The first half of the Sweet 16 match-ups have been played and with the shocking defeat of 1 seed Gonzaga at the hands of 4 seed Arkansas, my bracket is official busted. Both of them actually, since I had the Bulldogs winning it all in both of my brackets. I actually think it is a safe bet that many people's brackets are busted after last night.
The one saving grace that I can take away from this whole thing is the fact that 11 seed Michigan also lost last night against 2 seed Villanova. I watched the first half of the game and it was pretty clear that Michigan had a definite size advantage over the Wildcats. Despite that fact, Nova was still playing quite well and held the lead most (if not all) of the half.
Unfortunately, the other two games were on past my bedtime, so I didn't get a chance to watch them.
I can't say as though I am overly surprised at how they played out though. Number 5 seed Houston has looked like a really good team most of the season. Sure, they had some setbacks here and there, but honestly what team doesn't. We all know it is what you do in March that really counts when it comes to college basketball. That's why their thrashing of 1 seed Arizona isn't all that surprising.
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We still have quite a bit of basketball to be played, but I wouldn't be shocked if the Cougars make it all the way to the finals, well done Houston.
From what I have seen, Duke struggled a bit last night and it was only a solid push at the end that really won them the game. I think that should be a little concerning if you are a Duke fan. The win against Michigan State wasn't anything to write home about. MSU actually gave them a run for their money at times. I don't necessarily seeing them make it past their next match-up against Arkansas. The Razorbacks definitely have the momentum going for them.
Looking ahead to the bracket, I also think that Villanova is going to have their hands full with Houston.
In case you were wondering, I did make some bets last night with the Fan Duel App. Sadly, I didn't win any of them. I put money on a handful of four leg parlay's and unfortunately, I fell short by one criteria on two or three of them. That would have been a nice windfall to wake up to this morning, but oh well, that is why they call it gambling I guess.
Looking ahead to tonight (probably yesterday by the time you read this):
-8 seed North Carolina is facing off against 4 seed UCLA.
- The only 1 seed left Kansas is meeting 9 seed Creighton
- 3 seed Purdue is going against 15 seed St. Peters
- 11 seed Iowa State is matched up against 10 seed Miami (FL)
Here are some of my parting thoughts...
First off, what the heck is going on with the East and Midwest divisions. Two of these match-ups are somewhat reasonable, while the other two are just out of left field. I honestly think the only people who could have called this bracket are either people who just used a dart and a dart board, or those folks that determine the outcomes based on the mascots of the teams versus the actual teams.
The ACC is the clear powerhouse this year with three teams still left in the hunt at this point. I think it is important to note that the Big East still has two teams in the running. At least right now. If you remember, I have been talking pretty highly about the Big East all season.
I wouldn't be too shocked to see St. Peter's upset Purdue, they have been good, but still a little inconsistent this season. I also wouldn't be shocked to see an upset of Providence over Kansas.
As far as the other two games... NC over UCLA is totally believable, and Iowa State vs. Miami, I honestly don't think anyone expected either of those teams to be here, so who knows!
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