniform.
This was noticeable because McCollum went to Lehigh, not a basketball powerhouse, but still was a 2-time Patriot League Player of the Year and 2-Time AP Honorable Mention All-American while playing for the Engineers. He earned both of these awards during the 2012 season, in which Lehigh earned an NCAA Touranment berth, and a 15-2 seed matchup against traditional powerhouse Duke, coached by Krzyzewski.
In that game, Lehigh kept it close at halftime, going into the locker down by 2, 30-28. The offensive explosion occurred in the second half, as Lehigh scored 47 to defeat Duke 75-70. McCollum finished the game with 30 points and 6 assists, receiving scoring help from Gabe Knutsen with his 17 points and team-high 8 rebounds. Duke was paced by Mason Plumlee's 19 points (with 12 rebounds) and Austin Rivers also contributed 19 points. The downfall for Duke was trying to guard McCollum, who not only scored 30, but also fouled out Duke's starting guards Seth Curry - brother of Steph - and Tyler Thornton.
Lehigh's cinderella-run ended in the second round, as they were beaten by Xavier 70-58, as McCollum couldn't muster the same scoring magic dropping 14 points, but contributing 8 rebounds.
Lehigh, however, remains one of the few 15-seeds to have ever won an NCAA Tournament game over a 2 seed. That list is:
1991 Richmond over Syracuse
1993 Santa Clara over Arizona
1997 Coppin State over South Carolina
2001 Hampton over Iowa State
2012 Lehigh over Duke
2012 Norfolk State over Missouri
2013 Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown
2016 Middle Tennessee state over Michigan State
2021 Oral Roberts over Ohio State
2022 St. Peters over Kentucky
2023 Princeton over Arizona
Kentucky behind future first two overall picks Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would eventually win the 2012 title over Kansas, led by Thomas Robinson.
As for CJ MCCollum, despite being an Honorable Mention All-American in 2012, decided to come back to Lehigh for his senior season, where he became the Patriot League's all-time leading scorer before succumbing to a broken foot. He was drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Portland Trailblazers, where he played for 10 seasons before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he still plays. He has a career average of 19.4 points per game. As he is playing, McCollum is beginning his transition into his post-NBA career by hosting a popular basketball-themed podcast called Pull Up with C.J. McCollum, and he will be putting his journalism degree to use as he has signed a deal with ESPN to be an analyst for its various platforms.
Kudos to Coach Krzyzewski for recognizing basketball talent and for having McCollum on the commercial given the history between Lehigh and Duke in the NCAA Tournament.
Players of the Day
We had many good players in this tournament, but none like Luke Goode from Illinois, but he definitely isn't goode enough to make our top 10.
10. Joseph Girard, Clemson - 19 points on 5-10 shooting from three-point range
9. Cam Spencer, Connecticut - 11 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists
8. Jarin Stevenson, Alabama - 19 points, 3 rebounds, 58-8 from three-point range
7. Nick Pringle, Alabama - 16 points, 11 rebounds, 8-13 from the free throw line
6. Mark Sears, Alabama - 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 7-14 from three
5. Paige Bueckers, Connecticut - 24 points
4. Flau'Jae Johnson, LSU - 24 points, 12 rebounds
3. Caitlyn Clark, Iowa - 29 points, 15 assists
2. JuJu Watkins, USC - 30 points, 4 assists
1. Donovan Clingan, Connecticut - 22 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 5 blocks.
Best Players in Each Region
East - Donovan Clingan, Connecticut - AND IT WASN'T EVEN CLOSE
West - Mark Sears, Alabam
Midwest - TBD
South - TBD
And speaking of TBD, what will we see today? Will the offensive firepower of Tennessee be able to keep up with the size of Zach Edey and the talent of Purdue? Will North Carolina State become the 7th double-digit seed to make the Final Four, or will the traditional blue blood of Duke join Connecticut in stabilizing the old regimes power in basketball? Well, we shall see!
And now, to our Leaderboard, where WE HAVE A NEW LEADER!!! If you had one game correct yesterday, you moved up some. If you had no games correct, you moved down a lot. For the three that had both ... flying up the leaderboard!!! As always double-check your scores to make sure I am accurate and let me know if you find a discrepancy.
