Bracket Maniacs,
The Sweet Sixteen is where dreams can be crushed and heroes are made. We had both in this year’s round.
East Region
Stellar Performance
The first may have been the best of them all. The newbie in #3 Kansas State’s Coach Jerome Tang versus the legend, #7 Michigan State’s Coach Tom Izzo. The Madison Square faithful got treated to high level offense. Both teams shot the lights out from deep. In the first half, K State’s pint-sized PG Markquis Nowell was on point back home. He found shooters time after time to build a 43-38 halftime lead. In the second half, the Spartans were tough just crashing the glass and drilling triples, especially when Nowell left the game with an injury temporarily. Upon his return, it was a back-and-forth battle when Nowell creating for his teammates (19 assists) to shooters like, Ismael Massoud (15 points, 4-6 from deep), but the Spartans hit 7 triples in the 2nd half. Then, K State up 7 seemed like they had a chance to take control, but Sparty finished the game on a 12-5 run. Nowell had 2 chances to ice the game, one up 2 missing a long three. Then, State gave the ball to Tyson Walker who drove and tied the game with 5 seconds. On the final possession, Nowell drove the lane, but shorted the layup for OVERTIME!!
In OT, the tension continued. Sparty knocked down 2 free throws and rained a three again, by Tyson Walker (16 pts, 5 assists), who gave Michigan State their first lead since early in the 2nd half. Then, back-to-back trips by Nowell who hit 2 FTs then another dime to David N’Guessan (11 points) for a layup. State’s AJ Hoggard (25 points, 6 assists) answered with a three point play to get the lead back to 2 with 2:14 to play. As they seesawed back and forth, it seemed whoever had the ball last would win. Then, while talking to the coach at half court, Nowell hit Keyonte Johnson (22 points, 6 boards) with an alley oop to break the tie, but a K State foul gave Sparty 2 free throws with 42.8 seconds with a chance to tie the game, but Hall split them for a 94-93 lead. Nowell attempted a deep three late in the clock which appeared to be an airball, but the play was reviewed and the ball was tipped. So, with 4.7 on the shot clock and 17.4 on the game clock, K State had a chance to close it out yet again. On the out of bounds play, Nowell hit Massoud for a baseline jumper for the hit for a 3 point lead. Then, K State finally defended the three-point arc well with Nowell coming up with the strip, steal and layup at buzzer. Incredible win and performance by Markquis Nowell – 20 points, 19 assists (a NCAA tournament assist record), 5 steals – that carried his team to the Elite 8.
3 K State 98 7 Michigan State 93 OT
Owls Are Playing Past Midnight
An unlikely match up here, as the #4 Vols took on the #9 Owls in the 2nd game in the East. In the first half, TEN played its game – tough D, good rebounding and rather ugly offense. However, it worked, as the Owls kept settling for 3s late in the shot clock and only hit 3 of 14 playing into Coach Rick Barnes’ team’s hands with a 27-22 advantage, despite a 3:17 scoring drought to end the half. C Uros Plavsic (8 points on the game) was good yet again with 8 first half points leading all scorers.
In the second half, the game opened up just a bit more. The Owls started hitting those open looks and got the TEN frontline in foul trouble, including a flagrant elbow by Plavsic (he should have been tossed). FAU’s Johnell Davis and Michael Forrest (11 points, 3-6 from deep) started to hit shots. The Owls went on a 20-4 run that gave them a 10-point lead with 5:50 to play, 53-43. Down the stretch, Davis (13 of his 15 points in the 2nd half) just made play after play for the Owls. FAU closed out the Vols for their 34th win on the season and to their first Elite 8 and Cinderella is still alive.
#9 FAU 62 #4 TEN 55
West Region
Huskies Run
#4 UConn started the year on fire, but didn’t finish strong in the Big East, well, that seems like a distant memory, as they manhandled #8 Arkansas. The Hogs had no chance in stopping G Jordan Hawkins who was running the floor and attacking the cup en route to 24 points including 9 of 9 from the foul line. Plus, the Huskies ran through the Arkansas D shooting a scorching 57.4% from the field and 45% from deep, plus dominated the glass 43-31. Arkansas’s Anthony Black tried his best to get the team closer with 20 points, but this game was in the 20 point range most of the 2nd half.
Coach Musselman fails to get back to the Elite 8 for the 3rd straight year. UConn returns to the Elite 8 for the first time under Coach Danny Hurley and since 2014, and they look formidable.
