The Peacocks will not lose
ZWF #7: Sunday, March 27, 2022
One team has taken over the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship that many had never even heard of before this month, the Saint Peter’s Peacocks. The Peacocks became the first 15 seed in the men’s tournament to reach the regional final round after they won their third game in the tournament on Friday. Today, they will try to make history once again.
This week on the seventh edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, half of the Final Four slate is set while two other bids will be clinched today. Plus, the war in Ukraine continues with the U.S. President traveling to Europe, and some other facts you’ll want your brain to comprehend.
Also, you should go listen to Episode 57 of the Zander’s Facts Podcast! From two weeks ago, Zander’s Facts’ bracket aficionado Andrew joined the pod as he and I unveiled our tournament brackets. There were a ton of facts about all the teams that you will want to know. Plus, check out how my Final Four picks are holding up. Download and listen to the Zander’s Facts Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
The goal of Zander’s Weekend Facts is to give you the facts about what has been going on in the world around us this past week. You’ll just have to read these facts, instead of listening to them on the Zander’s Facts Podcast.
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, March 27, 2022:
The Madness hasn’t stopped
We may be winding down on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, but the madness hasn’t stopped just yet. The second weekend of the tournament has lived up to the hype in a number of ways, and we aren’t done yet. Two tickets to Saturday’s Final Four were punched last night in the Elite Eight. Villanova overcame shooting only 29.8% from the floor as they beat Houston 50-44 and reached their third Final Four in the last six tournaments. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski broke the record for most Final Four appearances by a head coach as the Blue Devils defeated Arkansas 78-69 and reached their thirteenth and final Final Four under Krzyzewski. The appearance broke a tie with legendary UCLA head coach John Wooden.
Two more games will be played later this afternoon, with two more spots in the Final Four up for grabs. First, here’s a look at the bracket as it currently stands:
The top half of the National Semifinals are set, but those two teams will learn their opponents today. First at 2:20pm et, the Midwest Regional Final between #1 Kansas and #10 Miami (FL). While many expected Kansas to cruise to this point, the masses did not expect the Hurricanes to reach this point in the tournament. Miami only won its first round matchup against #7 USC by two points. They have since beaten #2 Auburn and #11 Iowa State by double digits as the program has reached its first Elite Eight in history. Kansas is the obvious favorite, being the top seed in the region, and led by player of the year contender Ochai Agbaji. The winner of this afternoon’s first contest will face South Regional champion Villanova on Saturday.
The second matchup of the day will be historic no matter the outcome. In the only Regional Final not to feature a top two seed, #8 North Carolina will face #15 Saint Peter’s in the East Regional Final at 5:05pm et. The Saint Peter’s Peacocks have taken over this year’s tournament, becoming the first 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight. If they win today, they will become the first 15 seed to reach the Final Four and the highest seed ever to reach the National Semifinals. If North Carolina becomes the first team to take down the mighty Peacocks in this year’s tournament, it will set up the first ever NCAA Tournament matchup between North Carolina and Duke, the biggest rivalry in the sport that might just shut down the state of North Carolina this coming weekend. Whatever the outcome, history will be made in this game.
After today’s games, there will only be three games left in the tournament. The Final Four is set to take place on Saturday, while the National Championship game will be played next Monday night. Those games will be played at Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Today’s games will air on CBS while next weekend’s matchups can be watched on TBS.
Make sure to check out this Sports Illustrated article on the improbable run Saint Peter’s is on right now. While there have been other cinderellas in this tournament, there has never been a team that has had to overcome as much as the Peacocks have.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
The college basketball tournament isn’t the only thing in sports going on right now. Here are some of the top sports headlines from the past week:
The NFL offseason news keeps coming, as star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday. The trade came after talks between Hill and the Chiefs collapsed regarding an extension to Hill’s contract. Hill had been seeking a deal that would have made him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league, which he will now receive with the Dolphins. The Dolphins have been active in the free-agent market under first-year head coach Mike McDaniel. The organization signed one of the top free agents this offseason in former Saints tackle Trevon Armstead, along with signing former Cowboys Ced Wilson, as the Dolphins look to compete in the AFC East.
Professional golfer Phil Mickelson will not play in next month’s The Masters tournament for the first time in his professional career. Mickelson is currently stepping away from the sport after his comments last month regarding the upstart Super Golf League underwent scrutiny. The league, which is being financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has been seen as controversial due to its financial ties with the Saudi Arabian government. In a recent interview for a book written by U.S. golf writer Alan Shipnuck, Mickelson referred to the Saudi’s as “scary motherfuckers,” adding “We know they killed [journalist Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.” Mickelson has since apologized but has reportedly been advised to avoid any PGA or golf events for the near-future.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is expected to play in his first home game of the season today against the Charlotte Hornets as changes to New York City’s covid vaccine mandate come into effect. Irving has not received any form of a Covid-19 vaccine. On Thursday, New York mayor Eric Adams announced that New York-based performers and athletes would be exempt from the city’s mandate. The new exemption affects all New York teams, including the MLB’s Yankees and Mets. Additionally, Irving made comments recently about wanting to sign a contract extension with the Nets this summer, saying “I love it here... there's no way I could leave my man 7 anywhere” in a reference to teammate Kevin Durant.
