NCAA Tournament Bracket Challenge - Round 2, Day 1 Update

Saturday's slate of games featured very little parity, as the favored team won every game.

The first half of the games in the early part of the day were not very competitive for the most part, as (2) Arizona, (5) Gonzaga, (1) North Carolina, and (2) Iowa State strolled into the Sweet 16.

Things heated up in the evening, aside from (3) Illinois' drubbing of (11) Duquesne.  We had our second overtime game of the tournament between two beloved teams in (14) Oakland and (11) NC State.  But Oakland just didn't have enough magic left after their win over Kentucky to extend their Cinderella run.  As a result, NC State squeaked by to continue their unlikely but impressive postseason performance in March.

(2) Tennessee led for nearly the whole way against (7) Texas and seemed to be in control for much of it.  But Texas made a late run to pull within one point in the final minute.  However, the Vols made some clutch free throws down the stretch to avoid the upset.

(11) Oregon took (3) Creighton to an intense double overtime thriller, but the Bluejays continued the streak of overtime surges to run away with it in the second overtime and win by double digits.

After Saturday's eight games, there's still a tie atop the BSSRMMMMM leaderboard.  The field is still wide open as only a few brackets have been eliminated from contention.

Here's the updated leaderboard after the first half of the Round of 32 games have been completed:

T1. Go Vols? (390 points)

• Points Remaining: 1440
• Champion: Tennessee
• Final Four: UConn, Marquette, Tennessee, Alabama

T1. WhoisMicah? (390 points)

• Points Remaining: 1120
• Champion: Purdue
• Final Four: Auburn, Houston, Purdue, North Carolina

3. Drew's (380 points)

• Points Remaining: 1400
• Champion: Houston
• Final Four: Iowa State, Houston, Creighton, North Carolina

T4. McInItToWinIt (370 points)

• Points Remaining: 1400
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Duke, Purdue, Arizona

T4. Pre-Wife Power (370 points)

• Points Remaining: 1380
• Champion: Tennessee
• Final Four: UConn, Houston, Tennessee, Baylor

T4. CM's picks (370 points)

• Points Remaining: 1360
• Champion: Tennessee
• Final Four: UConn, Marquette, Tennessee, Arizona

7. LOVER BOY (360 points)

• Points Remaining: 1400
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Houston, Creighton, Baylor

T8. Trizzy Tre (350 points)

• Points Remaining: 1380
• Champion: Tennessee
• Final Four: Illinois, Houston, Tennessee, North Carolina

T8. Free money (350 points)

• Points Remaining: 920
• Champion: Purdue
• Final Four: Auburn, Kentucky, Purdue, North Carolina

T8. Swatson (350 points)

• Points Remaining: 800
• Champion: Auburn
• Final Four: Auburn, Houston, Creighton, Arizona

T11. ajk1 (340 points)

• Points Remaining: 1440
• Champion: Houston
• Final Four: UConn, Houston, Tennessee, Arizona

T11. Andrew's 2 Time Champ (340 points)

• Points Remaining: 1300
• Champion: North Carolina
• Final Four: Iowa State, Marquette, Purdue, North Carolina

13. okaymason (330 points)

• Points Remaining: 1440
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Marquette, Creighton, North Carolina

14. Tip in (320 points)

• Points Remaining: 1260
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina

T15. Barbie Dream Bracket (300 points)

• Points Remaining: 1360
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Houston, Tennessee, North Carolina

T15. Lincoln Bernhard (300 points)

• Points Remaining: 1340
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Duke, Creighton, Arizona

T15. The Feminist Movement (300 points)

• Points Remaining: 1060
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Texas Tech, Gonzaga, Baylor

18. Scorched Earth Theory (250 points)

• Points Remaining: 1160
• Champion: Houston
• Final Four: UConn, Houston, Creighton, Michigan State

19. Natasha (180 points)

• Points Remaining: 160
• Champion: UAB
• Final Four: UAB, Kentucky, Texas, Wagner

20. Bad Logos (140 points)

• Points Remaining: 560
• Champion: Washington State
• Final Four: Washington State, Duke, TCU, Clemson

And here's the schedule for Sunday's games, which are sure to have potentially massive implications for our bracket champion:

• (10) Colorado vs. (2) Marquette (12:10pm EST on CBS)
• (8) Utah State vs. (1) Purdue (2:40pm EST on CBS)
• (12) James Madison vs. (4) Duke (5:15pm EST on CBS)
• (6) Clemson vs. (3) Baylor (6:10pm EST on TNT)
• (12) Grand Canyon vs. (4) Alabama (7:10pm EST on TBS)
• (9) Northwestern vs. (1) UConn (7:10pm EST on TBS)
• (9) Texas A&M vs. (1) Houston (8:40pm EST on TNT)
• (13) Yale vs. (5) San Diego State (9:40pm EST on TBS/TruTV)

Enjoy today's games and check back for tomorrow for the updated leaderboard after the Sweet 16 is set.

​Written by Nick Swatson