Two more teams punched their ticket to the Final Four on Easter Sunday. And the response for each of those teams couldn't be more different.
(1) Purdue benefitted yet again from very questionable officiating to beat (2) Tennessee from the foul line. Zach Edey shot more free throws than the Vols combined to score 40 points in an essentially 1v1 game between him and Dalton Knecht, who had 37. The big issue is not solely the special treatment Edey gets on offense, but the fact that he is allowed to do whatever he wants on defense and positioning for rebounds without anything ever called against him. He had just one foul the entire game, whereas Tennessee's main big man, Tobe Awaka, fouled out in just 13 minutes of game time.
Fans of basketball across the country are fed up with Edey's play style, and for good reason. When you see Kentucky and Alabama fans defending Tennessee, you know it's bad. We can all agree that college basketball will be much better off when he leaves. That is, until Purdue pulls another guy out of their 7-plus-footer factory.
America will be pulling hard for the one team remaining that can stop Purdue from reaching the championship game. And that's the 11-seed NC State, who handled (4) Duke with relative ease in a 12-point victory. Their run this March is one of the more impressive I can remember, as they needed a missed free throw from an 87 percent shooter and a contested heave from three to go in just to force overtime in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. From the brink of elimination and potential head coach firing to winning nine straight to reach the Final Four. It's a truly unbelievable story and exactly what makes March so amazing for college basketball. According to my calculations, there are only two brackets remaining that have a chance to win this year's Mega March Madness Matchup Monstrosity. And it will likely be dependent on who wins the championship game. Those brackets are "McInItToWinIt" and "WhoisMicah?" There is also a path to a potential tie at the end. Once the Final Four is set and the potential outcomes are more clear, I will reach out to those in contention for a championship game final score prediction. That will be used to break a tie if that occurs. With the Final Four now set in stone and only seven brackets with their champion remaining, here's our bracket challenge leaderboard: 1. McInItToWinIt (840 points)
2. Go Vols? (820 points)
T3. CM's picks (700 points)
T3. Pre-Wife Power (700 points)
5. ajk1 (690 points)
6. WhoisMicah? (680 points)
7. LOVER BOY (650 points)
8. okaymason (640 points)
T9. Free money (600 points)
T9. Trizzy Tre (600 points)
T11. Barbie Dream Bracket (590 points)
T11. Drew's (590 points)
T13. Tip in (570 points)
T13. Andrew's 2 Time Champ (570 points)
15. The Feminist Movement (550 points)
16. Lincoln Bernhard (530 points)
17. Scorched Earth Theory (460 points)
18. Swatson (440 points)
T19. Bad Logos (250 points)
T19. Natasha (250 points)
Here's the schedule for the Final Four, which will take place in Phoenix on Saturday:
I'll be back with our next to last update on Sunday when the teams in the National Championship game are locked in. ​Written by Nick Swatson
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