"How was school?" Maria asked when they walked through the door.
"Good. Ma, Marco's staying for dinner. His mom's working a double shift."
"Of course. I'll make extra pasta."
Jason settled onto the couch and turned on CBS. The March Madness theme music filled the living room. Marco sat down next to him, still processing the conversation they'd just had.
"You really bet money on Northwestern State?"
"Maybe."
"How much is maybe?"
"Enough to matter."
The pre-game coverage began, with analysts discussing the day's matchups. When they got to Northwestern State versus Iowa, the consensus was unanimous—Iowa would win easily, probably by double digits.
"Northwestern State is a nice story," one analyst said, "but they're facing a much more athletic Iowa team that's been to the tournament five of the last seven years. This should be over by halftime."
Marco looked at Jason. "Still feeling confident?"
"We'll see."
"You seem nervous," his mother observed, bringing him a glass of water.
"Just want the tutoring thing to go well."
"Tutoring thing?" Marco raised an eyebrow.
"Long story."
At four o'clock, the game began. Jason's mother settled in to watch, though she clearly had no idea what was happening on screen.
"Honey, what's a fifteen seed?" she asked as the teams took the court.
"It means Northwestern State is supposed to lose badly."
"Then why are you watching?"
"Because sometimes the team that's supposed to lose doesn't lose."
Marco was leaning forward now, actually invested in the game. "Come on, Iowa. Don't make me look stupid."
The first half played out exactly as Jason remembered. Iowa jumped to an early lead, but Northwestern State kept pace, hitting three-pointers and forcing turnovers.
"Iowa's having trouble with Northwestern State's press," the color commentator observed. "The Demons are forcing turnovers and getting easy baskets in transition."
"That's exactly what a fifteen seed needs to do," his partner replied. "Keep the pace fast, don't let Iowa settle into their half-court offense."
At halftime, Iowa led 32-29.
"This is actually exciting," his mother said during the break. "I thought you said Northwestern State was supposed to lose badly."
"They are. But they're not."
Marco was shaking his head. "Iowa's playing down to their competition. Second half, they'll pull away."
The second half was a back-and-forth battle. Iowa would pull ahead by six or seven points, then Northwestern State would claw back.
"Wallace with another three!" the play-by-play announcer called out. "That's his fourth of the game, and Northwestern State has cut the Iowa lead to two!"
"This kid Wallace is unconscious from beyond the arc," the color man added. "Iowa's got to find a way to get a hand in his face."
With ten minutes left, Northwestern State took their first lead of the second half.
"And Northwestern State leads for the first time since early in the first half! Listen to this crowd! They're firmly behind the underdog Demons now!"
Marco was gripping the armrest. "This is insane. Iowa's choking."
With five minutes left, the score was tied at 55.
"We've got ourselves a game here in Indianapolis, folks. Northwestern State, the fifteen seed, going toe-to-toe with Iowa."
Jason found himself leaning forward on the couch. His mother was actually cheering for Northwestern State now, caught up in the underdog story.
"Come on, purple team!" she shouted at the television.
"They're the Demons, Ma."
"Come on, Demons!"
The final two minutes were pure chaos. Iowa hit a contested jumper. Northwestern State answered with a driving layup. Back and forth they went.
"One minute remaining, and Iowa leads by one, 61-60. This has been an absolute thriller."
"Northwestern State's got the ball, trailing by one. They're taking their time, looking for a good shot."
Wallace missed a three-pointer with forty seconds left, but Northwestern State got the offensive rebound.
"Offensive rebound for the Demons! They've got another chance here!"
"Second chance points have been huge for Northwestern State all game long."
The putback went in. Northwestern State led 62-61 with thirty-five seconds left.
"Northwestern State leads! The fifteen seed leads with thirty-five seconds to go!"
Iowa called timeout. When they came back, they scored quickly on a backdoor cut.
"Iowa retakes the lead, 63-62, with twenty-eight seconds remaining. What a game this has been."
Northwestern State called their final timeout. Jason knew what was coming next.
With thirty seconds left, Iowa led 63-62. Northwestern State had the ball and a chance to win. Jermaine Wallace brought the ball up court, looking for the shot that would change everything.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer said, his voice rising with excitement, "we've got ourselves a barn burner here in Indianapolis. Northwestern State, the fifteen seed, with a chance to pull off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history."
"Wallace brings it up court. Fifteen seconds on the shot clock. He's looking for his spot."
Wallace drove to the basket but was cut off by Iowa's defense. He kicked the ball out to the wing, where his teammate caught it and immediately passed it back.
"Back to Wallace! Eight seconds on the clock! Seven! Six!"
Wallace pulled up from three-point range.
"Wallace for the win! It's up..."
The shot was in the air as the buzzer sounded.
Swish.
"Got it! Oh my goodness! Jermaine Wallace has done it! Northwestern State wins! Northwestern State wins! What an upset! Final score 65-63!"
"That is one of the most incredible finishes you will ever see in March Madness! Northwestern State, the fifteen seed, has just stunned Iowa!"
Jason stared at the television screen. The final score was wrong. It was supposed to be 64-63.
"Jason?" his mother said, looking at him with concern. "Are you okay?"
Marco was jumping up and down. "Holy shit! Northwestern State just won! Dude, if you actually bet on them—"
Before Jason could answer, there was a knock at the door.
"That's probably Marco's mom," Maria said, getting up to answer it.
She opened the door to find Marco's mother standing there with her work bag still over her shoulder.
"Hi Mrs. DuPont. Sorry I'm late picking him up. Double shift ran long."
"Marco's mom?"