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Why Duke and Michigan Are Dead Even Entering Selection Sunday

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It has been more than a decade since there was such a small difference between college basketball’s best two teams as Selection Sunday beckons.

Look at the metrics. Look at the gambling futures. Look at the evidence on our TV screens. It’s nearly impossible to say whether the Duke Blue Devils or the Michigan Wolverines are the favorite to win it all.

If you go by predictive metrics like KenPom, Duke ranks as roughly a half-point favorite over Michigan. If you go by results-based metrics like Wins Above Bubble, Michigan is a smidge ahead of Duke. If you go by online sportsbooks like Caesars, Duke is listed at +325 to cut down the nets on April 6 in Indianapolis at +325 — but Michigan sits at +325, too.

If you prefer to go by something absurd like on-court results, Duke edged Michigan 68-63 in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 21 in a game where neither team led by more than eight.

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In essence, if this year’s tournament turns into nothing more than Duke and Michigan on an inexorable collision course from opposite sides of the bracket (to be unveiled at 6 p.m. ET Sunday), then we’re destined for an amazing three weeks.

The only way it might be greater is if we get a replay of the last NCAA Tournament with its top two teams virtually indistinguishable — because that was the last time a wholly unexpected squad stormed to the NCAA title.

That was way back in 2014, when NCAA Tournament committee members were still such troglodytes when it came to metrics that Louisville entered the tournament ranked as KenPom’s No. 1 overall team — yet received a No. 4 seed.

When the dust settled in Arlington, Texas, 18th-ranked and No. 7 seeded Connecticut claimed the championship while eighth-seeded Kentucky also made the Final Four. Some would argue that’s way more fun than having only No. 1 seeds in the Final Four.

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What else will happen on Selection Sunday?

What else can be learned from the 2014 NCAA Tournament that might be applicable as we try to predict what will happen on Selection Sunday? Well, that was the year Wichita State raced through the regular season and the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at 34-0 and was rewarded with a No. 1 seed.

Now, the Shockers played a significantly tougher schedule than the 2025-26 Miami (Ohio) RedHawks — Tennessee, Alabama (on the road), BYU, Saint Louis and Tulsa were among their non-conference conquests — and the MVC was tougher than the current-day MAC.

But for all those who believe the NCAA Tournament committee shouldn’t bow at the feet of an undefeated mid-major, Wichita State’s season ended in the second round when John Calipari’s Kentucky squad rallied for a 78-76 win.

Speaking of the Miami RedHawks, their perfect season went poof Thursday in the MAC quarterfinals against a Massachusetts squad that finished with a 17-16 record. After that flaccid finish, which followed multiple 2-point escapes, there will be howling no matter how the committee treats the 31-1 RedHawks.

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Do they deserve the worst at-large seed, which is usually a 12? Does the committee force them into the First Four with an 11 seed, which would inadvertently punish their opponent because Miami’s Millett Hall is just 40.4 miles from University of Dayton Arena?

Or does the committee decide Miami doesn’t deserve a bid at all because it played such a putrid schedule? According to the NET rankings, the RedHawks played zero Quad 1 games and went 2-0 versus Quad 2 foes. Auburn, widely expected to fall short of the 68-team tournament field, went 4-13 versus Quad 1s and 3-2 vs. Quad 2s. Indiana, in a similar spot, went 3-10 versus Quad 1s and 3-4 against Quad 2s.

The prediction here? Miami (Ohio) receives a No. 10 seed — and faces seventh-seeded Miami (Fla.) in the first round.

Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida receive the No. 1 seeds. Iowa State, UConn, Houston and Michigan State get the No. 2 seeds. Santa Clara claims an at-large berth and none of the power-conference bubble teams get in.

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Six Nations 2026: ‘Not the end’ for Scotland despite Ireland loss – Tuipulotu

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After a narrow loss in Rome to open their campaign, Gregor Townsend’s side bounced back with victories against England, Wales and France.

