2014-2015 Ultimate what-if sports NCAA Tournament

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Somehow or another, I have screwed up in my count as to how many teams each conference had left, and I think it's been screwed up since the Round of 64. To my knowledge, going into the Round of 32, the American Conference had 1 team left and the Big East had 4. I'll make sure that I do a more thorough count for the sweet sixteen.

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Second Round Action- Omaha, NE Pod

Midwest Region

(2) Kentucky- 77, (7) St. John's- 67 -- The difference in this one came from the free throw line as Kentucky made 24 free throws to just 11 for St. John's. Andrew Harrison led the Wildcats in scoring with 14, but Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double with 11 points, 10 boards. Phil Greene IV led all scorers with 17 for St. John's in a losing effort.

Kentucky advances to the Sweet Sixteen where they will meet the winner of the (14) Iowa/(6) Hawaii match-up.

West Region

(1) Virginia- 66, (8) Purdue- 56 -- The Cavaliers owned a 45-31 rebounding edge and held Purdue to just 34.6% shooting as they advance to the Sweet Sixteen. London Perrantes led Virginia with 18 points, while Purdue was led by A.J. Hammons who had a double-double with 11 points, 10 boards.

Virginia will take on (5) Ohio State in the Sweet Sixteen.

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Second Round Action- Pittsburgh, PA Pod

Midwest Region

(6) Iowa- 86, (14) Hawaii- 83 -- A gallant effort by the Rainbow Warriors, as they had a chance to send the game to overtime, but a missed three pointer sealed the deal for Iowa. Aaron White led the Hawkeyes with a game high 26 points, while Hawaii was led by Roderick Bobbitt who had 20. Unfortunately, this eliminates the Big West from the tournament, as Hawaii was their last representative.

Iowa advances to the Sweet Sixteen where they will take on (2) Kentucky.

East Region

(1) Arizona- 68, (8) Boise State- 53 -- The Wildcats went on a 13-2 run to start the second half, breaking open what was a 3 point game at halftime. They shot 51.1% from the field and were led by Gabe York, who scored 15 points in 15 minutes of action. Boise State was led by Derrick Marks who had 13. This eliminates the Mountain West from the tournament, as Boise State was their last representative.

Arizona advances to the Sweet Sixteen and they await the winner of (5) Utah/(4) Iowa State.

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Second Round Action- Louisville, KY Pod

Midwest Region

(1) Duke- 84, (8) Texas- 75 -- A well played game by both teams, but Duke outrebounded the Longhorns 39-34 and made a few more second chance buckets which proved to be the difference. The Blue Devils were led by Jahlil Okafor who had 20 points, while Texas was led by Demarcus Holland who had 16.

Duke advances to the Sweet Sixteen where they will take on (4) Louisville.

South Region

(3) Michigan State- 70, (6) Old Dominion- 61 -- The Spartans shot 47.1% from the three point line, and made 8 of them which proved to be the difference. They were led by Travis Trice who had 19. Denzel Valentine added a double-double with 13 points, 11 boards. Old Dominion was led by Trey Freeman who had 16. This does eliminate Conference USA from the tournament as Old Dominion was their last representative.

Michigan State moves on to the Sweet Sixteen where they await the winner of (7) South Carolina/(2) Wichita State.

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Second Round Action- Seattle, WA Pod

East Region

(4) Iowa State- 78, (5) Utah- 73 -- Although the Utes shot much better than the Cyclones, Iowa State used a 39-29 rebounding advantage and got to the line much more frequently, making 24-29 free throws compared to just 11-16 for Utah. The Utes were led by Delon Wright who had 19 points, while Iowa State was led by Dustin Hogue who had 17 points.

Iowa State advances to the Sweet Sixteen and will take on (1) Arizona.

South Region

(2) Wichita State- 72, (7) South Carolina- 53 -- The Shockers had no problem in this one, as South Carolina cut it to 5 early in the second half but then Wichita State put it away with solid defense as they forced 14 Gamecock turnovers. Darius Carter led the way for the Shox as he had 15 points, and 3 players led South Carolina with 10 points: Duane Notice, Sindarius Thornwell, and Tyrone Johnson.

Wichita State advances to the Sweet Sixteen and will take on (3) Michigan State.

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Second Round Action- Portland, OR Pod

West Region

(2) Gonzaga- 78, (7) Murray State- 69 -- Despite being outrebounded by 7, The Zags forced 17 Murray State turnovers and doubled them up at the free throw line, 24-12. Przemek Karnowski led Gonzaga with 18 points, while T.J. Sapp led Murray State with 16 points. This eliminates the Ohio Valley from the tournament, as Murray State was their lone representative.

Gonzaga advances to the Sweet Sixteen to take on (14) Eastern Michigan.

