Just in case you were not glued to the television like me on Saturday and Sunday, I’ve written up the games for my large Pool. It was an incredible weekend of basketball.
We really were treated to extremely high quality basketball and drama filled endings. That is why I love this round. Teams are competing so desperately to get to a Final Four. This year we had two teams who never made it before advance, another who hadn’t been there in 35 years, and one program who goes but was not expected to this year. All of these games show the importance of guard play in the tournament, especially in close games. Last thing I’ll say, I’m completely jealous of a good friend (and podcast co-host of mine) who as a Purdue fan drove down to Louisville to see that incredible game live.
East Region
Experience Over Youth
#2 Michigan State has been fighting through injuries and depleted expectations all year long, while #1 Duke has been narrowly escaping each round with their talented group. MSU’s Tom Izzo is a wizard in March, but he entered Sunday’s game 1-11 all time against Duke’s great Coach K. The two coaches have combined for 19 Final Fours between the two of them. Izzo brought an experienced team with a blend of upper classmen and freshmen, while K has 4 wonder freshmen in his starting five. In the first half, it was a game of runs. After the initial feel out period, Duke went on a 12-0 run to grab a 9 point lead with 5:24 remaining behind 7 points from Zion Williamson and 12 for RJ Barrett. However, Sparty has Cassius Winston who commands the troops as well as any point guard in the country. Winston poured in 12 points and assisted on 5 other buckets, not to mention 3 steals, 2 key ones in the 13-0 run to close the half and take the lead, 34-30 at the break.
In the second half, Zion tried to carry Duke to victory single-handed. He scored 10 points of his 24 points (to go with 14 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots for the game) in the first 3:15 in the 2nd half pulling Duke within one. The veteran Spartan team wasn’t phased, as Winston directed his team to great shot after great shot. Duke was able to mount a lead after back to back three pointers first from fellow freshman, Cam Reddish (8 points, 4 rebounds), and Zion giving Duke a 4 point lead with 11:43 to play. Winston was not going to let his team down, as he hit a triple to cut the lead to one on the next possession, then after another Duke turnover (17 on the game), he found Xavier Tillman (19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals) for a dunk to get the lead back. The game went back and forth into the final minutes. With the game tied, RJ Barrett split a pair of free throws with 4:53 to play only to be answered by Winston yet again with another jumper. On the next possession, Barrett turned the ball over (7 for the game), leading to a game changing dunk by Tillman on an absolute dime from Winston, Tillman was fouled and hit the free threw giving MSU a 4 point lead with 4:13 left. The young Blue Devils went on a run of their own – first a short jumper by Javin DeLaurier (10 points, 11 rebounds), then after a defensive stand, Barrett nailed a 3 pointer, and finally after another empty Spartan possession, Zion hit a layup to give Duke a 7-0 run and a 3 point lead with 1:44 left in the game. Coach Izzo called a time out to calm the troops, and he asked Winston to do it yet again. Winston drove the lane and found Tillman for a layup. Then, after a Barrett miss, Coach Izzo drew up a perfect play to get 5th year senior, Kenny Goins, (10 points, 9 rebounds) an open 3 point look to grab a 2 point lead with 39 seconds to go. On the Duke final possession, Barrett jacked a contested 3, but the ball was knocked out of bounds in a scrum giving Duke the ball out of bounds with 10 clicks left. On the inbounds, Barrett got the ball, drove the lane, and was fouled. He had 2 shots to tie the game. However, he missed the first free throw, and tried to intentionally miss the 2nd free throw, but it went in with 6 seconds left. Now, Duke needed to foul to extend the game, but with only 4 team fouls, they could not force Sparty to shoot free throws. So, on the 2nd inbounds after an initial foul, Winston got the ball and broke contain across the half court line securing the victory and trip to the Final Four. Duke couldn’t find another miracle to stay alive. Plus, Winston’s 20 points, 10 assists, and 4 steals was just a clinic in how to play the position. Izzo bests K for only the 2nd time, but heads to his 8th Final Four.
