Standings can be found here. Scenarios for each pool will be found at the end of this one. Don't worry, it's not a long read.
The allure of March Madness is that anything is possible. It's not a 7 game series played between teams. One game. Typically on a neutral court. Loser goes home. And that setup works perfectly for the little guy. Is St. Peter's beating Kentucky 4 out of 7 times? Not a chance. Would Kentucky ever visit St. Peter's for a game at Run Baby Run Arena? Nope. The big schools almost always hold sway in making the smaller schools come play in their packed house. And who feels more pressure in a situation where the losing team is done for the year? The team with all the expectations. Add it all up and you have the perfect recipe for upsets.
These Cinderella stories are the best part of this event and sometimes, when we're lucky, it will last beyond one round. Seeing a double-digit seed get to the Sweet 16 is always an awesome story. But after going home for a few days and soaking up their newfound fame, it's tough for a team to show up at a new location the following weekend and win yet again. St. Peter's was the magical story of a team that simply refused to lose. And both they and Miami (who won their Sweet 16 Cinderella battle vs Iowa State) were now one step away from the biggest stage of all: the Final Four.
Miami would get their shot first, taking on #1 seed Kansas in the Midwest Regional Final. The Hurricanes were only a 5 point underdog in this one despite being the #10 seed in the region. They had played so well in the first three rounds that people were giving them a legit shot to take down the final #1 seed remaining. Miami, like Houston, had spent very little time playing from behind in this tournament, so they would face the same acid test that the Cougars did. Would they pass? Not exactly.
Luckily for the Hurricanes, they did not fall behind right out of the gate like Houston did. Miami played toe-to-toe with the top seed for most of the half before going on a late 9-2 run to establish a 6 point halftime edge. That was the good news. The bad news is that we were headed for the most lopsided 20 minutes of basketball in the tournament when the teams returned to the court. The Jayhawks ended the talk of an upset quickly. Within 4 minutes, the game was tied at 40. And then over the last 16 minutes, Kansas would outscore the #10 seed by an outrageous 36-10 margin. If the Jayhawk team we saw in the second half of this game shows up in New Orleans, everyone else is in big trouble. Kansas ends Miami's Final Four hopes with a 76-50 thrashing, taking home the title of Midwest Region champs.
The last spot in New Orleans came down to your typical #8 vs #15 matchup. The St. Peter's Peacocks had been the story of this tournament, making history with their win over Purdue on Friday night, becoming the first #15 seed to get to the Elite Eight. There was a sense that this miraculous run had to end at some point, but if you looked at who they beat to get here, it was hard to imagine that they would be intimidated by anyone left in the field. They took out Kentucky, one of the favorites to win this year's championship. They took down Murray State, the team with the longest winning streak in the country. And they took down Purdue, who spent nearly the entire year ranked in the top 10. North Carolina was actually the lowest seeded team that they were facing in this incredible run. Could pesky defense and clutch shooting get them a date with Duke in New Orleans?
No. Just no. The crowd was rocking as everyone was pumped to see St. Peter's make history again, but within 4 minutes, it felt like we were at a funeral. Everything went wrong for the Peacocks early. Soon it was 9-0 and coach Shaheen Holloway was forced to call a timeout. It didn't get much better from there. St. Peter's was able to drive to the hoop, but it seemed like they could never finish. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels were playing fast and loose with their big lead. At no point could the Peacocks truly put pressure on them in the way they had with their first three opponents. The lead was 19 for North Carolina at the break and the most interesting part of the game was wondering how many rebounds Tar Heels big man Armando Bacot would end up with, as he had a ridiculous 15 at intermission (Answer: 22).
The second half was played mostly in silence, with the occasional dumb "Tar...Heels!" chant breaking out after a North Carolina dunk or made three. No one expected a comeback. We were all just watching the minutes tick down so that we could give a standing ovation when the players who made this magical run happen were pulled from the game. That moment came with 1:21 left. Both teams emptied their benches and the fanbases saluted their players. But the extended loud ovation was for the Peacocks. It will take a #15 seed getting to the Final Four to top the amazing story of St. Peter's in the 2022 tournament. The Peacocks head back to Jersey City, while the Tar Heels make plans for New Orleans to take on their nemesis Duke in one of the national semifinals. North Carolina is your East Region champ, taking out the Peacocks by a score of 69-49.
Scenario time! I'll list out the 8 remaining championship game scenarios and who will finish in the top 3 for each pool given those outcomes. Drum roll please!
Main Pool:
- Duke def. Kansas: 1st - Andrew, 2nd - Yarmela, 3rd - Belden
- Duke def. Villanova: 1st - Vince, 2nd - Chubbs, 3rd - Scott P
- North Carolina def. Kansas: 1st - Vince, 2nd - Yarmela, 3rd - Chubbs
- North Carolina def. Villanova: 1st - Vince, 2nd - Chubbs, 3rd - Scott P
- Kansas def. Duke: 1st - Yarmela, 2nd - Scott P, 3rd - Vince
- Kansas def. North Carolina: 1st - Yarmela, 2nd - Vince, 3rd - Chubbs
- Villanova def. Duke: 1st - Vince, 2nd - John B, 3rd - Chubbs
- Villanova def. North Carolina: 1st - Vince, 2nd - Chubbs, 3rd - John B
Gambler Pool:
- Duke def. Kansas: 1st - Tiny, 2nd/3rd - Vince/John F (tiebreaker)
- Duke def. Villanova: 1st - Vince, 2nd - Tiny, 3rd - Nicola
- North Carolina def. Kansas: 1st - Vince, 2nd/3rd - Tiny/Dwight (tiebreaker)
- North Carolina def. Villanova: 1st - Vince, 2nd - Nicola, 3rd - Chubbs
- Kansas def. Duke: 1st - Tiny, 2nd - Vince, 3rd - Dwight
- Kansas def. North Carolina: 1st - Vince, 2nd/3rd - Tiny/Dwight (tiebreaker)
- Villanova def. Duke: 1st - Vince, 2nd - Nicola, 3rd - Tiny
- Villanova def. North Carolina: 1st - Vince, 2nd - Nicola, 3rd - Chubbs
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