They're Expecting One of Us In the Wreckage, Brother: Elite Eight, Saturday March 28

About Last Night:

Michigan 90, Alabama 77

BoilerUp89; Bama stopped making threes in the 2nd half. Their whole strategy was about shooting their way to a win.

Kind of...: My comment last night was that Alabama only packed 30 minutes worth of fuel for their flamethrower. That's definitely what it felt like. The Tide had basically one path to victory and it just wasn't enough. It almost feels like Michigan is taunting the rest of us by playing back-to-back SEC teams: "cheer against us...if you dare."

HoustonBoiler: Making enough threes to beat Michigan is a tough ask, even for a high-volume three team, such as Alabama.

Duke 80, St. John's 75

BoilerUp89: The Johnnies had Duke on the ropes but a really stupid flagrant foul and some hero ball possessions gifted Duke the victory. You have to be more disciplined than that to beat this Duke team.

Kind of...: Sorry everybody, but I hate Pitino more than Duke. Usually, threes constitute 35% of St. John's FGA. Last night it was 50%. They hit 34% during the season. Last night, they hit 41%. Still not enough. Totally fine season for the Red Storm, but they just weren't quite good enough.

UConn 67, Michigan State 63

BoilerUp89: The dream of an all B1G final four is dead.

Kind of...: Pro tip: don't fall behind by 19 early. It makes winning harder.

HoustonBoiler: And so the dream of an All-B1G Final Four ends. Did Fear save a nut-shot for Hurley in the handshake line?

Tennessee 76, Iowa State 62

MaximumSam: I have a confession. I am kind of a fan of Rick Barnes and hope he succeeds. There I said it don't judge me.

BoilerUp89: Nothing against Barnes, everything against the Tennessee fanbase.

Kind of...: I don't hate Barnes. I don't love him either. I'm pretty indifferent. I was really rooting for Iowa State. Maybe my favorite non-B1G team. But not having Jefferson really made a difference inside. And Momcilovic had a dreadful night shooting. Tennessee earned it. Nice game by Ament. This could be a historically good NBA draft.

HoustonBoiler: I did not see Tennessee winning this one. Literally, because I was asleep.

Today's Games:

#9 Iowa v #3 Illinois

6:09, TBS/TruTV

MaximumSam: The remnants of Northwest Missouri State take on the remnants of communism. Winner gets a Yugo.

BoilerUp89: This used to be a bitter rivalry. Playing in conference competition with a Final Four spot on the line changes you. Honestly, I think Illinois rolls but Iowa has found a little something here lately. Wouldn't be the first time I was wrong this postseason.

HoustonBoiler: Seems to me MaximumSam that the loser should get the Yugo. The question on my mind, can Iowa do enough on defense to slow down Illinois, one of the top offenses in college basketball. That said, both of these teams are playing well, so this has the makings of a great game for the nonpartisans.

Kind of...: Honestly, Stirtz is the only guy left from NW Missouri State, but Banks, Combs, Manyawu, and Combs all joined Stirtz at Drake last year for what was the best MVC team since Loyola was upsetting Illinois. Speaking of Illinois, they really should win this going away given their size. But this is NOT a team that you play with your food against. Iowa is not just "happy to be here," but if the shots are falling early for Illinois, Iowa could be in some trouble. With the quick turnaround, definitely an advantage for Illinois to have played Iowa already.

#2 Purdue v #1 Arizona

8:49 pm, TBS/TruTV

BoilerUp89: Purdue hasn't played particularly well those NCAA Tournament outside of Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn. That is an excellent base but you need more than that to knock off a top tier Arizona squad. I have a feeling the run ends here but there's some reasons for optimism. Like Texas, a lot of what makes Arizona's offense go is their ability to get to the free throw line. Purdue doesn't send opponents there very often so hopefully that will slow things down a bit. The Wildcats also don't cause many turnovers which is typical one of Purdue's kryptonites. But more than anything Purdue needs shooting percentages for the two teams to reach season averages for the weekend as a whole. Purdue shot poorly against Texas while Arizona was on absolute fire. It's a bit of a gamblers fallacy but surely Smith will start making shots and anyone other than Loyer will knock down some threes. And Arizona probably wont shoot 63% from the field if Purdue plays the defense that even their limited defensive ability is capable of.

Anyway, tonight at 11: Doom!

Kind of...: Yep, pretty easy to see how Purdue could win. Pretty easy to see how Arizona could roll. For the former, see above as BoilerUp89 is on it. For the latter, just recall the blowout loss to Iowa State and realize that Arizona is like Iowa State, but better. Smith NEEDS to be better, because I don't think Loyer's getting the same looks he has been. And TKR and Cluff need to be at their "crafty" best given Arizona's size and athleticism. But, if Arizona were a B1G team and they played Purdue 3x this year, I'd expect the Boilers to win one. So we're not talking mammoth upset or anything.

HoustonBoiler: Arizona is really, really, REALLY good so Purdue is going to need a performance like the BTTCG to be in this game. All the usuals apply, even more so. Arizona has a big and athletic front line so Purdue will definitely need to rebound well Second chances will be critical - for Purdue and to limit them for Arizona. Purdue needs to limit their turnovers because they cannot afford to miss out on scoring opportunities. They're going to need as many as they can get. Limiting dribble penetration will also be important as Arizona does not shoot a lot of threes. Purdue also needs to shoot much better than they have been, particularly on threes as 20% will not get it done tonight. Purdue also needs to limit their fouling as Arizona made 30 of 39 free-throws against Arkansas. Arizona will try to get to the line and they're very good at it. Lastly, Purdue absolutely needs the best version of Braden Smith, setting the table for others and scoring himself while not turning the ball over. From here on out, Purdue needs their best game, every game.