What a weekend of college basketball!

Thanks to a few gutsy calls in my bracket, I am now tied for first place in my office’s bracket challenge.

People were too quick to pick Villanova and many also slept hard on Oregon. There was drama, close calls and one team that looks like they could beat anybody. No, not Duke.

As much as I hate to say it, I wish I had picked Auburn to make it to the Elite Eight. They rolled through Kansas, which is not the team it has been in recent years. Despite that, though, beating a program like the Jayhawks is a major confidence boost. The Tigers can ride the lightning and upset North Carolina this weekend. I’m sure of it.

Yes, New Mexico State almost snuck up and got Auburn. But every good team in the NCAA Tournament needs a good nail biter scare once in a while. Speaking of nail biter scares…

Duke might be the luckiest team in the tournament so far. A few less micro-joules of pressure and UCF’s final shot would have gone through the hoop in the final seconds of the game. Instead, it barely lipped out. Duke deserved to lose that game. They should have. But now, I fear they are going to go on a run that will have opponents shaking in their Jordan’s sneakers.

Fortunately for me, and just about everyone else who filled out a bracket, I have Duke winning the whole tournament. But I still would have liked to see UCF beat them. Heck, the Golden Knights probably would have declared themselves National Champions.

A story close to many of y’all’s hearts is the big run Florida State is on. The Noles will play Gonzaga this weekend. I have Florida State winning and moving on to the Elite Eight. I like the kind of basketball Florida State is playing right now. If they can take an early lead and knock Zaga back on their heels, I could see FSU winning by 20.

My biggest sleeper team still in the hunt is Purdue. The Boilmakers are an extremely disciplined team. I think when they play Tennessee this weekend, the Vols are going to be shocked with how close Purdue plays them. I think Tennessee’s ego has gotten a little bit too big, and I think Purdue will beat them.

How are y’all’s brackets doing?