Some are calling this year’s March Madness boring because each of the #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four.

In our opinion, they’re the best matchups imaginable.

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to James Wiseman and Enjoyers Calen and Julia! 🎉

Game Recaps

Duke slows Bama, advances to Final Four with 85-65 win

Entering the Elite Eight matchup between Duke and Alabama, something had to give. The Blue Devils have featured one of the nation’s stingiest defenses all season long, while the Crimson Tide, fresh off an NCAA record 25 three-pointers against BYU, had been tearing through opponents at a historic rate. But defense is what wins championships.

Cooper Flagg and company advanced to the Final Four behind a 30-point effort from the presumptive #1 pick and a stout all-around defensive performance, holding the Tide to 48 fewer points than they’d scored just one game prior. It marks Duke’s 18th Final Four as a program and first since Coach K’s retirement. The Blue Devils may not be the tournament’s top overall seed, but with a band of league prospects and all the swagger in the world, they’ll be tough to beat as the tourney heads to San Antonio.

TAKE A BOW! Clayton Jr. comes up clutch as Florida survives Texas Tech 84-79

Two years ago, Walter Clayton Jr. was dominating the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and leading his team to a 13-seed. Now, he’s headed to the Final Four.

In arguably the best game of the Elite Eight, 1-seed Florida trailed 3-seed Texas Tech by nine with under three minutes to play. Then, Clayton took matters into his own hands, nailing back-to-back three-pointers in the final two minutes to help the Gators surge ahead. Clayton has been a killer in the clutch all season long, but this time, his timely shooting and 30 PTS on the day punched Florida’s ticket to the Final Four for the first time since 2014.

As Dick Vitale would say… onions!

Elsewhere around the hoops world…

• Houston and Auburn, March Madness’ other two top seeds, also advanced to San Antonio after wins over Michigan State and Tennessee. Auburn’s Johni Broome, a National POY finalist, tallied 25 PTS and 14 REB against the Spartans while the Cougars’ suffocating defense held the Vols to just 15 first-half points.

• After getting back on track following a four-game losing streak earlier this month, the Cavaliers have a historic W to celebrate: with a 127-122 win over the Clippers fueled by a near-perfect day from Jarrett Allen, Cleveland secured its first 60-win season in franchise history without LeBron James. Don’t let that slump fool you—the Cavs are still an all-time scary team and will give any postseason opponent an all-out war, including the reigning champion Celtics.

• He was the #1 pick for a reason, folks! Zaccharie Risacher led Atlanta to a 145-124 win over Milwaukee behind a career-high 36 PTS, including five threes and this soaring putback slam. This year’s draft class has caught a lot of flak, but guys like Risacher are proof that it just takes some players a little longer to adjust to the NBA game than others. We can’t wait to keep Enjoying his career—the sky’s the limit!

Stock Market

As you tune into March Madness, you may be getting a glimpse at the NBA stars of tomorrow. Let’s break down three of the college hoopers to keep an eye on for the next level.

📈 Khaman Maluach — Center, Duke

Maluach has one of the most unique stories in the NCAA—after first picking up a basketball only five years ago and playing on South Sudan’s Olympic team last summer, “Man Man” has developed into one of the nation’s fiercest rim protectors and lob threats. Flagg may be the talk of the town in Durham, but the Blue Devils’ defense is anchored by the 7’2” big who stands behind him. Plus, he’s got the Pierre seal of approval.

📈 Derik Queen — Center, Maryland

The “Crab Five” may have gone home over the weekend in a Sweet Sixteen matchup with the Gators, but it wasn’t without another stellar performance from their likely lottery pick. After sending the Terps to the second weekend with a spectacular buzzer-beater, Queen had another elite performance against Florida with 27 PTS and a pair of blocks. At 6’10”, Queen has the size of a big but the skills of a guard—not to mention his elite confidence. Watch out for the big man!

📈 Joseph Tugler — Center, Houston

Keeping the big man trend alive, Tugler is the heart of an elite defense in Houston, winning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year for his dominance as the key cog in the Cougars’ tenacious front. He’s still raw offensively, but his 7’6” wingspan and ridiculous motor project as winning traits at the NBA level. Whether he’ll be a prospect in this year’s draft remains to be seen, but regardless of when he comes through, we think he could be special. And don’t worry—when you tune into the Final Four this upcoming weekend, you won’t miss him.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Happy Monday, Enjoyers! The start of a new week is an opportunity to absolutely crush a new goal. Start today on the right foot!

Walker Carnathan