Blue-Blooded

03/28/2022

By: Jeff Yoder

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Shaheen Holloway (Saint Peter’s Head Coach)

“It’s a story within a story. I’m super proud of these guys. They came in and made history. Point blank, period. No one has done it.”

The Saint Peter’s Cinderella story is over, but what a ride.

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BRACKETS

Bracket Pool Leaderboard

1. Yobadirolf (92 points) | Kansas

2. Irish (86 points) | Duke

T3. 52Chevy (83 points) | Kansas

T3.. ExplodeMyHeart (83 points) | Kansas

5. Jkron120 (81 points) | Tennessee

6. Operator (80 points) | Villanova

T7. Drew S (79 points) | Duke

T7. Drew S. (79 points) | Duke

9. YouDee1982 (78 points) | Kansas

10. CB (77 points) | Villanova

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NCAAM

The Blue Blood Final Four

Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images

Men’s NCAA Tournament Final Four: #1 Kansas, #2 Duke, #2 Villanova & #8 North Carolina

Here we go. From 68 to 4… A March Madness for the underdogs turned quickly over the weekend, and the bluest-blooded Final Four of all-time is set for next weekend. Endless storylines from the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 captured our attention, but the biggest Final Four storyline is a no-brainer — the first-ever meeting between Duke and North Carolina in NCAA Tournament history. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski made history, and four iconic programs are heading to New Orleans. Let’s run it back to see how we got here.

West: #2 Duke def. #4 Arkansas (78-69)

The Blue Devils took care of #3 Texas Tech and #4 Arkansas over the weekend to punch their ticket to Coach K’s record-setting 13th Final Four. Coach K breaks a tie with John Wooden (12) for the most Final Fours, and he does it in his final season. Duke held Arkansas at arm’s length on Saturday night (78-69) with a 54-percent shooting performance and a glass-cleaning clinic. All five Duke starters combined for 69 of the team’s 78 points. Next up: UNC. The Tar Heels beat Duke on March 5 (94-81), but how about this storyline for Coach K’s last dance?

South: #2 Villanova def. #5 Houston (50-44)

Saturday’s South Region final was a low-scoring defensive grinder, but Villanova got it done. Both teams shot below 30 percent, and Houston went just 1-for-20 from 3-point range en route to their lowest offensive outing of the season. Villanova’s Jermaine Samuels went for 16 points and 10 boards in the regional final. The Wildcats and Jay Wright are heading back to the Final Four for the fourth time in 13 years. They won the National Championship each of their last two trips (2016 & 2018). And as unbelievable as this sounds, ‘Nova had to beat Kansas in the regional final or national semifinal before winning both of those titles.

Midwest: #1 Kansas def. #10 Miami (76-50)

The first of two blowouts on Sunday was a second-half blitz by the top-seed Kansas. Miami actually led KU at halftime (35-29), but the Jayhawks ran roughshod on the Hurricanes in the second half (47-15). Kansas was the only 1-seed left in the Elite 8, and they’re heading to their 16th Final Four. Head coach Bill Self will make his fourth Final Four appearance in 19 seasons. His Jayhawks have one championship (2008) when they beat Memphis. Their Final Four matchup with Villanova will be a rematch of the 2018 National Semifinal when ‘Nova won it all (95-79).

East: #8 North Carolina def. #15 Saint Peter’s (69-49)

The underdogs from the East Region are the only surefire surprise of the Final Four. North Carolina was the first team to wrangle the Peacocks of Saint Peter’s and end their magnificent Cinderella story. Saint Peter’s shocked the world again on Friday with a narrow win over #3 Purdue (67-64), but the run stopped there. Sunday’s regional final was never close as UNC jumped out to a 27-9 lead and never looked back. Carolina’s Armando Bacot took advantage of the size mismatch, pouring in a 22-point, 22-rebound game as he blasted the Peacocks in the post. In his first year, Hubert Davis takes Carolina back to the Final Four. He played in the Final Four with UNC in 1991. It’s UNC’s 21st Final Four — the most all-time in NCAA Tournament history.

Fun Fact: Coach K won his first National Championship with Duke in 1991. Both North Carolina and Kansas were part of that Final Four, as well as UNLV.

