Busting Brackets
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March Madness: Results of simulated 2020 NCAA Tournament

By Brian Rauf

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MARCH 30: The Virginia Cavaliers raise the trophy after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 80-75 in overtime of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional to advance to the Final Four at KFC YUM! Center on March 30, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MARCH 30: The Virginia Cavaliers raise the trophy after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 80-75 in overtime of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional to advance to the Final Four at KFC YUM! Center on March 30, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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WACO, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 22: Udoka Azubuike #35 of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
WACO, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 22: Udoka Azubuike #35 of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

South Region

First Round

(1) Kansas 68, (16) NC Central 61
(9) Rutgers 70, (8) LSU 64
(4) Louisville 78, (13) Akron 69
(5) Wisconsin 72, (12) Stephen F. Austin 55
(11) Wichita State 76, (6) Virginia 65
(3) Maryland 82, (14) UC Irvine 80
(7) Houston 69, (10) Arizona State 66
(15) North Dakota State 72, (2) Creighton 57

Our first massive upset of the tournament! Creighton, still reeling after the loss to Marcus Zegarowski, short-circuits offensively and falls to 15-seed North Dakota State in convincing fashion. The Bison were led by Rocky Kreuser, who had a career game against Creighton’s limited front line.

The other double-digit seed to win was Wichita State. They were able to find some holes in Virginia’s defense and shot over 50 percent from three-point range. UVA also turned it over 17 times.

Elsewhere, things went mostly according to script. Kansas got up big on NC Central before the Eagles made the game respectable late, and Maryland managed to get past a pesky UC Irvine squad. However, star point guard Anthony Cowan suffered an ankle injury that caused him to leave the game early, putting Maryland’s chances of making a long run in serious jeopardy.

Second Round

(1) Kansas 82, (9) Rutgers 62
(4) Louisville 70, (5) Wisconsin 57
(11) Wichita State 67, (3) Maryland 52
(7) Houston 79, (15) North Dakota State 48

This round went as expected. Kansas shook off any doubts about their performance against NC Central with a resounding win over Rutgers. Wisconsin couldn’t score enough to keep up with Louisville, and North Dakota State’s magic died after one game. Maryland, who entered the tournament with a short bench, simply couldn’t handle the loss of Anthony Cowan.

Sweet 16

(1) Kansas 76, (4) Louisville 67
(11) Wichita State 78, (7) Houston 48

Kansas and Louisville engage in one of the better games of the tournament as the score remains in a pretty tight window throughout before Kansas makes some key free throws late. Jordan Nwora had 22 points (and seven turnovers) to lead the Cards, but no one else scored in double figures. 11 different players scored for Kansas led by Udoka Azubuike, who had 14.

Houston, back in the Sweet 16 for the second straight season, falls flat on its face against a Shockers team that is suddenly taking the country by storm with this 30-point beatdown, setting up an in-state rivalry showdown between them and the Jayhawks with a Final Four berth on the line. Wichita State’s defense was the story again as they forced the Cougars into 22 turnovers.

Elite Eight

(1) Kansas 86, (11) Wichita State 53

Another dream run for the Shockers comes crashing down due to an absolutely dominant performance by the tournament’s top overall seed. Four of KU’s starters – Dotson, Garrett, Agbaji, and Azubuike – all finished in double figures as the Jayhawks led by 16 at the half. The Shockers were bitten by the turnover bug themselves, giving it away 24 times while shooting a dismal 4/15 from three. Kansas is back in the Final Four for the second time in three years.

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