#4 UConn 88 #8 Arkansas 65
Zags Comeback Yet Again
What a match up, #2 UCLA, the PAC 12 Regular Season Champ and #3 Gonzaga the WCC Tournament Champ, plus good coaches in Mick Cronin for the Bruins and Mark Few for the Zags. In the first, the Bruins matched the Zags scoring prowess by hitting over 50% from the field with 3 guys with 12 points or more. The Zags though, despite the Bruins tough D, were able to find a rhythm by feeding F Drew Timme (19 points, 9 of 15 shooting in the half) and 15 fast break points. Still, UCLA closed the half on a 15-4 run fueled by 9 Zags’ turnovers to take the lead at halftime, 46-33.
In the 2nd half, the Zags started to play better defense which led to a 17-8 start to the half and cut the lead to 54-50. Drew Timme was pouring it in in that stretch with 10 of those points. The Bruins couldn’t keep the Zags off the offensive glass yielding opportunity after opportunity as they looked tired in the 2nd half without depth. The Zags took the lead, and the Bruins looked beat with a 6-minute scoring drought. Down the stretch, the Zags were able to continue to grab rebounds (51-26, 16 Offensive Rebounds), and the Bruins were unable to make a FG for over 11 minutes in the 2nd half. Plus, Malachi Smith gave a great lift off the Gonzaga bench for 14 points and 5 rebounds. Still, UCLA made a final push to close the 10-point advantage via Jaime Jaquez (29 pts, 11 Rebounds, 3 assists), who scored 7 points in a 42 second span to cut the lead to 75-73 with 32 seconds left. Timme missed both 2 free throws with 25 ticks left, and then Amari Bailey (19 points, 5 rebounds) hit a go ahead 3 to take the lead, 76-75 with 12.4 seconds in regulation. Then, on the Zags possession, Julian Strawther (16 pts, 10 boards) pulled up from the NCAA logo with 7 seconds….CASH!!! to take the lead by 2. The Zags stripped Tyger Campbell (14 pts, 9 assists) on the trip down, then Strawther missed the first FT, but made the second. Campbell’s desperation 3 hit the back iron, and the Zags advance. Drew Timme was just great besides the last FTs with a career high 36 points (13 rebounds, 4 assists), as the Zags advance to the Elite Eight yet again for Coach Mark Few.
#3 Zags 79 #2 UCLA 76
South Region
Aztecs Triumph
#5 San Diego State has been a good team for some time. They have made the tournament over and over again, but for some reason, deep runs in the tournament never happened. #1 Alabama looked primed to get to Houston. However, the Aztecs refused to accept the hype on the Tide. From the tip, San Diego State fought toe to toe with the athletic Bama squad. In fact, as the first half wore on, the Aztecs put the clamps on that high flying offense and led at the half, 28-23.
In the second half, Bama established what it does best – they attacked the rim getting to the foul line and getting lay ups from penetration to grab the lead, 36-32. Give the Aztecs a lot of credit for not folding up, and they pushed Alabama to sustain offense in the face of that pressure D. San Diego State trailed 48-39 with 11:40 remaining, and they went on a 16-0 run to grab the lead for good in the game over 6:43 minute stretch – Bama’s super frosh Brandon Miller was ineffective shooting 3 of 19 for just 9 points (11 rebounds). Sure, Bama missed shots, but the Aztecs kept scoring. G Darrion Trammell was on fire with 9 of 16 shooting for 21 points. Then, Bama down 66-57 with 2:13 remaining made a final push. G Mark Sears (16 points, 10 rebounds) did what he could with a 7-0 run on his own to cut the Aztecs’ lead to 2 at 66-64 with 46 seconds. Then, not sure if it was lack of coaching by Coach Nate Oates or player error, but the Tide fouled G Matt Bradley (6 points) on the inbounds for 2 free throws, when all they needed to do was play defense with enough time left. Bradley canned 2 free throws with ease, and Bama missed its final 4 shots to lose going way. San Diego State advances to the Elite Eight for the first time ever.
#5 San Diego State 71 #1 Alabama 64
Creighton Ends Cinderella Run
#6 Creighton has been very good in the 2nd half of the season, and now at full strength, they are a tough out. #15 Princeton was not just in Louisville for the photo ops, they came to play. In the first half, the Tigers matched the Bluejays shot for shot, and when Ryan Langbord (26 points on the game) and Blake Peters (9 points) hit back to back 3 inside of 6 minutes, Princeton had the lead 37-33. Creighton was able to answer that challenge to close the half, 14-6 to grab the halftime lead, 47-43.
