Dietz’s Debrief is a weekly column dedicated to the ever changing college basketball landscape. There will be weekly updates to recap the games of the week, upcoming matchups and postseason March Madness action.
The March Madness tournament has lived up to its name thus far. In 2025, all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four, but this year has been chaotic. First round upsets like No. 12 High Point over No. 5 Wisconsin and thrilling second-round matchups like No. 4 Nebraska versus No. 5 Vanderbilt have made this one of the most exciting tournaments in recent years.
Going into the tournament, the Duke Blue Devils, led by head coach John Scheyer and star freshman forward Cameron Boozer, were heavily favored to win the championship as the top overall seed in the tournament, according to ESPN Tournament Challenge.
Their run almost ended before it began, however, as they were down 11 points to No. 16 Siena at halftime. With some halftime adjustments like switching to a two-three zone and freshman guard Cayden Boozer stepping up to the plate, the Blue Devils were able to squeak by Siena. They followed that up with two more unconvincing wins against No. 9 TCU and No. 5 St. John’s, but finally met their match in the first Elite Eight matchup.
No. 2 UConn was the only thing standing in the Blue Devils’ way to a Final Four appearance. Unlike their other games, Duke looked dominant, holding a 15 point lead going into halftime 44-29. It all fell apart in the second half, however, as UConn continued to chip at the lead working the ball into senior center Tarris Reed Jr. until it was only a two possession game with one minute to go. After a clutch post move bucket from Cameron Boozer and UConn junior guard Silas Demary Jr. missing a free throw, the Blue Devils were up two with ten seconds remaining. All they had to do was inbound the ball and seal the game with free throws.
Instead of fouling right away, UConn attempted to put pressure and go for the steal, which caused Duke to pass out of it. They made two successful passes, but after a third pass attempt from Cayden Boozer got tipped up, the Huskies stole the ball. Instead of using a timeout, coach Dan Hurley let the Huskies play as the clock ran out. Senior forward Alex Karaban wisely passed up a bad shot to find freshman sharpshooter Braylon Mullins who buried a 3-pointer to send UConn to its third Final Four in four years. It was a heartbreaker for Duke, making it two straight years of blown leads and treacherous losses in late rounds of the tournament.
On the same side of the bracket, No. 3 Illinois faced off against No. 9 Iowa in a matchup that nobody could have predicted. In their run to the Elite Eight, first year head coach Ben McCollum and star senior guard Bennett Stirtz led the Hawkeyes to impressive wins over No. 8 Clemson, No. 1 Florida, and No. 4 Nebraska. Their run would end though, as the Illini were firing on all cylinders and were too much of a challenge.
Offense was never the Illini’s biggest weakness: it was their defense which cost them points. It has been amazing to see how head coach Brad Underwood has turned the team around as they beat No. 2 Houston at their own game, trapping ball screens and forcing freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. to take most of the shots, many of which were contested midranges. Illinois followed that up with a win against Iowa to clinch its spot in Indianapolis.
The Arizona Wildcats, the second highest ranked team, battled through their region of the bracket until facing off with No. 2 Purdue with a Final Four spot on the line.
The first half did not go in Arizona’s favor as Purdue, led by senior guard and all-time NCAA assist leader Braden Smith, led 38-31 at the half. However, the Wildcats entered the second on fire, led by a 20-point performance from freshman forward Koa Peat.
Arizona was able to climb back in it and win the game comfortably. They call Peat “Mr. Arizona” because of his four straight state championships at Perry High School. He will look to continue that championship mindset to help the Wildcats win their first championship since 1997.
The last Elite Eight matchup was between No. 1 Michigan and No. 6 Tennessee. The Vols have exceeded expectations thus far, with stellar play from transfer guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and freshman forward Nate Ament. They beat mid-major powerhouse No. 11 Miami of Ohio, No. 3 Virginia and No. 2 Iowa State. Still Tennessee’s biggest opponent was the Michigan Wolverines, along with the curse of never being able to win an Elite Eight game which has knocked them out for three straight seasons. Led by star senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg with 27 points and freshman guard Trey McKinney with 12, the Wolverines easily beat the Vols and cruised to a 33-point victory, winning 95-62.
The Final Four is officially set with No. 3 Illinois lined up to face No. 2 UConn and No. 1 Arizona set to face No. 1 Michigan. In the eyes of many, Michigan versus Arizona will determine the champion, as both teams have been so dominant all year. However, with Illinois’ improved defense and UConn’s momentum, it is anyone’s game. The games will take place on Saturday, while the national championship game will be played on Monday, April 6.