The United States Men’s National Team is currently playing in the final window of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying matches. On Thursday night, the USMNT drew arch-rivals Mexico 0-0 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico. The match was seen as the end of an era between the two teams as it is highly unlikely the US and Mexico will have to play in qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup, since the host nations automatically qualify, and an expanded field of 64 teams for future World Cups would likely diminish the significance of any future US-Mexico qualifying matches. The US has never beaten Mexico in a World Cup qualifier in Mexico. Today, the USMNT face Panama in Orlando, Florida with a chance to qualify for this year’s World Cup. If the US win, they also need Costa Rica to draw or lose in their match today against El Salvador to qualify. If the US draw, they need Costa Rica to lose to qualify today. The match today takes place at 7:00pm et on FS1. To close out the window, the USMNT will face Costa Rica on Wednesday at 9:00pm on Paramount+. If the US do not qualify tonight, we will know by the end of Wednesday’s match whether they will go to the World Cup in Qatar, face New Zealand in an intercontinental playoff with the winner going to Qatar, or not qualify at all. Also, the draw for the World Cup takes place on Friday at noon.
Speaking of the World Cup, the champions of last year’s Euro tournament will not be going for the second straight tournament. Italy were knocked out of contention for the World Cup on Thursday after they fell 1-0 to North Macedonia in a UEFA World Cup qualifying playoff match. North Macedonia scored a goal in the 92nd minute to stun the Italians, despite Italy outshooting North Macedonia with 32 shots compared to only four throughout the match.
On Wednesday, Amazon officially announced that Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit will work in the booth for NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” beginning next season. Michaels had widely been reported as an option for Amazon for months, and most recently called play-by-play for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” including last month’s Super Bowl. Michaels had worked with NBC since 2006, and will be replaced by Mike Tirico. Herbstreit has worked as ESPN’s lead college football analyst since 2006, a role he will continue in addition to his new duties with Amazon. This season marks the first in which Amazon will carry “Thursday Night Football” exclusively on its Prime Video streaming service.
Headlines from Ukraine
The war in Ukraine continues to develop, and this week brought more news from outside Ukraine than inside the nation. Here is the lates regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine:
U.S. President Joe Biden flew to Europe this week for an emergency meeting of the G7 and NATO countries in Brussels, Belgium, while also traveling to Poland to meet with Ukranian refugees. Biden made headlines for a speech he made on Saturday, his final day in Europe, in which he made the statement “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power” in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House has since downplayed the ad-lib, stating that Biden was not calling for regime change in Russia.
On Thursday, the U.S. announced it will accept up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine. The announcement is significant as the U.S. currently has an annual cap of 125,000 total refugees, which the White House believes will not have to be raised. According to the United Nations refugee agency, over 3.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the war began.
Ukraine’s military intelligence chief believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping to split Ukraine into two, similar to North and South Korea after the Korean war. This intelligence has prompted additional requests by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for more aid from the west. Despite the dire predictions, Ukraine forces have reportedly made gains against the Russian army over the last few days.
Seven Russian generals have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, according to Ukrainian sources. The Washington Post notes that if that statistic is accurate, it would exceed “the attrition rate seen in the worst months of fighting in the bloody nine-year war fought by Russia in Chechnya, as well as Russian and Soviet-era campaigns in Afghanistan, Georgia and Syria.” While Russia has reported only a little over 1,000 Russian troops have been killed in the fighting, NATO officials believe that number may be as high as 15,000.
Rapid-fire Facts
There were a lot of important stories floating around this week. Here are some of the headlines you need to know about:
On Thursday, CBS News and the Washington Post reported on 29 text messages that Virginia Thomas had sent to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows between the 2020 presidential election and 2021 inauguration of Joe Biden. Thomas is a conservative political activist and the wife of conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. In those messages, Thomas pressed Meadows on efforts to overturn the 2020 election in favor of then-President Donald Trump, who lost the election. In one of the messages from Thomas to Meadows, sent on November 10, 2020, Thomas wrote, “Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!!...You are the leader, with him, who is standing for America’s constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History.” The messages were obtained by the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and copies of the messages were obtained by CBS News and the Washington Post. The unveiling of the messages shines a light on Justice Clarence Thomas, who was the lone justice to dissent in a case earlier this year where the Supreme Court declined former President Trump's bid to block the release of some presidential records to the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot.
President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson took part in four days of Senate confirmation hearings earlier this week. Jackson faced questions from republican critics on the topic of critical race theory, her past sentencing of child pornography offenders, and the definition of the word “woman.” If confirmed, Jackson would be the first black woman to sit on the Supreme Court in the United States. On Friday, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin announced that he would vote to confirm Jackson, all but assuring that Jackson will be confirmed to sit on the nation’s high court.
Republican Congressman Jeff Fortenberry announced that on Friday that he will resign after he was convicted of lying to the FBI. Fortenberry was found guilty by a California jury of lying to the FBI regarding an illegal campaign donation from a foreign national. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Kevin McCarthy both urged Fortenberry to step down. A special election is expected to be held in order to fill Fortenberry’s set in Nebraska.
The 94th Academy Awards take place tonight from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. This year’s Oscars are hoping to bring back a sense of normalcy for the first time since February 2020’s event. Pandemic restrictions have been lifted in the Los Angeles area for the event and a full house is expected. Three hosts will each carry one hour of the program, with Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes all carrying hosting duties. After last year’s awards were the lowest rated in history, the Academy hopes to win viewers back tonight. Here is an article from The New York Times detailing tonight’s event:
Wrapping up
Before this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast. Download and listen to Episode 57 wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Zander’s Facts’ Linktree page for more on anything Zander’s Facts related: Zander's Facts on Linktree
The Zander’s Facts Podcast returns with an all-new episode this Wednesday! I’ll give my picks for this weekend’s Final Four and national championship games in college basketball. Plus, a look at several political topics making waves across the spectrum. Set your reminders for the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast this Wednesday morning!
Do remember to check out the next edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts next Sunday! If you haven’t already, make sure to sign up with the link below to get Zander’s Weekend Facts in your inbox every Sunday so you don’t miss anything!
That’s a wrap on this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, April 03, 2022.