Tournament Standings after Elite 8/Day 1
1. Bill Ganoe 3 - 99 - North Carolina/Houston
2. Allison Parker - 98 - North Carolina/DUKE
3. Blake Jackson - 96 - DUKE/Arizona
4. Ty Hedgpeth - 94 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
Marcus Jackson - 94 - Kansas/ALABAMA
6. Miles Jackson - 93 - Kentucky/CONNECTICUT
Brian McMahon - 93 - CONNECTICUT/Kentucky
Jeff Plamondon - 93 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette
9. Braeden Helland - 92 - Auburn/Creighton
10. George Fox 2 - 91 - CONNECTICUT/DUKE
Max Marion 3 - 91 - PURDUE/Baylor
12. Bill Ganoe 1 - 90 - North Carolina/TENNESSEE
Javier Rodriguez - 90 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT
Chris Simmons - 90 - TENNESSEE/CONNECTICUT
Measha Williams - 90 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT
Justin Yung - 90 - North Carolina/PURDUE
17. Rich Samuels 4 - 88 - Houston/Arizona
Lee Pagan - 88 - Arizona/PURDUE
Jane Reynolds - 88 - ALABAMA/TENNESSEE
Cassi Spruill - 88 - Houston/Illinois
21. Jeremy Spuhler - 87 - CONNECTICTU/TENNESSEE
22. Daniel Barsky 1 - 86 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE
Measha Williams 1 - 86 - Houston/CONNECTICUT
Josh Zdrowak - 86 - Arizona/Kentucky
25. Paul Cummings 2 - 85 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE
Alvaro Gonzalez - 85 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT
John Hedgpeth - 85 - DUKE/North Carolina
Marcus Spruill - 85 - North Carolina/PURDUE
Cheryl Spuhler - 85 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette
Amanda Staudt - 85 - Arizona/PURDUE
31. Carolyn Fowler - 84 - North Carolina/TENNESSEE
Mark Holbert - 84 - North Carolina/Kentucky
Matt Hopps - 84 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
Max Macon 2 - 84 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT
Si Nichols - 84 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE
William Pujals - 84 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
37. Joel Chernoff - 83 - North Carolina/Houston
38. Kyle Henderson 1 - 82 - Creighton/CONNECTICUT
Rich Samuels 5 - 82 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
40. James Coleman - 81 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE
Jody Cox - 81 - Marquette/Arizona
Dawn Lamb - 81 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette
Sean McInerney 2 - 81 - CONNECTICUT/Creighton
Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 81 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE
Matt Okell - 81 - North Carolina/Houston
Dave Piasecki - 81 - Florida/Auburn
Keith Zdrowak - 81 - PURDUE/Baylor
48. Scott Bieterman 1 - 80 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT
Brittany Sosa - 80 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT
Logan Spuhler - 80 - Arizona/DUKE
51. Bill Ganoe 2 - 79 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
Silas Nichols - 79 - CONNECTICUT/Kentucky
Bubba Zdrowak - 79 - DUKE/Arizona
54. Paul Cummings 3 - 78 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE
Justine Frank - 78 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette
Rich Samuels 2 - 78 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT
57. Kevin Dick - 76 - Kentucky/North Carolina
Max Marion 1 - 76 - Kentucky/CONNECTICUT
Sasha Moon - 76 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
Rich Samuels 1 - 76 - CONNECTICUT/HOUSTON
Rich Samuels 3 - 76 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
62. George Fox 1 - 75 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT
Kyle Henderson 2 - 75 - Houston/CONNECTICUT
