Don’t mess with Tucson. That’s the message coming through loud and clear in the National Park Playoff after #7 Saguaro stunned cross-state rival #1 Grand Canyon to win the Southwest bracket and advance to the Final Four. The Canyon stayed in contention most of the day, but rarely led and saw its chances and margin slip late in the evening, with Saguaro eventually claiming a 149-92 win. Their next challenge will be the only top seed left in the tournament, #1 Yosemite, who dispatched the tenacious #7 Hawaii Volcanoes 21-15 after trailing most of the day. On the other side of the bracket, #3 Glacier eliminated #1 Yellowstone in the North by the day’s narrowest margin, 20-17. And in the East, #11 Mammoth Cave’s Cinderella streak was finally stopped in convincing fashion by #4 Acadia, 24-8. Glacier and Acadia will face each other Saturday for a trip to the Championship Final.

Predictive brackets had their second straight disaster, with a new low of 24% accuracy and no one correctly guessing more than two of the Final Four. Six brackets went 0/4 and the most common 2/4 was Yosemite and Acadia (four predictors) with Yosemite and Glacier coming through for one more guesser. For a full rundown of Final Four predictions from the outset, check out this post.

Final Four matchups will take place on Saturday, May 23, with the Championship Final to follow on Monday, May 25. All matches start at 9 AM EDT/6 AM PDT.

SATURDAY
#1 Yosemite (PAC) vs. #7 Saguaro (SW)
#3 Glacier (N) vs. #4 Acadia (E)

MONDAY
Winners Match Up for the Title