Mount Pleasant, IA- Heartbreak City was the destination for most over half of the brackets for KILJ’s challenge after a Final Four that featured all four #1-seeds, a feat that has occurred just twice in March Madness history. An upset might not have happened on the hardcourt, but the hurt was felt in our rankings.

What Happened

This Final Four was one for the ages, which included two comeback victories and record setting moments. For one squad its an opportunity to reclaim glory from nearly two decades ago, while another searches for their first national championship and their first trip since 1984.

For the Florida Gators, halftime provide relief for what was an Auburn Tiger run that put them up nine points at the break. Yet, Walter Clayton Jr. continued his dominating ways, finishing with 34 points and knocking down five threes as the Gators snuck away with the 79-73 victory.

Clayton became the first player since Larry Bird to tally consecutive 30-point games this deep into the tournament. Florida, the SEC champion, is returning to the championship game for the first time since grabbing consecutive titles in 2006 and 2007.

Meeting the Gators will be the Houston Cougars after Duke surrendered a 9-0 run in the final 35 seconds, falling 70-67. The Blue Devils were outscored 28 to 11 in the final 12 minutes of the contest.

L.J. Cryer downed 26 points with six three-pointers in the winning effort for the Cougars. Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the Player of the Year, scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a run that ended one game short to cap off a spectacular freshman season.

Houston attended the championship game in 1983 and 1984 but will be attempting to nab their first title in program history tonight at 7:50 pm on CBS.

In terms of KILJ’s Bracket Challenge, eight brackets accurately guessed the championship game with seven picking Florida to win the title. Austin Buckert was the only one to pick Houston in the matchup.

Amazingly, 22 brackets still have a champion in play with 16 picking Florida; however, choosing Houston does not guarantee victory or even a top three finish with how well the top 10 has gone about choosing their winners up to this point.

Now, who were the biggest movers? Let’s start with the unfortunate; Wanda Broeker went from unstoppable to unlucky in the matter of a Saturday night. Her 230 points led the rankings, now those 230 points have her sitting in 14^th place and with no chance of advancement after selecting Auburn and Duke to dance.

Her desire to best her husband in the challenge will have to wait until next year.

In positive movement, Allie Liechty-Hultman went from being ranked 40^th after the first two rounds to now sitting in 4^th place. Tim Liechty also moved up the rankings from 31^st to 10^th in this edition. Surprisingly, no one in the top 10 selected Houston as the champion.

The top three will all be rooting for Florida, while those who embrace the whacky will certainly enjoy seeing the Cougars leave San Antonio as the champions. No matter what, the game should be entertaining.

Standings

1. Karen Brimhall: 282 Florida Champion
2. Terry McWilliams: 276 Florida Champion
3. Zoey Freeman: 260 Florida Champion
4. Allie Liechty-Hultman: 254 Florida Champion
5. Lysha Bunnell: 248
6. Brent Broeker: 236
7. Alan Buckert: 236
8. Janae Body: 234
9. Josh Moon: 234 Florida Champion
10. Tim Liechty and Julie Leichty: 232 Florida Champion
11. Tiffany Wilson: 230 Houston Champion