2019 Elite Eight Games Decided by NCAA Tournament Record 18 Combined Points

If you thought the Elite Eight of the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament was the best ever, you might be right.

Seth Davis of CBS Sports provided an interesting stat on the latest round:

All four regional finals came down to the wire with just a couple of plays deciding the eventual winners. Two games went to overtime before ending with differences of at least five points, so the record-setting overall margin could have been even smaller.  

The weekend of tight contests began when Texas Tech beat Gonzaga 75-69 in a game during which neither team led by more than five until the final two minutes. The Red Raiders were able to pull away thanks to their excellent free-throw shooting down the stretch.

Purdue and Virginia then followed with a battle that went to overtime after a memorable buzzer-beater from the Cavaliers:

Cameron Edwards had 42 points for the Boilermakers but couldn't prevent what went in the books as an 80-75 loss.

On Sunday, Kentucky and Auburn went to overtime after both teams converted shots in the final minute of regulation. The Tigers made more plays in the extra period and pulled away for a 77-71 win.

Michigan State then edged Duke 68-67 thanks to a clutch shot from Kenny Goins in the closest battle of the round:

Considering only one of the four games ended regulation with a spread of more than a single point, this was an outstanding round that will live on in history.

Hopefully, the Final Four continues this new standard.