The Elite Eight of March Madness: Down to the Wire

There are not many things more exciting than the biggest college basketball tournament of the year inching closer and closer to the end; the remaining games have insurmountable stakes and teams are hungry to continue their runs to the NCAA March Madness championship. After the electric Elite Eight weekend, sixty teams have been eliminated from the tournament across four rounds. The wildest dreams and upsets have come to fruition across the tournament, whether its the powerhouse #1 seed Florida losing by a hair to the #9 seed Iowa in the Round of 32 or highly touted contenders like #3 seed Gonzaga and #2 seed Houston falling short in their respective games, March Madness has always proven to be an exciting but unforgiving tournament for every team, no matter the seed. This past Elite Eight weekend has been no different with some of the most exciting basketball of the tournament thus far. While a couple teams like #1 seeds Arizona and Michigan took care of business in their games, other titans in the tournament were not as successful. Two of the four thrilling series’ of the weekend stood out for their downright catastrophic endings and displays of perseverance no matter the pressure.

#2 Seed UConn stuns #1 Duke in a Buzzer Beating Thriller (73-72 Final)

What an absolute roller coaster ride of a basketball game. Out of all the games on the Elite Eight weekend slate, this was easily the most anticipated of them all. Two teams, one being the #1 overall seed of the entire tournament, and the #2 seed of the East who seemed unstoppable through every round, played one of the best games of college basketball in recent memory.

For the Duke Blue Devils, this was the year to blow open the NCAA tournament and take home a national title after losing in heartbreaking fashion to the Houston Cougars in the Final Four a year prior. Duke finished the NCAA basketball season at an impressive 35-3 with statement victories over #1 seed Michigan (68-63 Final) and Virginia to acquire an ACC title (74-70 Final). One of the many reasons Duke has been a goliath in college basketball this year is the prodigy forward Cameron Boozer. In just his freshman year with the Blue Devils, he averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds across thirty-eight games, an impressive display of skill that almost mirrors the dominance from Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg at Duke a year before Boozer signed with the Blue Devils.

The UConn Huskies were certainly a team to look out for going into the NCAA tournament. The Huskies are currently at a 33-5 record with notable wins against BYU (86-84 Final), Florida (77-73 Final), and their Final Four opponent Illinois (74-61 Final) in the regular season. UConn cruised their way to the championship match of the Big East conference, where they were handed an embarrassing loss at the hands of St. Johns (52-72 Final). UConn built themselves a well-rounded roster coming into the season with a few standout players: senior center Tarris Reed Jr who averaged 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds across 33 games and senior forward Alex Karaban who averaged 13.2 points a game with 38.6% accuracy from the three-point line.

As the first half of this clash of titans came to a close, it appeared that Duke found their stride and were poised to seal this game with a 15 point lead (44-29), the largest halftime lead a #1 seed has blown in the history of the NCAA tournament. UConn would not be deterred by the deficit, rallying together in the second half with potent offensive and defensive skills to keep chipping at the Blue Devils monumental lead. The deficit dwindled down in the single digits near the ten minute mark of the second half and kept falling rapidly. One thing was becoming readily apparent as the minutes ticked down: UConn wanted to fight more than anyone for a win, to prove that their championship game in the Big East did not define them.

With less than 10 seconds on the clock and Duke still holding on to a marginal lead (72-70), the game turned catastrophic in an instant as their attempts to play keep away from the Huskies was thwarted when Cameron Boozer’s pass was blocked; the ball went to freshman guard Braydon Mullins, then back to Alex Karaban, then finally finding Mullins again to take the shot of his lifetime from the three-point line. In one play, UConn’s hopes and prayers were answered and Duke’s spirit was crushed. UConn, in classic March Madness fashion, made the impossible happen against the tournaments' premier giant and Duke is left with another disappointing season in similar fashion to their Final Four game the previous season.

#3 Seed Illinois Triumphs Over #9 Seed Iowa to End Their Cinderella Run (71-59 Final)

A win by 12 points leaves the impression the series may have not been an exciting and competitive clash like Duke vs. UConn was, but the game was anything but boring and one-sided. Coming into this game, Iowa was riding a tsunami of momentum, shocking the college basketball world with wins over #1 seed Florida and #4 seed Nebraska. Illinois was prepared to catch the wave, playing a tight basketball game with the Hawkeyes before finding their stride at the end of the second half to seal a win.

The Illinois Fighting Illini came into the NCAA tournament as the #3 seed of the South with a legitimate chance to make a run after many lackluster seasons of early losses. Illinois built an impressive resume to show their strength, holding wins against Tennessee (75-62 Final), Purdue (88-82 Final), and Nebraska (78-69 Final). The Fighting Illini would not make a run in the Big Ten tournament, falling to Wisconsin in a thrilling series (88-91 Final/OT). Illinois have two strong reasons for their strong regular season and their incredible March Madness run: freshman guard Keaton Wagler is one of the biggest breakout stars of this season, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earning a spot on the First Team in the Big Ten conference. Wagler averages 17.9 points a game with an astonishing 40.7% three-point accuracy across 209 total threes attempted. Illinois have also turned around their defense completely, going from an alright defense ranked 28th nationally to an impenetrable iron wall, allowing only 0.976 points per possession.

As the #9 seed of the South, Iowa did not have the spectacular seasons other Elite Eight teams had. At a 24-13 record and not a single ranked win during the regular season, the Iowa Hawkeyes are a fairly average team worthy of a seed that puts them in the middle of the pack. To their credit, they did have promising wins against UCLA (74-61 Final) and Ohio State (74-57 Final) during their regular season, but nothing to write home about. However, the Hawkeyes have absolutely crushed all expectations and then some due to a highly underrated roster with pieces such as senior guard Bennett Stirtz who averaged 19.8 points across 37 games and a surprisingly cutthroat defense that has only allowed 66 PPG on average in the NCAA tournament.

There were 13 lead changes and 7 ties throughout this closely fought bout; throughout the entire first half and the beginning of the second half, no team could find a significant advantage on one another. Interestingly enough, Illinois only made three of their seventeen three-point attempts, an abysmal low for the Fighting Illini all season. They caught a break as while Iowa’s three game was strong, they could not find the basket in the paint. Iowa’s slump with layups combined with the fact the team amassed 20 total fouls led Illinois to finally pull away near the end of the game, completely shutting down the already slow Iowa offense and punch their ticket to the Final Four, their first since 2005.

Both Illinois and Iowa have a lot to be proud of, whether on the winning side or losing side. For Iowa, making their first Elite Eight since 1987 and smashing the low expectations set by the college basketball world by triumphing over the Gators and the Cornhuskers are accomplishments that will be remembered in Iowa Basketball for a while. Illinois continues to conquer any challenge the NCAA tournament throws at them with victories over Houston and now Iowa. In classic March Madness fashion, there is still so much to prove for the Fighting Illini with a Final Four matchup against UConn.

First Image: Head coach Dan Hurely celebrates with Braylon Mullins after Mullins' game-winning shot. (Scott Taetsch via Getty Images)

Second Image: Illinois’ Keaton Wagler celebrates after the Fighting Illini beat Iowa, 71-59, in an NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game on Saturday in Houston. (Eric Gay via The Associated Press)