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Welcome to March Madness 2023

Day 1 Recap

Paladins Send Virginia Home in Thriller
Oh Virginia, you did it again - making history for all the wrong reasons.  Up two, with just seconds remaining and their best ball player with the ball... well, video will show you the rest.  Furman made 10 three pointers, none bigger than the final one.  
CPI (Charlie's Power Index Rating: College Basketball) - FINAL 2023
Official Voting Projectionist of BracketMatrix.com since 2011
PROJECTED SEEDS - FINAL


​SEC Tournament Bracket


​SEC  Stats - FINAL
SCORING (PPG):
1. Brandon Miller, Alabama - 19.6
2. KJ Williams, LSU - 17.3
3. Ricky Council, Arkansas - 16.6
4. Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky - 16.5
5. Colin Castleton, Florida - 16.0
BLOCKS:
1. Liam Robbins, Vanderbilt - 82
2. Colin Castleton, Florida - 78
3. Johni Broome, Auburn - 67
4. Charlie Bediako, Alabama - 48
5. Makhel Mitchell, Arkansas - 43
REBOUNDS:
1. Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky - 366
2. Tolu Smith, Mississippi State - 247
3. Johni Broome, Auburn - 245
4. Brandon Miller, Alabama - 239
5. Noah Clowney, Alabama - 238
STEALS:
1. D'Moi Hodge, Missouri - 78
2. Myles Burnes, Ole Miss - 68
3. Anthony Black, Arkansas - 60
4. Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee - 59
5. Cason Wallace, Kentucky - 56
ASSISTS:
1. Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee - 161
2. Anthony Black, Arkansas - 125
2. Wade Taylor, Texas A&M - 125
2. Wendell Green, Auburn - 125
5. Cason Wallace, Kentucky - 122

Coach & Crew Show Honors - 2022

All American Team:
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Ochai Agbaji, Kansas
Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona
James Akinjo, Baylor
Jabari Smith, Auburn
Collin Gillespie, Villanova
Paolo Banchero, Duke
Walker Kessler, Auburn
Armando Bacot, North Carolina
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Player of the Year:

Oscar Tshiebwe,
     Kentucky
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Defensive Player of the Year:
Walker Kessler,
     Auburn​
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Coach of the Year:

Tommy Lloyd,
     Arizona
Rudy Williams' buzzer beater 3 pointer sends Chants to The Classic Championship
     Rudy Williams led all scorers with 17, but it was his final 3 points that he will remember.  With just seconds remaining the The Classic Tournament's first semi-final game, and the Chanticleers down 2 points, the Senior guard nailed a game winning 3 pointer with just 0:01 remaining.  Thus giving Coastal Carolina a 69-68 OT victory at South Alabama.  
     It was a 3-point shot by Vince Cole, down 3 with just seconds remaining in regulation that sent the game into overtime.  Cole ended up with 16 points on the night.  The Chanticleers' big man, Essam Mostafa added 12 points and 7 rebounds.  As a group, Coastal made nine three pointers.  None bigger than the game winner.  
     Coastal Carolina now faces  Fresno State for the The Classic Tournament Championship.

UNC Makes It All Blue-Blood Final 4

47-15 2nd Half Puts Kansas in Final Four
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Six weeks ago, Carolina was a 'bubble team'.  Now, they are packing their bags for New Orleans rounding out the Final Four.  St. Peter's was a fun story and watch throughout the tournament, but now its time for all the blue-bloods to get together.  Big man, Armando Bacot led the way with 20 points and 22 rebounds.  The Tarheels superstars were just too much for the 15-seeded Peacocks.  Now.... the dream matchup.  Carolina vs. Duke, winner goes to the National Championship.  First time ever the arch rivals have ever met in the NCAA Tournament much less the Final Four.
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Kansas finally put it together.  The second half of their 4th tournament game, the Midwest Regional Championship, the Jayhawks put together their best half of basketball in route to advancing to the Final Four.  Kansas won 76-50 over the 10-seeded Miami Hurricanes.  Down 6 at the half, Kansas poured in 47 second half points on the offensive side and their defense only allowed 15 in the final 20 minutes.  Kansas' Ochai Agbaji led all scorers with 18 points and completed a balanced performance effort with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.  The Jayhawks will face Villanova, likely as the kickoff game at the Final Four.

