Good morning Bracket Busters!
After two full days of March Madness, we’ve already seen more drama than a Real Housewives reunion. Despite a chalky Friday, we saw plenty of movement in the standings with many brackets performing about as well as the federal government on a budget. By the end of the night, we were left with a 5-way tie for first place at 56 points.
And in completely unrelated news, we were all saddened to learn that Chuck Norris has passed away. Scientists attempted to freeze him so we could bring him back for new generations to witness his greatness, but even the cold vacuum of space wasn’t tough enough — it gave up after the first roundhouse kick. The man who once counted to infinity twice finally met his match. Rest in power, legend. The world just got a little less invincible today.
Lots of games to get through today, so let’s keep this rollin’.
The Highlights (and Heartbreaks) from Day 2
Kentucky Escapes Santa Clara in OT Thriller No. 7 Kentucky survived a massive scare from No. 10 Santa Clara, winning 89-84 in overtime. Otega Oweh hit a buzzer-beating three from half court to force OT, and the Wildcats pulled away in the extra period. A popular upset choice for many, Santa Clara gave everything they had — a true backroad baller effort that almost knocked off a blueblood program on Day 2. Kentucky now has 132 NCAA tournament wins, most by any program in the country.
Utah State Stuns Villanova No. 9 Utah State took down No. 8 Villanova 86-76. The Aggies dominated the boards and had an answer for everything the Wildcats threw at them. This one stings for ‘Nova fans — another early exit for the program that once owned the Big East. Villanova has been eliminated in the first or second round of the tournament in 18 of their 40 appearances. A fall from grace worse than Will Smith after the slap heard round the world.
Arizona and Iowa State Roll No. 1 Arizona crushed Long Island University 92-58, while No. 2 Iowa State put up 108 points on Tennessee State. Chalk holding strong amidst the chaos, but Iowa State is going to be a man short when they face Kentucky on Sunday. The Cyclones’ star forward Joshua Jefferson suffered a brutal left ankle injury in the first three minutes of the game and is doubtful for Sunday’s match-up.
Virginia and Alabama Handle Business Virginia struggled against Wright State until pulling away late to post an 82-73 victory. The Pride of Hofstra weren’t fierce enough and fell to Alabama 90-70. Solid wins for the blue bloods who move to the Round of 32.
The Rest of the Day’s “Expected” Chaos
- Texas Tech 91, Akron 71: The Red Raiders treated Akron like a participation trophy – showed up, smiled politely, and took home the win without breaking a sweat.
- Tennessee 78, Miami (Ohio) 56: Tennessee ended Miami’s storybook season with a convincing win. The Volunteers were just too big and too athletic. When Tennessee shutdown Miami’s reign of terror from the arc, the Redhaws looked like a flock of chickadees in the paint, flying around for the lives.
- St. John’s 79, Northern Iowa 53: Hall of fame coaches continued their tournament dominance as John Calipari led the Red Storm to a dominate win against the Panthers.
- UCLA 75, UCF 71: UCF or UFC? The Bruins walk away with a win, but UCLA guard Skyy Clark left a piece of himself on the court. Clark dove for a ball late in the game and ended up losing one of his front teeth in the scuffle for the ball.
- Purdue 104, Queens 71: Congrats to Braden Smith, Purdue’s star that broke Bobby Hurley’s all-time assist record while leading the Boilermakers past the Royals.
- Florida 114, Prairie View A&M 55: Akin to Reagan in 1984, the Gators absolutely demolished their lesser opponent, recording the largest March Madness blowout since 1963.
- UConn 82, Furman 71: The Huskies survived a feisty Furman team thanks to Tarris Reed Jr.’s monster 31-point, 27-rebound night.
- Miami (FL) 80, Missouri 66: The Tigers got blown away by the Hurricanes in a lop-sided victory. This marks Missouri’s second straight first-round exit. Time to look inward Mizzou.
- Kansas 68, California Baptist 60: The Jayhawks were on cruise control in the first half, but froze harder than Mitch McConnel on the senate floor, avoiding a near disastrous collapse.
Standings Update After Day 2 We’ve got a massive 5-way tie at the top with 56 points and 28 correct picks:
- Chris Hendrickson F9BOAT
- Craig Novick
- Dave Hernly hXCkvQ
- Dave Hernly
- Kristin Albrecht
Your Commissioner is somehow tied for first place right now. Believe me, I am as shocked and confused as you are. Perennial Bracket Buster powerhouses Craig Novick and Dave Hernly show why they are always in the conversation this time of year, and Kristin Albrecht is looking to dismantle the competition in 2026.
Blue List Reminder
Great job to many who moved to a ‘paid’ status yesterday. We’ve got a record 130 Bracket Busters participants in this year’s challenge and 72% of you have already paid entry fees. For those who are looking to join them, it’s $10/bracket, and you can get that to me in a variety of ways. Check out the Blue List page to see how you can settle up.
Things start to get very interesting in the Round of 32 as heavy weights, future lottery picks, and hall of fame coaches square off for another great day of March Madness action. Michigan & Saint Louis get the day going with a 12:10pm ET tip, and it’s sure to be a high scoring affair.
Enjoy the games today everyone!
Chris H
Bracket Busters HQ