134 – 1: Michigan is the Lone Survivor of My 2026 March Madness Bracket

The final two games in the “Elite Eight” round of the men’s NCAA tournament were held yesterday. One went exactly as I predicted. The other was a historical collapse that gave us an ending nobody could have expected.

On with the recap…

#1 Michigan 95 – #6 Tennessee 62

I have to say this game went pretty much the way I expected, although I didn’t anticipate a 33-point blowout. Michigan used a dominant 21-0 run in the first half to essentially turn the lights out on Tennessee early. The Vols fought hard, but like so many other Cinderella stories, theirs came to an end at the hands of a Michigan team that is playing like a machine. I still have the Wolverines winning the national championship, so for this game, my bracket was RIGHT.

Michigan is now the sole survivor in my bracket—the “Last Stand” of my 2026 predictions. On the other hand, I don’t think any of us was ready for what happened in D.C…

#2 UConn 73 – #1 Duke 72

Even watching the replay, you can feel the oxygen leave the room for Duke. The Blue Devils held a massive 15-point lead at halftime (reaching as high as 19 at one point). Statistically, No. 1 seeds were 134-0 in tournament history when leading by 15+ at the half.

Braylon Mullins and the Huskies just made it 134-1.

UConn couldn’t buy a bucket from deep for 39 minutes—starting a frigid 1-of-18 from beyond the arc—before hitting four of their final five shots. Mullins sank a desperation three-pointer with just 0.4 seconds left to seal it. I am, admittedly, not a big fan of X/Twitter, but this clip says it all:

What did we just witness. WOW 🤯#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/W7jnvrfagP
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2026

I’m reminded of an old headline from the Charleston Post and Courier back when I lived in South Carolina. The sports editors there were clearly my kind of people. During a massive tournament upset years ago, the main headline read: “It’s as if millions of brackets cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.”

It’s an obvious paraphrase of Ben Kenobi, and for my bracket, it is perfectly apt. I was INCREDIBLY, SPECTACULARLY, GLORIOUSLY WRONG.

Sunday’s results: 1–1

Overall Bracket Status: Michigan or Bust.

Despite UConn’s #2 seeding, this was a major upset given how Duke dominated the first half. I had the Blue Devils advancing to the final to face Michigan; obviously, that’s in the trash now.

We’re down to the Final Four. Three games remain, and the best I can possibly go is 1–1 this coming weekend. It’s all down to the Wolverines now.

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