South Region

(4) Baylor- 78, (12) Cleveland State- 75 -- An absolutely phenomenal game as there were several lead changes (I didn't count them but there had to be at least 10 or 15) and neither team led by more than 7 the entire game. Cleveland State shot way better from three point range, Baylor shot way better from the free throw line. In the end, it came down to rebounding, as Baylor won that battle 38-23. The Bears were led by Kenny Chery who had 18 points, but Rico Gathers was really the man of the hour as he posted a double-double with 15 points, 18 rebounds. Trey Lewis did all he could to keep Cleveland State in it as he erupted for a game high 33 points in a losing effort. This eliminates the Horizon from the tournament as Cleveland State was their last remaining representative.

Baylor advances to the Sweet Sixteen and will take on (1) Villanova.

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Here's a look at the Conference Challenge Standings for just the Round of 32 games. Congrats to the ACC, MAC, Missouri Valley, and WCC for keeping all of their teams alive. 7 conferences lost their remaining representatives this round, with the Ohio Valley being the big loser as they lost 2 teams. The other 6 conferences only had 1 team remaining going into the Round of 32. Have a looksee:

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And now a look at the complete, overall Conference Challenge Standings as we enter the Sweet Sixteen. Even though they have a lack of teams, the MAC, WCC, and Missouri Valley are in the best position as they are at the top right now. If the teams in those conferences falter in the Sweet Sixteen, then it's up to the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC to make their move. The ACC is in a tough spot though, as they'll lose 1 team for sure in the Sweet Sixteen as Duke and Louisville play each other. The Big 12 is in a tough spot as well, as both their remaining representatives have to play #1 seeds in the Sweet Sixteen. Can't say much for the Big Ten either, as one of their representatives plays a #1 seed, and the other 2 play #2 seeds that couldn't easily be #1 seeds. So it's going to be a major battle in the Sweet Sixteen for a lot of conferences. Here's a look.

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Sweet Sixteen Conference Breakdown

ACC- 3
Big Ten- 3
Big 12- 2
Big East- 2
WCC- 2
MAC- 1
Missouri Valley- 1
Pac 12- 1
SEC- 1

Nice to still see 9 conferences represented in the Sweet Sixteen, still goes to show the parity. What's even greater is that the number of non-P5 schools remaining almost matches the number of P5 schools (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac 12, SEC for those who were wondering). The P5 schools have 10 teams remaining, the non-P5 schools have 6 teams remaining. Not bad. 4 conferences are on the chopping block this round, and still the most disappointing conference has to be the SEC.

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More fun tidbits as we get ready to start the Sweet Sixteen (which I will start tomorrow):

Here are the teams broken down by seeds left:

#1- 4
#2- 3
#3- 1
#4- 3
#5- 1
#6- 2
#10- 1
#14- 1

7 of the 8 top 8 seeds are still around, and 11 of the top 16 (1-4) seeds are still around. Not bad. 2 Cinderella double digit seeds in the Sweet Sixteen. All 3 of the #3 seeds eliminated were upset by 14 seeds in the first round. 1 of those 14 seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, 2 #6 seeds took advantage of the easier Second Round game. Also, the #5 seed that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen was thanks to having to play the #13 seed in the Second Round. And of course the #10 seed in the Sweet Sixteen knocked off the lone #2 seed that's been eliminated.

Anybody confused yet? I hope not, but it's pretty interesting stuff.

Great to see all the #1 seeds still around, that means so far my seeding of the tournament has been pretty solid. Of the 4 regions, only 1 region will have the traditional 1/4 and 2/3 Sweet Sixteen Match-ups. That is the South Region, where we will have (1) Villanova/(4) Baylor and (3) Michigan State/(2) Wichita State.

The Midwest Region has (1) Duke/(4) Louisville and (6) Iowa/(2) Kentucky.

The West Region has (1) Virginia/(5) Ohio St. and (14) Eastern Michigan/(2) Gonzaga.

And finally, the East Region has (1) Arizona/(4) Iowa State and (6) Xavier/(10) St. Mary's.

Hope everyone is as excited as I am about the Sweet Sixteen. I feel like at least one of the #1 seeds will lose, if not more. They all have very tough match-ups. I also have a bad feeling my beloved Wichita State Shockers will go down to Michigan State. WIS isn't always kind to the Shockers. And as far as Eastern Michigan goes, I don't see a chance in heck of them beating Gonzaga. I do see St. Mary's beating Xavier though.

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NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinals- Cleveland, OH

(1) Duke- 69, (4) Louisville- 59 -- The Blue Devils took advantage of the free throw line in this one, as the fouls were relatively even but Duke got a lot more shooting fouls. They were 25-30 from the line and Louisville was 7-10. Jahlil Okafor had a game high 20 for Duke, while Montrezl Harrell led Louisville with 14.

(2) Kentucky- 70, (6) Iowa- 58 -- The Hawkeyes kept it close for a while, but eventually Kentucky led by 19 at halftime and put it on cruise control from there. They outrebounded Iowa 41-32 and were led by Karl-Anthony Towns who had a double-double with 20 points, 10 boards. Iowa was led by Jarrod Uthoff who had 15.