In the second half, Creighton turned it up a notch. The Offense was on point, and more importantly, the D was able to limit the Princeton offense to poor shots and no second shots building an insurmountable lead down the stretch. Bluejays’ C Ryan Kalkbrenner was the man inside with 22 points and 5 rebounds, and G Baylor Scheierman with his headband was en fuego hitting 5 of 7 from deep en route to 21 points (plus 9 rebounds and 4 assists). When Tosan Evbuomwan (24 points, 9 rebounds) made 2 free throws to cut the lead to 7 with 3:38, the Tigers would get no closer. Creighton advances to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1941 – that’s 82 years!!
#6 Creighton 86 #15 Princeton 75
Midwest Region
Hurricane Larranaga Made Landfall
#5 Miami survived a scare early in the tourney in Round 1, but they have an experienced bunch from last year’s Elite 8 team. Meanwhile, the #1 Cougars had time to get healthy before Friday’s match up. The question prior to the game was could the Canes score against this Houston D, and that answer came quickly. In the first half after a slow start where neither team scored for almost 2 minutes, Miami opened on a 7-2 run. Houston answered with a couple of triples by Tramon Mark, but the tempo of the game clearly favored the Canes, as the frenetic pace led Houston to play fast and a lot of turnovers. Late in the half, Miami’s Anthony Walker (7 points off the bench) hit a three to give them some margin that led to a 42-36 halftime lead.
Houston had been a 2nd half team all year, so the Cougar faithful were not worried. However, Coach Larranaga’s bunch must have known that as they opened the half scoring the first 5 points to take the lead to 11 with back-to-back plays by versatile big man, Norchad Omier (12 points, 13 rebounds) – a 3-point play and assist to Jordan Miller (13 points) for a layup. Houston countered with a 7-0 run of their own, as Jamal Shead (15 points, 5 assists) and Tramon Mark (14 points, 5 rebounds) filled it up. Still, the Cougars never got control of this game, and when the scoring drought hit for them for 3 minutes and 29 seconds, Miami took full advantage opening the lead to 17 after an Isaiah Wong (20 points, 6 boards) jumper with 8:36 to play. Down the stretch, Houston had no answer for Miami, especially Nijel Pack who led all scorers with 26 points on 7 of 10 shooting from three, plus the Canes red hot shooting from the field of 51.7%. The Cougars could only get within 12 the rest of the way as they settled for threes the entire way to no avail (9 for 31 on the night – 29%). Miami returns to the Elite 8 again, and perhaps Coach Larranaga will get back to the Final Four again for the first time since he took George Mason there in 2006. However, more importantly, for the first time in NCAA Tournament history, there will not a #1 Seed in Elite 8.
#5 Miami 89 #1 Houston 75
Horns Up in KC
The #1 Longhorns know Kansas City very well. It was just 2 weeks ago that Texas ran the table in the Big 12 Tournament to get the Title. So, their routine has already been established. For #3 Xavier, Coach Sean Miller had this team believing in a trip to the Final Four. Texas established themselves early, especially on D, where the fluid Musketeer Offense was getting bogged down. Buckets were tough to come by, and it seemed like the only points scored were at the foul line. Trailing 14-5, finally, Xavier’s Adam Kunkel hit their first 3 at the 12:43 mark. The Longhorns were in control, and when Sir’Jabari Rice (16 points) had a dunk, then a layup, followed by a Christian Bishop (18 points, 9 rebounds) dunk – the run was on, as Texas opened up a 17 point lead at the half, 42-25.
Could Xavier make some halftime adjustments to slow down the Horns? I would like to tell you a story about how they did, but the truth is Texas really dominated the whole way with their guards led by Tyrese Hunter’s 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting. The Longhorns led by as many as 24 in the game. X’s Adam Kunkel (21 points on 5 of 6 from deep) and Jack Nunge (15 points, 11 boards) tried their best to make a run, but the final score was not indicative of how close this game was. Texas advances to their first Elite 8 since 2008 with Kevin Durant, and will someone please give Interim Coach Rodney Terry a contract, please?
#2 Texas 83 #3 Xavier 71
On to our Pool, well with no #1 Seeds left, there are a lot of champions out. So, if you have a Champ left then feel privileged. I, for one, will be watching from the sidelines as my entire bracket is busted.
Standings after Sweet Sixteen
We are down to 8 teams, and by the next update 4. Man, this goes fast.
Enjoy it!
Da Commish Wegs