NCAA Tournament Final Four is Set

 And then there were four… Kansas and Villanova are advancing in the 2018 NCAA Tournament after wins against their respective opponents and head to the Final Four. They join Chicago-Loyola and Michigan who punched their tickets on March 24th.

Loyola-Chicago continues on its amazing Cinderella run in the tournament with nothing to lose and everything to gain. They edged out Nevada, 69-68 on Saturday. Michigan emerged victorious over Florida State in a low-scoring 58-54 grinder.

Villanova destroyed the Texas Tech Raiders 71-59. Their hold over the game was not challenged, making sure that they would not become the latest victim of the plague of upsets that ravaged through this tournament. Five Nova clocked in with double-digit scoring, led by Jalen Brunson who dropped a game-high 15 points.

The Kansas-Duke game told a different story. It was far closer and more tightly contested. But thanks to Kansas’ Malik Newman, who chose the right time to drop a 32-point game and spearhead the Kansas offense that would pierce through Duke’s advantage in the paint. Kansas knocked down 13 3-pointers to secure this win, compared to just seven from Duke. Newman was responsible for five of those 13 long-bombs.

So on March 31st it will be Michigan looking to find an ending to Loyola-Chicago’s Cinderella tale, while a clash between top seeds in Villanova vs. Kansas will be something to watch.