Men’s Final Four Schedule

#2 Duke vs. #8 North Carolina (Sat. TBD)

#1 Kansas vs. #2 Villanova (Sat. TBD)

National Championship (Mon. TBD)

Additional Storylines

B/R: Coach K’s Farewell Tour Will Get New Orleans Send Off in Final Four for the Ages

ESPN: North Carolina Cruises to Final Four, Sets Up Colossal Clash With Rival Duke

USA Today: Get Ready for Blue Blood Final Four; Saint Peter’s Runs Out of Gas

NCAA: 11 Amazing Plot Lines for a Final Four That’s a Gift From Basketball Gods

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NCAAW

1-Seeds Still Perfect

Photo: Jack Dempsey / Getty Images

South Carolina & Stanford Punch Tickets to Women’s Final Four With 2 Games to Go

The women’s NCAA Tournament has half of its Final Four set after Sunday’s action went the way of the 1-seeds. 10-seed Creighton saw its dream run come to a vicious halt at the hands of the top-ranked Gamecocks, and South Carolina is heading back to the Final Four. In the nightcap, Stanford overcame foul trouble and poor shooting early on to hold off Texas behind 38 combined points from Lexie Hull (20) and Haley Jones (18). The first two tickets to Minneapolis have been punched, but two more games — and two more 1-seeds — take the stage tonight.

Elite 8 Highlights

#1 South Carolina def. #10 Creighton (80-50)

#1 Stanford def. #2 Texas (59-50)

Tonight’s Schedule (Elite 8)

#1 NC State vs. #2 UConn (7:00 pm ET, ESPN)

#1 Louisville vs. #3 Michigan (7:00 pm ET, ESPN)

Women’s NCAA Tournament Bracket

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Reigning National Champion Stanford Beats Texas to Return to Final Four

Yahoo! Sports: South Carolina Offense Comes Alive to Crush Creighton En Route to Final Four

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SOCCER

World Cup Bound (Almost)

Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images

Pulisic Hat Trick Paces USMNT Past Panama (5-1), On the Brink of World Cup Bid

With the U.S. Men’s National Team facing two must-win matches to reach the 2022 World Cup, Captain America delivered. The U.S. needed to beat Panama on Sunday night to all but guarantee a bid to the World Cup, and they left no doubt. Christian Pulisic ignited the scoring in the 17th minute before adding a penalty strike before halftime and securing the hat trick in the second half. Paul Arriola (23’) and Jesus Ferreira (27’) also scored in an explosive first half. It was all U.S. all night en route to a 5-1 win that puts them almost certainly in the World Cup barring a meltdown on Wednesday.

Watch: USMNT def. Panama (5-1)

CONCACAF Standings

1. Canada (28 pts)

2. USA (25 pts)

3. Mexico (25 pts)

4. Costa Rica (22 pts)

5. Panama (18 pts)

One Qualifier Left

The final World Cup Qualifying matches will be played on Wednesday (Mar. 30) to determine the CONCACAF World Cup bids. Canada locked up their first World Cup spot since 1986 with a win over Jamaica (4-0) on Sunday. The top three teams advance while the fourth team will enter a play-in against the winners of Oceania (likely New Zealand). The USMNT would have to suffer a six-goal loss to Costa Rica on Wednesday in order to get bumped to 4th place.

USMNT vs. Costa Rica (Wed. 9:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: USMNT Would Now Only Miss World Cup in Nightmare Scenario

The Athletic: USMNT, Mexico All But Clinch World Cup Spots as Canada Books Ticket to Qatar

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THE HIGHLIGHTS

NBA: Celtics Take 1st in the East

After a four-game skid from the Heat and a sixth-straight win for the Celtics, Boston (48-27) is now tied for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have surged since January. They beat the Timberwolves on Sunday behind 34 from Jayson Tatum and 31 from Jaylen Brown.

NHL: Penguins Have Lamp-Lighting Fiesta

The Pittsburgh Penguins took the top NHL highlight with Sunday’s 11-2 thrashing against the Red Wings. Evgeni Malkin recorded his 13th career hat trick while nine other Pittsburgh skaters scored. The Penguins jumped the Rangers for second place in the Metro.

PGA: Scheffler Wins Dell Match Play, Top Ranking

Scottie Scheffler never trailed in the semifinal or final of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play tournament against Dustin Johnson (semis) or Kevin Kisner (finals). Kisner didn’t win a hole on Sunday. Scheffler has now won three of his last five events to secure the World No. 1 ranking.

F1: Verstappen Wins Saudi GP by 0.5 Seconds

A strange Formula 1 race weekend was headlined by a missile attack on a nearby oil depot in Saudi Arabia, but the race itself had an epic finish. Max Verstappen held off Charles Leclerc by a half-second. It was the second race of the F1 season, and Verstappen and Leclerc (last weekend’s winner) have battled in both.

Frozen Four Recaps

Michigan def. Quinnipiac (7-4)

Denver def. Minn. Duluth (2-1)

Minnesota def. Western Michigan (3-0)

Minnesota State def. Notre Dame (1-0)

Semifinals: Thursday (Apr. 7)

Finals: Saturday (Apr. 9)

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THE HEADLINES