Final Score: #2 MSU 68 #1 Duke 67
West Region
Red Raiders Final Four Worthy
#3 Texas Tech has been under a lot of people’s radars all year. For a team who got to the Elite 8 and lost to the eventual champs, Villanova last year, why were they so under-rated? Well, Tech lost a ton of players, but Coach Chris Beard is not your average coach. He finds guys who completely buy in to his system. So, #1 Gonzaga would need to earn it if they were to return to the Final Four. In the first half, the Red Raiders employed a strange strategy – run with the Zags. The game had a torrid pace given the defensive prowess of Tech. The teams combined for 72 points, and the Zags led 37-35 at the half. In the second half, the Texas Tech we are familiar with showed up completely strangulating the Zags’ offense. In fact, Gonzaga only made one FG from the 14:27 to 5:38 mark almost 9 minutes, which allowed Tech to grab the lead and control of the game. The Rui Hachimura (22 points, 6 rebounds) layup at 5:38 put the game at 56-55, and then the fun started as the teams again started to trade baskets. So, with Tech holding a 2-point lead, the Red Raiders ran the shot clock way down, and found Davide Moretti (12 points) for a triple to push the lead to 5 with 3:49 to go. The Zags’ Brandon Clarke (18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists) was able to hit 2 free throws with 2:10 to go only to be bested by Moretti again from deep to push the lead to 6 with 1:50 left. Clarke hit a jumper, but Tech got 2 free throws from super soph, Jarrett Culver (19 points, 5 rebounds) to keep the lead at 6 with 1:04 to play. Then, a critical and controversial play happened. The Zags drove the lane, and kicked it to Rui Hachimura on the side, but super defender, Tariq Owens (9 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks) blocked the shot, and apparently saved the ball back in bounds. The Zags were forced to foul, which Brandone Francis (6 points) split a pair of free throws to move the lead to 7. However, upon review, Owens was definitely out of bounds on the save, which seems significant, but replay is not able to review such a play at this time. The Zags needed to act fast to have a shot, and their guard, Josh Perkins (16 points, 6 assists) tried his best by hitting a layup with 43 seconds to cut the lead to 5. Then, a Zags’ steal on Moretti led to a money jumper for 3 to get the lead to 2 points with just 22 seconds left. The Zags fouled grad transfer, Matt Mooney (17 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) who calmly hit 2 free throws pushing the lead to 4 again with 19 ticks left. The Zags’ Zach Norvell (10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) made a layup with 12 seconds to play. On the inbounds play, Josh Perkins made contact with the ball and arm of Matt Mooney, which is a technical foul, as the defender cannot cross the plane of the out of bounds line. Tech was awarded 2 free throws and the ball, which Moretti nailed the 2 free throws and then Culver hit 2 more on the subsequent in bounds play and foul. The Zags missed their final attempt, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders reach their first Final Four in team history. Coach Beard takes the program to the Final Four in just 3 years at the school with virtually a completely different team than the Elite 8 team last year. Incredible.
Final Score: #3 Texas Tech 75 #1 Gonzaga 69
South Region
Game of the Tournament
#1 Virginia has plenty of demons when it comes to the tournament. 2 years ago they lost to an unheralded Syracuse squad. Last year they lost to a 16 seed. So, The Wahoos were no lock for the Final Four despite all their success this season and in recent years. #3 Purdue survived a massive comeback by Tennessee on Thursday, and relying almost exclusively on the three point shot. Something had to give here. In the first half, Purdue stayed red hot from behind the arc. The Boilermakers’ junior sharp shooter, Carsen Edwards was on point yet again. He hit 5 first half triples with defenders in his face every time. The Virginia pack line defense had no answer for the cat. Yet, UVA never quit. Trailing by 10 with 9:46 to play, Virginia closed the half on a 17-8 run to pull within 1 behind their versatile big man, Mamadi Diakite (14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks). In fact, UVA’s Tony Bennett employed a big line up most of the game to counter Purdue’s attack. At the very end of the first half, UVA’s best shooter, Kyle Guy turned his ankle badly. He left the game, and appeared to potentially miss the rest of the contest.
In the second half, Virginia decided to switch the taller defender, De’Andre Hunter (10 points, 5 reounds) on Edwards. The strategy seemed to work early, as Virginia was able to limit him. Plus, Kyle Guy returned to the game in incredible fashion. Guy nailed his first triple in the second half, which he had only hit like 3 all tournament. That was a sign of things to come, as he hit his first 4 in the second half. Yet, you can only keep Edwards down so long, with his team trailing by 8, he started his assault. Edwards showed that his range was limitless nailing triples from near half court with Hunter or any other defender in his grill. It was great fun to see Edwards and then Guy trade triples on back-to-back possessions. When finally, someone other than Edwards scored for Purdue, smooth freshman forward, Trevion Williams (4 points, 7 rebounds) hit a jumper to cut the UVA lead to 1, only to be answered by Virginia’s Ty Jerome’s (24 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds) triple to push the lead back to 4 with 6:47 to play. An empty possession by Purdue led to a Guy layup and 6-point advantage, but Edwards wasn’t done. He hit another three with 5:16 followed by a split of the defense and layup to get the lead back to 1 with 4:39 to play. Guy finally missed one, and then Purdue got a layup from sophomore and Evanston native, Nojel Eastern (7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) giving Purdue the lead by 1. Guy answered with a layup of his own, and this back and forth affair had the crowd and home audience on the edge of their seats. In the final minutes, Edwards was unconscious banking in a three point shot from the right wing to give Purdue the lead 69-67 with 1:11 to play. Another Guy missed three on the next possession set up the final sequence. Purdue had the ball and went back to the well, but Edwards finally missed one only to be rebounded by his teammate Grady Eifert (0 points, 3 rebounds) with 21 ticks left. Virginia fouled Thursday’s star, Ryan Cline (7 points, 3 rebounds) who hit the first to get the lead to 3, but he missed the second. The Boilers decided to foul Ty Jerome before he could initiate the offense with 5 seconds to play, in lieu of a 3 point shot to tie the game. Jerome hit the first to make the game 70-68, but he missed the second, UVA’s Jack Salt, (5 points, 8 rebounds) who played extended minutes all game making the dirty work plays, tapped the ball back into the backcourt. UVA’s freshman guard, Kihei Clark (2 points, 5 assists) who had been torched all night by Edwards, corralled the ball, and made a pass with one hand to Diakite in rhythm. Mamadi Diakite caught, elevated and released the ball as time expired and SWISH!!!! To send the game to OT! Just incredible.