So it'll be a classic rivalry, as (2) Kentucky and (1) Duke meet in the Midwest Regional Final.

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NCAA West Regional Semifinals- Los Angeles, CA

(5) Ohio State- 79, (1) Virginia- 65 -- Our first #1 seed goes down as the Buckeyes went on a 20-8 run to end the first half and break open a close game. They led by 15 at halftime and never looked back, shooting 51.9% from the field. D'Angelo Russell led the way for Ohio State with 26 points, while Justin Anderson led Virginia with 21 points.

(2) Gonzaga- 75, (14) Eastern Michigan- 66 -- The incredible Cinderella run for Eastern Michigan comes to an end, as the Zags used a 38-23 rebounding advantage and shot 51.9% from the field to eliminate them. Karrington Ward led Eastern Michigan with 17 in the losing effort, while the Zags were led by Kyle Wiltjer who had 25.

So it'll be (5) Ohio State and (2) Gonzaga in the West Regional Final.

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NCAA East Regional Semifinals- Syracuse, NY

(1) Arizona- 82, (4) Iowa State- 64 -- A 42-31 rebounding edge did the Cyclones in, as Arizona got a bunch of second chance points, despite shooting just 2-10 from three point land. It also helped that the Wildcats only turned the ball over 7 times. That's pretty darn good! Jameel McKay led Iowa State with a double-double as he had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Arizona topped that by having 2 guys post double-doubles. First, Brandon Ashley had 19 points and 11 rebounds, then Stanley Johnson added 13 points and 15 rebounds.

(6) Xavier- 80, (10) St. Mary's- 73 -- It was nip and tuck for a while, but the Musketeers took the lead midway through the first half and never trailed again. They shot 47.1% from the line and made 11 more free throws than St. Mary's, who was led by Brad Waldow who had 24 points. Xavier had 3 players who tied with 14 points: Myles Davis, Remy Abell, and Trevon Bluiett.

So it'll be (6) Xavier vs. (1) Arizona in the East Regional Final.

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NCAA South Regional Semifinals- Houston, TX

(1) Villanova- 76, (4) Baylor- 71 -- Villanova almost blew a 15 point halftime lead as Baylor got it down to 4 on a couple occasions in the second half. And I'm not kidding you, things were almost exactly even. Both teams made 24 shots, 8 three pointers, and had 34 rebounds. The difference? Villanova made 20 free throws compared to Baylor's 15. That was about the only thing that separate these 2 teams. Kenny Chery led the Bears with 16 points in a losing effort, while Villanova was led by Ryan Arcidiacono who had 15. This eliminates the Big 12 from the tournament, as Baylor was there last remaining representative.

(3) Michigan State- 78, (2) Wichita State- 68 -- As I figured, WIS gave Michigan State the advantage in this one, but I'm ok with that because the Spartans were really good last year. The Shox led by 6 at halftime but Michigan State outscored them 45-29 in the second half. Poor second half shooting had a lot to do with it as the Shox ended up shooting 36.7% for the game and 29.6% from three point land. They were led by Ron Baker who had 14 points, while Michigan State was led by Travis Trice who had 20 points, while Branden Dawson added 11 points and 19 rebounds for a double-double. This eliminates the Missouri Valley as Wichita State was their last remaining representative.

So we'll have (3) Michigan State vs. (1) Villanova in the South Regional Final.

[collegesportsfanms]

Here's a look at the Conference Challenge Standings for just the Sweet Sixteen. The Big East, Pac 12, and SEC were the big winners as they kept all their teams alive, while the Big 12, MAC, and Missouri Valley were all eliminated.

[collegesportsfanms]

Here's a look at the Conference Challenge Standings all the way through the Sweet Sixteen games. The Big East and Big Ten, with 2 teams each in the Elite Eight, control their own destiny. If all 4 of those teams falter in the Elite Eight, then it really opens things up. Also, the WCC, if Gonzaga can keep winning, still has a decent shot. Even the Missouri Valley, surprisingly, if all the conferences ahead of them falter in the Elite Eight, may have a shot. As far as the ACC, Pac 12, and SEC, I'm thinking their representative would have to win out to give their conference a chance. Here's a look so you can judge for yourself:

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Tomorrow I will give a few tidbits heading into the Elite Eight, and I will sim the Elite Eight. My plan is to get the Elite Eight plus pre and post information wrapped up, so that on Friday I can wrap up the Final Four and the National Championship and get this project completed.

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Holy cow guys, I completely lost track of this thread! Between work, school, and actual coaching, I've been focusing on the interactive dynasties and this one got forgotten about. I will get this one finished up next week, as I'm sure some of you are in eager anticipation to see how it turns out. Thanks for your patience!