Duke Routes Way to Final Four

Samuels Leads Villanova to Final Four
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Not even close.  A late first half run led to a second half blowout as the Destiny of Duke routed Arkansas in the East Regional Championship.  The only starting Blue Devil not to score in double-digits was their sparkplug, Jeremy Roach, with nine.  Coach K now has the most Final Four appearances all time over any other coach, surpassing the legendary John Wooden of UCLA.  This was Coach K's 101st career NCAA tournament victory.  
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The Villanova Wildcats are the first team to punch their tickets to New Orleans.  In a punch them out, defensive game, Villanova eliminated the Houston Cougars, 50-44 in a high scoring SEC football type of game.  Jermaine Samuels led the Wildcats with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  Villanova's defense was the key.  The Wildcats held Houston to just 29% shooting and just one made three pointer by the Cougars.  Villanova sealed the game shooting 15/15 from the Free Throw line, leading the nation in that category.
Sweet 16 Leaderboard:
1. Chris Albo
2. Christie Jager
3. Jared L.
4. Kiam Layne
= = = = = = = = = == =
5. Stephanie C
6. Bruce Fauth
7. Andrew F.
8. Michael Jager
9. Andrew Depcrynski
10. Eric Krausse
= = = = = = = = = = = = 
153. Cory Appleford
154. Eric Krausse

National Peacock Day!

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The unthinkable continues!  On National Peacock Day the St. Peter's Peacocks became the first ever 15-seed to advance to the Sweet 16.  After upsetting both Kentucky and Murray State, St. Peter's now eliminated the Purdue Boilermakers, 67-64.  Purdue, a former #1 team in the national earlier this year, was the last standing for the Big 10 (which is now fully eliminated).
     Daryl Banks III led the Peacocks in scoring with 14 points and 3 rebounds.  Everyone's favorite firefighter and newest spokesman for B-Dubs, Doug Edert contributed 10 points off the bench.  Making 19 out of 21 free throws might have been the difference maker for St. Peter's.  
     St. Peter's now faces North Carolina for the East Regional Championship and the rights to goto the Final Four.
SWEET 16 TOP PERFORMERS
JD Notae, Arkansas                  21 points; 6 rebounds; 6 assists; 3 steals
Jaylin Williams, Arkansas         15 points; 12 rebounds; 3 assists; 1 block
Drew Timme, Gonzaga            25 points; 7 rebounds; 3 assists
Jermaine Samuels, Villanova   22 points; 7 rebounds; 1 assist; 2 blocks; 2 steals
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan    15 points; 15 rebounds; 3 assists; 2 blocks
Paolo Banchero, Duke              22 points; 4 rebounds; 4 assists
Jeremy Roach, Duke                  15 points; 4 rebounds; 5 assists; 1 steal
Bryson Williams, Texas Tech    21 points; 5 rebounds; 2 assist; 1 block
Jamal Shead, Houston               21 points; 4 rebounds; 6 assists; 2 steals
Kyler Edwards, Houston            19 points; 5 rebounds; 3 assists; 1 steal
Daryl Banks III, St. Peter's         14 points; 3 rebounds; 1 block
Remy Martin, Kansas                 23 points; 7 rebounds; 3 assists; 1 block
Jalen Wilson, Kansas                  16 points; 11 rebounds; 1 block; 1 steal
Al Durham, Providence              21 points; 7 rebounds; 4 assists; 1 steal
Kameron McGusty, Miami         27 points; 6 rebounds; 1 assist; 4 steals
Caleb Love, North Carolina       30 points; 3 rebounds; 4 assists
Armando Bacot, North Carolina 14 points; 15 rebounds; 2 assists; 1 block
Tyger Campbell, UCLA                15 points; 2 rebounds; 6 assists; 1 steal; 1 block
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Caleb Love led all scoring in the Sweet 16 with 30 points
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Kameron McGusty has put Miami in the Elite 8 as a 10-seed