Tuipulotu says Scotland have unquestionably improved over the course of the competition, despite falling short against Ireland.

“I’ve seen what’s gone in behind the scenes and I’m proud of the boys, how they rallied this championship,” he said. “We’ve definitely made progress, there’s no doubt about that.”

Townsend came under heavy pressure after the defeat against Italy in their opener, but he too agreed with Tuipulotu’s assessment that it has been a positive tournament for his side.

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“The performances we’ve delivered, especially the three victories, is some of the best rugby I’ve seen us play,” he said.

“Today it’s a reminder and a lesson. The lesson is that we have to be better when we do have opportunities. Another game for us to know what works and what we have to lean into more, double down on more.

“There were tactical and technical things we needed to improve on, which we did in the second half and we were going up against an excellent opponent, who were very good today.”

After last weekend’s exhilarating 50-40 victory over France, the question was whether Scotland could recreate such a performance at a venue with so many demons.

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Townsend says it simply isn’t possible to play perfect rugby in every game.

“Ireland are a very good team,” he said. “They have an excellent record here against pretty much every team.

“If you want a perfect performance every week, you’re living in fantasy land. We played some excellent rugby but it wasn’t enough to win.”

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Wales end three-year wait for Six Nations win with inspired performance against Italy

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Wales ended a three-year Six Nations losing streak with a 31-17 victory over Italy in Cardiff.

Two tries from Aaron Wainwright and another from skipper Dewi Lake gave Wales a 21-0 interval lead which was quickly built on.

Dan Edwards darted over and the Ospreys outside-half added a superb long-range drop goal to four conversions for a personal haul of 16 points.

Wales outside-half Dan Edwards scores his side’s fourth try in their Six Nations victory against Italy

Wales outside-half Dan Edwards scores his side’s fourth try in their Six Nations victory against Italy (PA Wire)

Italy appeared dead and buried at 31-0 down, but they refused to go out with a whimper and Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Tommaso Allan and Paolo Garbisi scored tries. Garbisi added a conversion.

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Wales had not tasted Six Nations victory since 11 March 2023 – 15 games and 1,099 days ago – when they beat Italy in Rome.

But there were clear signs of green shoots in defeats to Scotland and Ireland, and Wales produced the performance nearly 70,000 fans inside Principality Stadium had craved to register a first Six Nations home win since February 2022.

Italy could not back up a first-ever victory over England seven days earlier, as hopes of winning three games in a Six Nations campaign for the first time were snuffed out.

The visitors almost undid a positive start from Wales after Tommaso Menoncello turned over possession and led an Azzurri charge.

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(Getty Images)

Wales survived that breakaway and a skewed Garbisi penalty attempt and hit the front after 15 minutes.

Lineout ball was secured to let Eddie James loose and Wainwright took it on with a huge carry that saw the number eight bounce off defenders to score.

Wales were further rewarded when Italy were penalised at the breakdown and chose to go to the corner rather than take the option of three points.

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Edwards delivered an excellent kick and Wainwright was the beneficiary of a driving lineout that Italy could not stop.

The extras were added from the touchline and Wales were in dreamland with a third try before the 30-minutes mark.

Aaron Wainwright was outstanding for Wales

Aaron Wainwright was outstanding for Wales (Getty Images)

Lake found his target at the lineout and guided the driving maul over, with Edwards converting again.

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It had been clinical stuff from Wales with three tries from as many entries into the Italy 22, and the roof was in danger of coming off the Principality Stadium.

Wales were just as efficient after the break as the forwards dragged in the Azzurri defence and Edwards sped through a gap for the bonus-point try.

Edwards added another conversion and slotted a drop goal from 40 metres before hooker Di Bartolomeo rumbled over to put Italy on the scoreboard.

Wales were reduced to 14 when Archie Griffin was shown a yellow card and Italy produced their most dominant period after the replacement prop returned from 10 minutes in the sin bin.

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Allan went over in the corner and Ellis Mee denied Monty Ioane with a try-saving tackle as the winger’s left foot just touched the touchline before grounding the ball.

