MANHATTAN BEACH/CARSON, CA (smt)- Ty Lawson (23 pts) returned to the #1S-UNC lineup for the first time in two weeks and just in time to eliminate the pesky #8S-LSU, the last SEC team.  Coach Jim Calhoun returned to watch #1W-UConn to an easy victory.  #3E-Villanova rode the home crowd to an easy victory over #6E-UCLA while #4W-Washington never led playing in nearby Portland and fell short to #5W-Purdue after almost erasing a second-half 14-point Boilermaker lead.  #2W-Memphis recovered from their opening round scare but #2S-Oklahoma struggled after their easy first round win. 

#4S-Gonzaga blew a 7-point lead with 2 minutes left but Demetri Goodson's went coast-to-coast (about two seconds longer than Tyus Edney's one) for the game-winning bank shot with 0.9 seconds left after #12S-Western Kentucky tied it.  The Hilltoppers hit more 50% of their field goals (51.6%) and almost 50% of their 3's (12/25, 48%) but only hit 5 of 14 free throws (35.7%).  #2E-Duke, meanwhile, missed 3 straight free throws at one point in the final minute but held off #7E-Texas.  Texas had the most unbelievable luck (and nothing to do with pro-Duke refs) with an in-and-out 3-pointer, a missed tip-in, losing two loose balls, and committing an unnecessary foul after an amazing play by Duke's Jon Scheyer (saving and throwing the ball down court in one motion), all in the final minute.  Gonzaga and Duke joined fellow Sweet 16 mainstay UConn as teams making the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006.  Purdue (2000) and Oklahoma (2003) also hadn't been there in a while.

Nineteen entries trailing the leaders went a perfect 8-0 but unfortunately, the two leaders (Buckeye Mike and Silver Surfer (T-1st, 80 pts) also were perfect.  Only six entries had ever gone 8-0 in the previous 14 years.  Forty-five picked Purdue in the only upset of the day.  Among those perfect was last-place Presidential Picks who moved up into a tie for 89th (62).  Twenty-seven entries are within ten points of the leaders.  Teddy's Teams started the day 0-3 (the only person to not pick UConn) and ended up a worst 3-5 (same as Die With SEC (T-112th, 55), who now has just 3 Elite 8 teams left)) and sits alone in last place with 49 points.  Everyone still has at least 3 of their Final Four teams left.

After tomorrow, we'll know who has been officially eliminated from the top 5 prizes and thus, are eligible for the Bonus Prize.  The Bonus Prize details and  prize breakdown will come either Monday or Tuesday.  In the meantime, everyone is still alive :-)

You can now go and see the Who's Who of the pool and find out who is Silver Surfer and the other colorful nicknames.  You can post the reasoning behind your nickname (like why G's Up Ho's Down?) on our discussion forum.

    Tids & Bits:  Teddy's Teams started the day 0-3 (the only person to not pick UConn)... UCLA's run of Final Fours ended at three... UNC has 98 tourney wins tying them with Kentucky for the lead... Silver Surfer has won 10 straight games (perfect since missing Ohio St. yesterday)...