K-State was pretty much running on fumes at the end. Wade didn’t play the entire second half, no timeouts left, three players fouled out, missed the last free throw that would have iced it for sure… but they managed to pull off the upset.
If UK had managed even a few more free throws, they would have won. Also, the penalties in that game were ridiculous. Ruined it for me.
Maybe it’s just selective memory, but poor free throw shooting seems to be the Achilles’ Heel for many of Calipari’s teams.
My bracket is in smoking ruins. 
It kinda is. PJ Washington, UK’s big man, was just 8 for 20 on his free throws alone. That’s the problem: UK gets to the line more than just about any team, but you HAVE to make those freebies.
Down to 41% in my main entry but I have 7 of 8 teams in tonight.
I am at 87% in my second entry (jcatcher43) but 5 of 8 (all Favorites) tonight. Not sure it is good to have the favorites, though.
I think I was in the 98th percentile entering today. Now I’ve dropped to 80% and have no teams left. Not a good night.
Earlier this week, I found out that ESPN actually has an API for downloading all of our group’s picks at once. That means I didn’t have to type everyone’s picks into a spreadsheet before doing my stupid computer tricks. (I got really good at typing picks in, though.)
With 8 teams (and therefore 7 games) left, there are 128 possible ways the remaining games can go. (Oddly enough, none of those involve a tie for first.) Ten brackets have a chance to win the pool. Most of the brackets have an easy way to describe their winning conditions; they’re listed below.
Jahiegel : 18.55% chance of winning – 8 possibilities
- Will win if and only if Vill wins it all and Duke in Final 4
Frosted 1: 18.06% chance of winning – 20 possibilities
- Must have Kansas in the Final 4
- Can’t have Kansas in the championship or Michigan winning it all
FGIE GO UK!!: 16.09% chance of winning – 14 possibilities
- Must have Michigan and Duke in Final 4
- Can’t have Villanova in championship
Kansas All The Way: 14.44% chance of winning – 24 possibilities
- Will win if and only if KU in the championship and either FSU in Final 4 or KU winning it all
Alas, still no Tigers :(: 12.51% chance of winning – 10 possibilities
- Will win if and only if Mich wins it all and either Duke in Final 4 OR Vill in championship
Jahiegel 2: 8.09% chance of winning – 16 possibilities
- Will win if and only if Duke in the championship and FSU in the Final 4
espn80563733 1: 6.08% chance of winning – 20 possibilities
- Can’t have Mich, Duke, or KU in championship
Happy Lendervedder: 4.54% chance of winning – 8 possibilities
- Must have Michigan in championship and KU in Final 4
- Can’t have Vill in championship or KU winning it all
InGardWeTrust: 1.04% chance of winning – 4 possibilities
- Will win if and only if KU in the championship, Mich in the Final 4, and KSU or L-IL win it all
Now, Voyager: 0.61% chance of winning – 4 possibilities
- Will win if and only if TTU in championship, Mich and TTU in Final 4, and Mich not in championship
Damn, Loyola Chitown is on the verge of a Final Four! And realistically, they way they have been playing, I could see them getting to the Championship game by beating either Michigan or FSU. But man…could they beat a team like Villanova? The 'Nova Wildcats have been rolling everyone they’ve played. I just hope that if they make it the championship game isn’t a big letdown blowout.
Okay, my brackets are all officially shot now with the Duke loss.
Maybe I’m biased because I was rooting for Kansas and have a three decade old hatred of Duke, but holy cow did the refs try to hand that game to Duke or what?
Duke lost all on their own, by insisting on hoisting up 3-pointers rather than driving the lane, which Kansas did effectively all night long. I was surprised that Duke managed to keep it close, given their shot selection.
Oh, I hate Duke too as a UK fan. But I was trying to be logical, I really wanted to win that $1000 prize for winning our bracket contest.
Even the basketball gods think Grayson Allen is an ass - the only explanation (ignoring things like physics) for his game-winner at the end of regulation bouncing around and out.
Still on top with my work bracket (25/32, 10/16, 4/8 and 3/4)
definitley the year when semi-random picks can do well
Brian
One measure of greatness is the amount of jealousy and hatred that your greatness inspires in others.
Just sayin’ … 
Gotta hand it to Michigan- reaching the Final Four in basketball and the Frozen Four in hockey in the same year. Has any team ever won championships in two of the four major professional US sports in one year?
Florida did it in 2006/2007 with a BCS championship sandwiched between two basketball titles.
Thanks for that- now I remember. Going 4 for 4 would be incredible but nearly impossible. Most schools don’t play hockey and northern schools have a hard time recruiting and competing in baseball.
So you’re saying there’s a chance? That’s me! I’m now sitting at 2nd in the group which I think is my best effort going into the Final Four before. So, rooting for Loyola & Kansas next Saturday. 