NCAA Tournament Update - Elite 8, Day 1 Update

Half of the Final Four is now set, as two teams punched their tickets to Phoenix on Saturday night.

(1) UConn ballooned a 28-23 halftime lead into a 53-23 lead in the second half after going on an unbelievable 30-0 run against (3) Illinois.  UConn has now won their tournament games by an average of 27 points and looks like the best team in the nation by a wide margin.

Their upcoming Final Four opponent, (4) Alabama, overcame an early deficit to overpower (6) Clemson and advance to their first ever Final Four in program history.

The contenders for both the national championship and the BSSR Mega March Madness Matchup Monstrosity are dwindling.  Only a handful of teams remain with a possibility to win both contests.

Here's our leaderboard after the first two games of the Elite Eight:

1. Go Vols? (820 points)

• Points Remaining: 720
• Champion: Tennessee
• Final Four: UConn, Marquette, Tennessee, Alabama

2. McInItToWinIt (760 points)

• Points Remaining: 800
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Duke, Purdue, Arizona

T3. CM's picks (700 points)

• Points Remaining: 720
• Champion: Tennessee
• Final Four: UConn, Marquette, Tennessee, Arizona

T3. Pre-Wife Power (700 points)

• Points Remaining: 720
• Champion: Tennessee
• Final Four: UConn, Houston, Tennessee, Baylor

5. ajk1 (690 points)

• Points Remaining: 240
• Champion: Houston
• Final Four: UConn, Houston, Tennessee, Arizona

6. LOVER BOY (650 points)

• Points Remaining: 480
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Houston, Creighton, Baylor

7. okaymason (640 points)

• Points Remaining: 480
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Marquette, Creighton, North Carolina

T8. Trizzy Tre (600 points)

• Points Remaining: 560
• Champion: Tennessee
• Final Four: Illinois, Houston, Tennessee, North Carolina

T8. WhoisMicah? (600 points)

• Points Remaining: 560
• Champion: Purdue
• Final Four: Auburn, Houston, Purdue, North Carolina

T10. Barbie Dream Bracket (590 points)

• Points Remaining: 560
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Houston, Tennessee, North Carolina

T10. Drew's (590 points)

• Points Remaining: 0
• Champion: Houston
• Final Four: Iowa State, Houston, Creighton, North Carolina

12. Tip in (570 points)

• Points Remaining: 720
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina

13. The Feminist Movement (550 points)

• Points Remaining: 480
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Texas Tech, Gonzaga, Baylor

14. Lincoln Bernhard (530 points)

• Points Remaining: 480
• Champion: UConn
• Final Four: UConn, Duke, Creighton, Arizona

15. Free money (520 points)

• Points Remaining: 560
• Champion: Purdue
• Final Four: Auburn, Kentucky, Purdue, North Carolina

16. Andrew's 2 Time Champ (490 points)

• Points Remaining: 80
• Champion: North Carolina
• Final Four: Iowa State, Marquette, Purdue, North Carolina

17. Scorched Earth Theory (460 points)

• Points Remaining: 160
• Champion: Houston
• Final Four: UConn, Houston, Creighton, Michigan State

18. Swatson (440 points)

• Points Remaining: 0
• Champion: Auburn
• Final Four: Auburn, Houston, Creighton, Arizona

T19. Bad Logos (250 points)

• Points Remaining: 240
• Champion: Washington State
• Final Four: Washington State, Duke, TCU, Clemson

T19. Natasha (250 points)

• Points Remaining: 0
• Champion: UAB
• Final Four: UAB, Kentucky, Texas, Wagner

Here's the schedule for today's games:

• (2) Tennessee vs. (1) Purdue (2:20pm EST on CBS)
• (11) NC State vs. (4) Duke (5:05pm EST on CBS)

I'll post an update tomorrow after the Final Four is set.

​Written by Nick Swatson