#ncaa-basketball

#ncaa-basketball

Illinois, making its first Final Four appearance since 2005, relies on a physical style of play led by Keaton Wagler and Andrej Stojakovic, while UConn has momentum from a dramatic comeback against Duke.

Bill Murray celebrated like any other fan, but with an extra measure of pride, watching UConn's last-second win over Duke while supporting his son Luke, part of the coaching staff.

Nate Ament scored 18 points, Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 16 and Tennessee beat Iowa State 76-62 on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight for the third straight year.

Kansas committed four intentional fouls in quick succession, forcing St. John's to repeatedly inbound the ball as time ran down. This strategy backfired when St. John's managed to take a final shot with just 3.9 seconds left.

Kansas averages 71.7 points per game, ranking 70th in college basketball, while allowing 64.7 points per game, ranking 183rd. The team has a +237 scoring differential overall.

UCLA enters this matchup after a 96-43 win against Cal Baptist. The Bruins' leading scorer was Lauren Betts, who ended the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.

Michigan State averages 79.3 points per game while allowing 68.4 per contest, resulting in a +362 scoring differential overall.

Austin Peay has a +253 scoring differential, topping opponents by 7.9 points per game. It is putting up 66.2 points per game to rank 167th in college basketball and is giving up 58.3 per outing to rank 40th in college basketball.

The Bearcats had recovered from a disappointing start to the season by winning seven of nine games down the stretch to play themselves into NCAA tournament consideration. But in a must-win game against UCF in the Big 12 tournament on Wednesday, they blew an eight-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation and ultimately lost in overtime, 66-65.

Quinnipiac is outscoring opponents by 17.0 points per game with a +493 scoring differential overall. It puts up 68.2 points per game (143rd in college basketball) and allows 51.2 per outing (third in college basketball).

It's just not true. That would be random chance. But of course, brackets are not random chance. The seeding is asymmetrical. The real odds can be really different year-to-year and they can be debatable. They're still minute, but significantly more likely than Phil makes them seem.