Italy had the last word as Garbisi went over in the corner after Leonardo Marin was adjudged to be just short of the line, but Welsh joy – and relief – at the final whistle was palpable.

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Knockout St Patricks Event guide

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After a grand Admin Abuse by YouTuber Kreekcraft, the St Patricks Event has commenced in Knockout. It has replaced the Magma Event to introduce more cosmetics and elimination effects, including the Golden Leprechaun skin and the Lucky Splash effect. Players can get all the exclusive items by spending the new currency called Shamrocks in the St Patricks Event shop at the edge of the lobby.

This guide explains how to get Shamrocks in Knockout, so that you can start collecting the event items from St Patricks shop.


How to get Shamrocks in Knockout St Patricks Event

The St Patricks Event shop (Image via Roblox)The St Patricks Event shop (Image via Roblox)
The St Patricks Event shop (Image via Roblox)

Shamrocks are green plant-like objects that can be collected by any player. They spawn on the map in every round but only when the Shamrock Event is active. This event happens every 60 minutes on a server and its countdown can be seen at the top of the St Patricks shop.

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The Shamrock Event is a part of the St Patricks Event. When it begins, two to five Shamrocks appear at random spots on the map. You can collect them by launching your penguin and hitting the Shamrocks.

Shamrocks are also obtainable from the Lucky Crate and Rainbow Lucky Crate. You can buy both these crates from the event shop.


Also check: How to get and use Ice in Knockout


Contents of the Lucky Crate and Rainbow Lucky Crate

The Lucky Crate and Rainbow Lucky Crate (Image via Roblox)The Lucky Crate and Rainbow Lucky Crate (Image via Roblox)
The Lucky Crate and Rainbow Lucky Crate (Image via Roblox)

The Lucky Crate is for free-to-play players. A single crate costs 100 Shamrocks and contains the following things:

  • 50 Shamrocks
  • Shamrock Egg
  • Lucky Splash
  • Cloud9
  • Irish Jig Dance
  • Golden Leprechaun

Rainbow Lucky Crate is the premium version of the Lucky Crate. It costs 149 Robux and has all the contents of the Lucky Crate, but with revealed drop rates:

  • 150 Shamrocks – 40%
  • Shamrock Egg – 25%
  • Lucky Splash – 22%
  • Cloud9 – 10%
  • Irish Jig – 2.5%
  • Golden Leprechaun – 0.5%

The Golden Leprechaun skin has a limited stock. As of this writing, only 9900 copies of this cosmetic are available, so acquire one quickly by opening Lucky Crates or Rainbow Lucky Crates in bulk.


What are all the skins in the Shamrock Egg?

The Shamrock Egg (Image via Roblox)The Shamrock Egg (Image via Roblox)
The Shamrock Egg (Image via Roblox)

The Shamrock Egg, besides being available from the event crates, can also be bought with Shamrocks. It appears briefly next to the St Patricks Event Shop during the Shamrock Event and any player can interact with it.

A Shamrock Egg costs 200 Shamrocks or 99 Robux. It consists of five penguin skins of different rarities, whose drop rates are as follows:

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  • Clover – 46.5%
  • Green Shepherd – 30%
  • Pot O’ Gold – 15%
  • Lucky Kreek Craft – 7.3%
  • Leprechaun – 1.2% (limited stock)

Since it belongs to Tier 6, the Shamrock Egg contains some of the rarest skins.


Also check: Roblox Knockout Season 1 pass guide


FAQs on Knockout

What is the best way to earn Shamrocks?

Opening Lucky Crates and Rainbow Lucky Crates is the best way to earn Shamrocks. You have a 40% chance of getting 150 Shamrocks after opening the Rainbow crate.

How long is the Shamrock Event?

The Shamrock Event lasts 10 minutes before going into a cooldown of 50 minutes.

What is the rarity of the Leprechaun skin?

This skin is of Mythic rarity.

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