The Predictably Anticlimactic Challenge Finale

Milli's out on vacation this week so I will be doing this one on my own. 

We should have known that the finale would be relatively unexciting given last week's episode and how it ended.  They have split the last handful of challenges across two weeks, starting it one week and then finishing it in the final episode.  That was not the case this year, they squeezed the entire final into one episode. There are a couple reasons for this:

1. The drama from last week was FANTASTIC, and they wanted to get as much of that footage in as possible.
2. The third team in the finale was so weak that they essentially had 2/3 of the footage that from the finale that they usually do. (Spoilers after the jump)

Elite 8 Sunday Showdowns

Both of yesterday's match-ups were fantastic, down to the wire, drama filled basketball games. They were everything that makes the tournament one of the greatest sporting events year after year. Unfortunately I'm not sure we will be able to say the same about today's games.

Game 1: Louisville vs Michigan State

I said it in Friday's preview, and I'll say it again.  Louisville is a complete enigma to me, a team that keeps surprising me at how well they are able to play without a key piece of their team. This is a clash of two great tournament coaches, Rick Pitino and Tom Izzo.  Every year both these coaches lead their teams deeper in the tournament than expected and everyone acts surprised.  Maybe it is time for the committee to wisen up and seed these teams a little higher.

Millionaire Matchmaker with...Lil' Romeo!

So, I stumbled across an episode of Millionaire Matchmaker where the millionaire was freaking Lil' Romeo. That's right. Lil' Romeo of My Baby fame.

Yes, he's still a player. Or so he says. But now he needs a girlfriend. He's just looking out for his future family.

Saturday's Elite Eight Matchups

Disclaimer: Milli is on vacation - expect grammatical errors

Since there are no more overlapping games, we will do a deeper dive into each of the day's games. Both should be exciting, competitive games, and are the best match-ups we could have hoped for when the brackets came out two weeks ago.

First Game: Wisconsin vs Arizona

Yes - last year these two faced off in the elite eight, and Wisconsin was victorious in an epic OT game.  In the game Kaminsky went off for 28 of Wisconsin's 64 points.  In that game Dekker only made 2 FG and was a relative non-factor.  I expect the game this year to be a bit different. First off, both these teams have improved since last year.  The roster turnover is minimal, everyone has improved, and both teams seem to be clicking on all cylinders.

Sweet 16 - Friday Matchups

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today: 

I picked every game correctly in the Midwest so far... awesome.  That may or may not be the case for the other regions.  Of the eight teams playing today I only had Duke and Utah #awesome.  Enough about my bracket, here are today's match-ups.

Early Time Slot: Louisville vs NC State

Both of these teams fit the classic mold of "lots of talent but inconsistent", and both teams could make it out of the region if they win this game.  Looking back on it, the ACC was clearly undervalued by the committee and you could argue that NC State's talent is top 5 among the remaining teams. They have proven they can beat everyone (see convincing win at Duke).  Lousiville on the other hand is a complete enigma to me.  I'm surprised at how well they have played without Jones, and I will be surprised if they continue to play at that level.  I think the the three-headed guard monster of Barber, Turner, and Lacey show up, Anya neutralizes Harrell to some extent, and NC State wins relatively comfortably (note that NC State beat Lousiville in L'ville in their only prior meeting when the Cardinals still had Chris Jones).

Sweet 16 Thursday Primer

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today: 

The tourney is back tonight, and so are we, well at least I am. Milli is off gallivanting on vacation (blame the lack of editing on him).

Without further ado here are the Sweet 16 Games to Watch for Thursday:

Time Slot 1: Notre Dame vs Wichita St         

Notre Dame played two extremely exciting games last weekend and I expect that trend to continue. It is hard to see a scenario where either team is able to run away with this one.  I’m a bit surprised that Wichita State is favored actually - Notre Dame has been red hot (7 game winning streak), has the best player on the floor (Grant) and a clutch sidekick (Connaughton).  Meanwhile Wichita St went down “early” in the tourney last year, and played in a lesser conference.  I expect Notre Dame to keep their magical streak alive and win another nail biter.

Follow us on Twitter

So, Wiz and I have been writing pretty long posts to date. While it makes for a great read, we know you don't always have the time to read a whole article. You can get the same sass and wit in small doses by following us on Twitter. I let you know when we have new articles out, and if you're lucky I'll just be berating someone more famous than me on Twitter.

We kept it easy. Our handle is just @MilliAndWiz.