UNC Knocks Out Baylor​

Rocky-Topped!
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     Craziest game of the tournament this year, thus far!  Holy crap!  Wow.  Just wow.  So many storylines and so many plot twists.  Where to even begin?  North Carolina came in and looked dominant for the second time in as many games.  Up 25 with 10 minutes over the defending the national champion and #1-seed in the East, our first major plot point took place.
     After getting cheaply pushed underneath by Jeremy Sochan of Baylor, North Carolina's big man, Brady Manek raised his elbow making contact with the Baylor player's head.  Thus resulting in a Flagrant-2 and resulting in an immediate ejection.  Manek left the game with 26 points and 5 rebounds.
     From that moment, Baylor then immediately went on a 30-9 run.  Baylor was led by Alex Flagler and James Akinjo scoring 47 points with their backcourt.  The Bears tied the game at 80 with 0:14 seconds remaining.  The Heels had a chance to win it in regulation, but they chose to perform my least favorite play call in all of college basketball... hold the ball at the top of the key, dribble, juke, head fake, and get off a horrible look buzzer shot with zero chance of going in.  So, we head to Over-Time!
     In OT, UNC settled down and relaxed.  RJ Davis came through and Armando Bacot stepped up big.  As ugly as it got the final 10 minutes of regulation, the Tarheels defense regained focus in OT, holding Baylor to 1 of 10 shooting in the overtime block.  North Carolina advanced to the Sweet 16, winning 93-86.  
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     So I was yesterday years old when I learned Michigan, with their upset victory over Tennessee in the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament, qualified for their 5th consecutive Sweet 16.  That, ironically, puts them in elite company.  Because their goal for the next game, qualify for the Elite 8.
     Taking a 5 point lead into the half, Tennessee could do no better than shoot 41% for the game.  Thus, being outscored 31-44 in the second half.  A stat that always matters, Michigan made more Free Throws (16/20) than Tennessee attempted (10/12).  That stat will always be a difference maker.
     Michigan's big man, Hunter Dickinson, led all scorers with 27 points.  The SEC continued to tailspin in the tournament, as Tennessee is now the 4th SEC school to be eliminated in the opening weekend.
     Michigan will meet the winner of Villanova vs. Ohio State, playing on Sunday.

Truly March Madness: Day 1 Recap

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For the first time in two years we are experiencing a real March Madness.  And Day 1 gave us 100% just that.  Seed numbers 2, 5, 5, 6 and 8 all were "upset" in the first round.  Simply causing chaos and havoc to everyone's brackets.  Here are some interesting stats for you from our brackets:
- After both the Michigan and Providence wins, only 35 out of 154 brackets went 2-0
- No one in our brackets remains perfect
- 87 out of 154 (56%) of all our brackets have at least one team in our projected Final Four OUT
- 17 out of 154 (11%) of us have a projected champion eliminated (Kentucky, Connecticut, Iowa or Colorado St)
- Our pool streak now officially continues.  Every year since 1994 (Old Dominion def. Villanova) we have had at least one projected champion eliminated opening weekend (and something like 19 years in a row, opening round!)
- Mountain West Conference = 0-4, fully eliminated
- Seeded underdogs (not Vegas) went 7-9 yesterday
Welcome to NCAA-32
Previous Pool and Tournament Champions
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     Welcome to our 32nd Annual March Madness Tournament.  The first unofficial-official day of spring for two reasons... St. Patrick's Day and the full tournament begins!  Speaking of St. Patrick's Day, once the clock turned midnight, Notre Dame used the power of the Luck of the Irish in a double-OT victory to knockout Rutgers.
     We span the United States with representatives from our pool - Virginia, Florida, Ohio, South Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky, New York and Alabama - just to name a few.  If I left where you live out, make sure you share it with me!
     Sit back, get out your red marker and enjoy the games!
Happy St. Peter's Day!
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     "I'm a peacock, you gotta let me fly," once said NYC Police Detective, Terry Hoitz.  And flying the Peacocks of St. Peter's did just that.  Over SEC Blue-Blood and potential Final Four contenders, Kentucky Wildcats.  Needing OT, St. Peter's won 85-79.  March 17th might now become officially St. Peter's Day!  The two-man show of Darryl Banks and Doug Edert led the Peacock scoring with 27 and 20 points respectively.  While Kentucky big man and SEC Player of the Year, Oscar Tshiebwe led all scorers with 30.  St. Peter's moves on to the round of 32, where they face the Murray State Racers.  Yes, another Kentucky team.
​Arachnophobia! 
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The 5-seed Iowa Hawkeyes were the first "headline" team to fall.  Along came a spider, the Richmond Spiders, more say.  The Atlantic 10 tournament champions, with some of the oldest players in the country took down the Big 10 tournament champions, 67-63.  The Spiders were led by senior steals leader, Jacob Gilyard 24 points, with four 3-pointers.