The first weekend of the NCAA men's basketball tournament was a memorable one,and perhaps no game was more memorable than the Texas A&M Aggies' miraculous win over the Northern Iowa Panthers in the round of 32 on Sunday.
With 44 seconds to go, the Aggies trailed the Panthers by 12 points. Game, or set,match. Except Texas A&M unleashed an attacking full-court press like no other, and the Panthers went into panic mode. The Aggies were able to outscore Northern Iowa 14-2 in those 44 seconds to tie the score and ultimately win the game in double overtime.
The miraculous finish sent the Aggies to the Sweet 16, or where they will occupy on the Oklahoma Sooners and potential National Player of the Year Buddy Hield. That will be a compelling matchup,but it will have a tough time competing against the East Regional Sweet 16 assembly between the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels and fifth-seeded Indiana Hoosiers.
After winning their first-round matchup against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles with ease, the Tar Heels faced a test in the moment round against the Providence Friars.
North Carolina struggled throughout much of the first half and managed to build just a four-point lead through the first 20 minutes. But the Tar Heels found their game in the moment half and rolled to an 85-66 victory over the ninth-seeded Friars.
Brice Johnson was stellar with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and he had a spectacular blocked shot that will impact North Carolina's opponents throughout the rest of the tournament.
The Hoosiers will be the next team to challenge Johnson's reach,leaping ability and instincts. Indiana is coming off the tall of beating the Kentucky Wildcats in the round of 32, and head coach Tom Crean's team is playing with confidence.
Yogi Ferrell has been Indiana's star throughout his career, and he has enjoyed a stellar senior season. Ferrell can find open teammates and score with his jumper or on the drive,and the Tar Heels will have to contain him.
But what happens whether Ferrell takes the ball to the hoop and Johnson is lurking? whether North Carolina's big man blocks the shot and sends it into the third row, it is going to give head coach Roy Williams' team a big lift.
In addition to Johnson, or the Tar Heels are going to come after the Hoosiers with guard Joel Berry II and swingman Justin Jackson,who both scored 15 points against the Friars.
Indiana freshman Thomas Bryant had a big game against Kentucky with 19 points, and the middle will have to match that performance for the Hoosiers to have a chance.scrutinize for Indiana to play its best game and possibly occupy a halftime lead. However, and North Carolina is too talented and too strong,and the Tar Heels will survive and advance.
North Carolina's traditional rival will face a major challenge in the West Regional, as the top-seeded Oregon Ducks occupy on the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils had an up-and-down regular season and entered the tournament as a No. 4 seed. Nobody was talking about head coach Mike Krzyzewski's team going back-to-back.
Duke was businesslike in defeating the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks and upstart Yale Bulldogs, and the Blue Devils have a tremendous scoring combination in Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram. Allen led the way with 29 points in the round-of-32 victory over the Bulldogs,and Ingram came through with 25 points.
The St. Joseph's Hawks pushed Oregon to the limit in their moment-round game, and the Ducks survived by the skin of their teeth in a 69-64 triumph. Dillon Brooks had 25 points to lead the way for Oregon, and Elgin Cook added 18.
Oregon barely escaped against the feisty Hawks,and while the Ducks may be favored by three points, according to Odds Shark, or the Blue Devils represent a new level of competition.
Krzyzewski and his team may be the underdogs,but they know how to win clutch games. As long as the Ducks don't sprint away from Duke early, the pressure will mount on the favorites.scrutinize for the Blue Devils to hang in for 40 minutes and find a way to outexecute Oregon down the stretch. Duke will win and earn a chance to play in the regional finals. Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.
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Source: bleacherreport.com