Kentucky, UConn book their tickets to the Final Four

If you had told me a week ago that there would both be a No. 7 and a No. 8 seeded team in the Final Four, I would’ve told you that you were crazy. However, that’s what makes the NCAA basketball tournament as exciting as it is, as rank gets tossed out when teams hit the hardwood. Most had expected the Midwest Region’s No.8 seed Kentucky and the East Region’s No. 7 Connecticut to make a deep run but not all the way to the Final Four. On Sunday, both teams showed that they had their eyes on a ticket to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, when they sent their opponents packing.

Connecticut’s 60-54 win over Michigan State made the Huskies the first No. 7 seeded team to make it to the Final Four since 1985 when the tournament was expanded to 64 teams. The Huskies will be seen as the team that finally dismantled whatever was left of most brackets including that of U.S. President Barack Obama’s, which had Michigan State down to win it all. The Huskies jokingly tweeted an apology about busting his bracket, while inviting him to join their bandwagon. The Huskies will face overall top seed Florida, whose current 30-game win streak started after Connecticut defeated them back in December. That game ended on a Shabazz Napier buzzer-beater, and the Gators will be looking to get even when they square off on Saturday.

Kentucky stopped Mississauga’s Nik Stauskas and the Michigan Wolverines from making it to the Final Four for a second straight year, after Aaron Harrison sank a crucial three pointer with two seconds left to seal the 75-72 victory for the Wildcats. Like the Huskies, the Wildcats weren’t favoured to make it to Arlington but after they knocked off last year’s champions Louisville on Friday night, they were expected to give the Wolverines a run for their money and that they certainly did. Kentucky becomes the fifth No. 8 seed to make it to the Final Four and will be looking to become the second to win it all since Villanova did in 1985. The Wildcats who last won the championships in 2012 will face the West Region’s No. 2 Wisconsin on Saturday.