How does a buzzer-beater come to be? A little strategy, a lot of luck, and the right player at the right time.

By bypassing the Blue Devils for the title, you can differentiate your entry. Duke’s prowess has made it the most popular title pick in ESPN’s bracket contest ( 25 percent of entries as of Tuesday) as well as CBS’s. Not going with Duke to win is a smart pool strategy Mock outlines here — while still collecting points by riding Duke to the finals.

The No. 2 seed Huskies are back in the Final Four for the 24th time as Paige Bueckers scores 31 and and Sarah Strong puts up 22 points and 17 rebounds to lead the way. USC put up an impressive showing despite missing star JuJu Watkins to a season-ending injury, but the Trojans didn't have the firepower to keep up.

From 68 teams, we are down to the Final Four of the NCAA men's tournament. How do the teams stack up? Here's our ranking of the quartet left standing.

Florida and Duke  have already secured a spot in San Antonio for the 2025 Final Four. On Sunday, the Gators and Blue Devils will find out their semifinal opponents as champions emerge from the Midwest and South regions in Elite Eight action.

I am reliably informed that March Madness is dead. The time of death was apparently Sunday, March 23, when people were grumpy about all the high-seeded chalk making it to the Sweet 16. The coroners have some thoughts about the cause of death.

With the first three rounds of March Madness over and the Elite Eight about to play, Brittany Miller writes about why your bracket has likely already been busted — and will continue to be at this stage,