In OT, the 2 teams traded buckets early. It was really who would blink first in this one. De’Andre Hunter who was on the bench for the final minutes in regulation (inexplicably) was called on to score, and he delivered with 2 free throws giving UVA the lead with 1:43 to play. Then, Edwards answered again with his 42nd point on a mid-range jumper to take the lead 75-74 with 43 seconds. Hunter was able to counter with a layup of his own with 28 ticks left giving UVA the one point lead. Then, Edwards finally missed another one with 7 seconds to go. Kyle Guy calmly hit 2 free throws with 5 seconds to give UVA the lead 78-75. On the inbounds play after a time out, Edwards dribbled up the court and threw a pass to Cline on the sideline but it was mishandled out of bounds. Clark canned 2 more free throws to salt this incredible win and first trip to the Final Four since 1984 for Virginia. Carsen Edwards was simply sublime in this one. – 42 points on 10 of 19 shooting from deep. It is a shame someone had to lose this incredible game.
Final Score: #1 UVA 80 #3 Purdue 75
Midwest Region
Team of Destiny?
#5 Auburn has had an interesting season. The Tigers started out red hot in non-conference play, but in the SEC they struggled to win on the road. After a loss to their opponents, #2 Kentucky, by 27 points at Rupp Arena on February 23rd, something changed for this team. They haven’t lost since winning 11 straight including the SEC Tournament. Kentucky was confident that their frontline, especially without Auburn’s Okeke in the lineup. In the first half, Kentucky did take advantage of the undersized Tigers scoring the bulk of their points in the paint and getting the Auburn front line in foul trouble. Still, Auburn hung around and considering they were only down 5 at the break, they considered that a win.
In the 2nd half, Auburn changed their approach and let their superior guards flow. Bryce Brown (24 points, 3 steals), the Tigers’ senior shooting guard, was outstanding. He found his stroke hitting 4 of 7 from downtown for the game and keeping Auburn in the game and even to a lead. Kentucky turned to their star, PJ Washinngton, (28 points, 13 rebounds) who had no match on Auburn. He was able to foul out one guy and put the rest of the frontline in foul trouble. Still, as the game wore on, it was clear that Brown and point guard Jared Harper (26 points, 5 assits, 4 rebounds) were able to get a good shot almost every trip, while Washington had to labor to get his. Brown’s jumper with 4:45 remaining gave Auburn a 4 point lead. Then, finally, someone other than Washington contributed as Kentucky’s freshman, Keldon Johnson (14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists) hit a runner to cut the lead to 2, and after a stop, Washington got a layup to tie the game with 2:56 to play. Kentucky grabbed the lead when Washington hit a jump hook with 57 seconds to go, but Harper was able to blow by his defender to tie the game at 60 with 37 seconds. On Kentucky’s next possession, Washington missed his shot, and even after the offensive rebound and another miss for Kentukcy, Auburn had time to get a final shot with 7 seconds to go. Brown found Horace Spencer (0 points, 3 rebounds) on the left side with 4 seconds, but the shot was no good to force OT!!
In overtime, when Brown led the Tigers in the second half, Jared Harper and his blazing speed and quickness took over. Harper started OT with back to back layups to get the lead to 4. Kentucky would answer with Ashton Hagans’ layup, but no one could stay in front of Harper who found Anfernee McLemore (8 points, 5 rebounds) on a lob for a layup with 2:06 left to get the lead back to 4. Washington then turned the ball over leading to a McLemore layup and the Tigers were really close to the Final Four. Washington was fouled, but split a pair, which was the real story in the 2nd half and OT, as Kentucky missed 4 of 7 free throws. So, up 5 with 1:37, Harper got another layup. Kentucky did show some life, as Hagans got a layup and one with a foul leading to a free throw, but they trailed 70-66 with 1:03 left. Harper canned 2 free throws with ease, and Kentucky turned the ball over on the next possession. Luckily, Auburn missed he front end of a one and one with 48 seconds to give Kentucky a sliver of hope. The Wildcats’ Keldon Johnson scored a layup to get back to 4 down with 36 seconds. Harper hit 2 more, and then PJ Washington hit a triple with 17 seconds to go, now down 3. Samir Doughty (3 points, 7 rebounds) who missed the last one split another pair to get the lead to 4 with 15 seconds. This time Johnson was blocked inside on the layup, which ended Kentucky’s hopes, as Harper hit another 2 free throws (11 for 11 at the line) cementing the win. Auburn goes to the Final Four for the first time ever joining Texas Tech in that feat. Coach Bruce Pearl’s team played an incredible game even with a man down.
Final Score: #5 Auburn 77 #2 Kentucky 71
Wow, that was incredible. Let’s hope the next round delivers more incredible games and moments. I’ll dig into the match ups later this week.
Wegs