The NCAA basketball tournament is about numbers. Points and scores, wins and losses, it’s math at its most enjoyable.
Two rounds become a Sweet Sixteen that turns into an Elite Eight. With four games in the books for the four teams still with the chance to be the one that is No. 1, there is but one truth. One team wins, the rest lose, and that’s the way it always will be.
Still, degrees and shades of gray are a magical part of March. The near-upsets are nearly as memorable and certainly as enjoyable depending on your bracket.
The almosts and not-quites have become the heartbeat of the final few minutes of the tournament heart-stoppers. Horseshoes be danged: There are winners — and losers — from the first two weekends who already have put the equipment away for the summer and won’t be playing in Indianapolis.
Winner: Wayne Chism, Tennessee forward. The Volunteers senior carved his place forever in the program’s lore. He was the anchor of a senior class that won more games than any other. He was at his best when it mattered most. And, in the end, without Chism the Vols are still looking for their first trip to the Elite Eight.