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The 2018 NCAA Tournament turned 10 days old on Sunday. Fittingly, the madness of the Elite Eight ended in mayhem, as No. 1 Kansas knocked off No. 2 Duke in overtime, 85-81, to punch its ticket to the Final Four.
The Jayhawks will meet No. 1 Villanova, which punched its Final Four ticket Sunday, too, by knocking off Texas Tech. On the opposite side of the bracket, No. 11 Loyola-Chicago will face off against No. 3 Michigan.
Just as everyone anticipated, right?
1. This might be Bill Self's best coaching job: When Big 12 play began, Kansas stumbled out of the gates and looked like it was destined for mediocrity in the league.
Well, at least some people thought that.
And considering the losses of Frank Mason III, Josh Jackson and Landen Lucas, it was nearly expected. But the Jayhawks not only pulled things together, they rolled -- winning the Big 12 regular season and postseason, and punching their ticket to the Final Four for the first time since 2012 on Sunday in an 85-81 overtime victory over Duke.
Reid Forgrave was on-site for the madness which he labeled as a predictable thriller with a wildly unpredictable finish.
Look, the roster is far from a wreck, but the pieces -- the ones that didn't seem to quite fit in December -- have been hot glued and crafted to perfection by the magic coaching touch of Hall of Famer Bill Self.
No matter how far Kansas advances from here, Self's once again been validated as one of the top coaches in the country.
2. Villanova is exerting its dominance on the field: Villanova has yet to win by fewer than double digits this NCAA Tournament. So while teams like Virginia, Kentucky, Xavier and other top seeded teams have been plucked off early, the Wildcats continue to chug along with little drama -- only results.
CBS Sports' Matt Norlander was in Boston on Sunday and broke down Villanova's drama-free run and the dominance that has thrust it into front-runner status headed into the Final Four, its latest masterpiece being a 71-58 snoozefest win over Texas Tech.
3. Villanova is on the brink of history: Only Florida has done in this century what Villanova is on the cusp of doing: winning two titles in three seasons. The Florida Gators, however, achieved the feat by repeating in 2006 and 2007; you have to rewind all the way back to 1998, when Kentucky won a national title under Tubby Smith two seasons after Rick Pitino led them to the championship to find a feat that Villanova could well achieve in the coming days in San Antonio.
4. Texas Tech is in good hands with Beard: When you achieve something that has never been done in program history - like Texas Tech advancing to the Elite Eight - there's absolutely no shame in packing your boots and heading back to life in Lubbock.
Look, no team will ever say they are happy with being ousted a game short of the Final Four. And I can assure you, Texas Tech is far from satisfied, despite a nice tourney showing. But for Chris Beard to turn his program around from missing the Big Dance altogether last season, to an Elite Eight showing the next is nothing short of remarkable.
Beard has proven that he is the right man to take Texas Tech to places it has never been before, if only because he has literally already done just that in two seasons.
5. Duke's season ends in disappointment again: Duke's flaws have been well-documented this season, but the talent on the roster led many to believe those flaws could be overcome.
Unfortunately for Duke fans, Kansas was apparently built to expose them all. The Jayhawks, despite turning the ball over 18 times against Duke, knocked down 13 3-pointers and found holes aplenty in Duke's zone defense that has propelled them much of this season.
Now its season is ending far sooner than many predicted, and Duke's freshman gang -- Marvin Bagley, Wendell Carter, Trevon Duval and Gary Trent Jr. -- may not have a second campaign in Durham.
6: How did that not fall? That's the question Duke fans may be asking themselves for years to come. Tied at 72-all with the ball in Grayson Allen's hands on Sunday, the senior guard kissed the ball off the glass, and 'round and 'round it went ... before falling off the front of the iron and sending Duke-Kansas to overtime, where Kansas would eventually win.
It may be the forever "what if?" for Duke fans until it wins another national championship.
7. Villanova and Kansas for the title game: Villanova's yet to win by fewer than 12. Meanwhile, Kansas has been in a dog fight in three of its four NCAA Tournament games.
Does that favor the Jayhawks or the Wildcats? If being tested means something, this Kansas team has weathered all the storms to get to this point. Villanova will likely have to do the same if it is to advance to the title game against a battle-tested Kansas team.
8. Loyola-Chicago vs. Michigan will be pure entertainment: No. 11 Loyola is the Cinderella many across the country will be cheering for in the Final Four, and not just because it happens to be one of the best teams in the country. It has 98-year-old team chaplain Sister Jean, it has a lovable roster led by Clayton Custer and coach Porter Moser, and it has an all-around fun team that shares the ball on offense, passes as well as any team left in the field, and has the ability to keep pace with anyone.
So when the Ramblers face off against Michigan, college basketball fans will be put in a predicament. The Wolverines are as fun to watch as any team remaining. Their high-octane offense is only one-upped by their top-end defense, and when they've got their outside shot falling they're unstoppable (ask Texas A&M.)
This matchup may not look good on its face, but from a basketball standpoint, this will be highly entertaining, high level hoops with higher stakes.