George Walks 3 - 75 - PURDUE/Baylor
Amy Zdrowak - 75 - PURDUE/Baylor
66. Barbie Curlett 1 - 74 - Houston/CONNECTICUT
Tyler Giamberini - 74 - Arizona/Kansas
Dan Laishley - 74 - Houston/CONNECTICUT
Jacey Reynolds 2 - 74 - North Carolina/TENNESSEE
Lily Spuhler - 74 - Kansas/North Carolina
Measha Williams 2 - 74 - Houston/Auburn
Mike Wolff 1 - 74 - DUKE/North Carolina
73. Jenna Finkelstein - 73 - Florida/CONNECTICUT
Chris O'Neil - 73 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
Day Yi - 73 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
76. Jacey Fowler 1 - 72 - North Carolina/PURDUE
Shane Jernigan 2 - 72 - Auburn/PURDUE
78. Max Macon 1 - 71 - CONNECTICUT/TENNESSEE
Ashley Poer - 71 - Iowa State/Houston
Pepe Sosa - 71 - Arizona/Kentucky
Keith Wynne - 71 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette
82. Michael McNally - 70 - Gonzaga/Baylor
George Walks 4 - 70 - PURDUE/North Carolina
Coco Wynne - 70 - Creighton/Illinois
85. Paul Cummings 1 - 69 - PURDUE/Iowa State
Derrick Lowe - 69 - Kentucky/North Carolina
Ryan Rodriguez - 69 - DUKE/Auburn
Jamie Toole - 69 - Houston/Arizona
Katie Zdrowak - 69 - Arizona/PURDUE
90. Skip LaForte - 68 - Michigan State/Houston
Natalie Moon - 68 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE
Biscuit Zdrowak - 68 - Kentucky/Iowa State
93. Adam Jorgensen 1 - 67 - CONNECTICUT/Creighton
Adam Jorgensen 2 - 67 - Houston/CONNECTICUT
Noel Martinez 1 - 67 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT
96. Daniel Barsky 1 - 66 - PURDUE/Baylor
Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 66 - TENNESSEE/Arizona
Melissa Gaynor - 66 - Illinois/South Carolina
Quinn Jackson - 66 - Iowa State/Gonzaga
Katie Kollmeyer - 66 - Arizona/Houston
Sean McInerney 1 - 66 - Marquette/North Carolina
Chris Pettit - 66 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
Jonathan Wasserman - 66 - Kentucky/Illinois
104. Scott Bieterman 2 - 65 - Kentucky/Auburn
Kingfish Parham - 65 - Auburn/Oregon
Jessica Samuels - 65 - Florida Atlantic/Houston
107. Barbie Curlett 2 - 64 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette
Arlene Amo Hopps - 64 - North Carolina/DUKE
Savannah Grace Pressly - 64 - Florida Atlantic/Marquette
Cheryl Spuhler - 64 - Iowa State/Marquette
111. Max Marion 2 - 63 - North Carolina/Marquette
Kisha Marzouca 1 - 63 - Arizona/DUKE
George Walks 1 - 63 - North Carolina/Kentucky
114. Shane Jernigan 1 - 62 CONNECTICUT/Marquette
George Walks 2 - 62 - Baylor/Gonzaga
116. Max Macon 3 - 61 - Florida/North Carolina
Max Macon 4 - 61 - Houston/North Carolina
118. Clair Bullock - 60 - NORTH CAROLINA STATE/North Carolina
James Garvin - 60 - PURDUE/Iowa State
Kisha Marzouca 2 - 60 - Arizona/Houston
Jason Spuhler - 60 - CONNECTICUT/Houston
122. Brent Bellinger - 59 - Illinois/PURDUE
Nick Kuehl - 59 - Auburn/Marquette
Max Marion 4 - 59 - Houston/Iowa State
Anne-Marie O'Neil - 59 - PURDUE/Arizona
Barkley Sosa - 59 - CONNECTICUT/Gonzaga
127. Colleen Giamberini - 58 - CONNECTICUT/NORTH CAROLINA STATE
128. Stephanie Henderson - 56 - Marquette/CONNECTICUT
Karen Katz - 56 - PURDUE/Auburn
130. Dave Marzouca 1 - 55 - Wisconsin/CONNECTICUT
131. Guy Hughes - 51 - Houston/Iowa State
Mike Wolff 2 - 51 - North Carolina/Florida
133. Dave Marzouca 2 - 50 - Arizona/DUKE
134. Noel Martinez 2 - 49 - Auburn/TENNESSEE
A.J. Ripin - 49 - North Carolina/Houston
136. Hannah Sosa - 45 - Florida/Arizona
136. Alyssa Hopps - 35 - North Carolina/Kentucky - CLINCHED LAST PLACE AND RETURN OF ENTRY FEE!!!! CONGRATULATIONS ALYSSA.
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