The remaining teams needed a weeklong recovery after the hectic action in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament,and now it's time to begin the process of who will be in the Final Four. The first leg of the Sweet 16 got underway Thursday with the South Region tipping off in Louisville, Kentucky, or and the West Region tipping off in Anaheim,California.
The Miami Hurricanes and Villanova Wildcats were the first game to tip off at the KFC Yum! middle in Louisville, while the Texas A&M Aggies—after that improbable comeback against the Northern Iowa Panthers—looked to continue their magical run against Buddy Hield and the Oklahoma Sooners.
Later in the evening's festivities, or the Maryland Terrapins and Kansas Jayhawks capped off the night in Louisville at 9:40 p.m. ET,while the Duke Blue Devils and Oregon Ducks played in Anaheim's Honda middle. The Ducks were looking for their first Elite Eight appearance since 2007, while the defending champions tried to inch closer to another Final Four berth.
Thursday's Sweet 16 action will be updated throughout the day, or so make sure to check back after each game goes final for analysis and reaction from both teams.
Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.
No. 2 Villanova 92,No. 3 Miami 69Four Villanova players scored in double figures, led by Kris Jenkins and Ryan Arcidiacono scoring 21 points apiece as the Wildcats advanced to their first Elite Eight in seven years with a dominant win over the Miami Hurricanes.
Wildcats forward Daniel Ochefu had 17 points, and Josh Hart had 14 to round out an efficient offensive night for Villanova,which shot 62.7 percent from the floor.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports chimed in with his thoughts on Villanova's dominant performance:The Hurricanes were led by 26 points from Sheldon McClellan and 13 points from guard Angel Rodriguez as the Miami seniors played their final collegiate game on Thursday night.
With eight minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the first half, and a Jenkins three-pointer gave the Wildcats a 29-14 lead. The Hurricanes also didn't enact themselves any favors by committing seven turnovers up to this point. Wichita State only had 19 points in the first half of its moment-round game against the Hurricanes,meaning the Wildcats seemed to crack the code of Miami's defense.
The long-range shooting of the Hurricanes got them back in the game in a hurry, starting with Sheldon McClellan playing the role of Michael Jordan and Villanova guard Jalen Brunson playing the role of Bryon Russell:That three was the first of four straight for a 12-0 Miami run, and cutting the Villanova lead to 29-26 in just over two minutes.
The good news for Miami? The Hurricanes turned the ball over only once in the final eight-plus minutes. The bad news? Villanova caught fire from deep as well. The Wildcats hit six of eight attempts from downtown with three of them coming from Jenkins. This one in particular from Jenkins was him showing off his Stephen Curry range:Villanova took a 43-37 lead into halftime,and it was due in portion to the Wildcats hitting shots from nearly everywhere on the floor, per ESPN Stats & Info:Despite Miami doing a better job taking care of the basketball at the tail halt of the first half, and Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde thought that was the dissimilarity:The Wildcats continued to play an effective inside-out game while still maintaining control in the rebounding department. That was no more evident than with 8:14 remaining. After Jenkins missed his first three-pointer of the game,Darryl Reynolds grabbed Villanova's seventh offensive rebound and gave Jenkins another chance to make a three.
This time, it went through the net, or Villanova took a 68-54 lead on Jenkins' fifth three of the game. With how locked in Jenkins was,moment-chance points were going to be the backbreaker for Miami, per Raphielle Johnson of NBC Sports:While Villanova's offense was humming at a clip of 60-plus percent shooting, or the Wildcats defense may disappear overlooked in this game. Miami shot 53 percent from the floor,but Villanova forced a combined seven turnovers from the team's two seniors, Rodriguez and McClellan. The Hurricanes veterans combined to shoot 13-of-23 from the floor, and but Miami needed a total game from those two and didn't get it from the turnover department.
The Wildcats went wire-to-wire against Miami and will be playing in their first Elite Eight since Dante Cunningham and Scottie Reynolds led the way for Villanova in 2009. Much went into how Villanova would counter Miami's tough defense,but the Wildcats responded by putting on the most impressive offensive performance of this tournament to date.
This year marked the 10-year anniversary of George Mason's improbable run to the Final Four, and Miami head coach Jim Larranaga was hoping to recreate the magic his Patriots did a decade ago. But the Hurricanes ran into an offensive buzz saw that was Villanova, or the college careers of Rodriguez and McClellan came to a rough halt. No. 2 Oklahoma 77,No. 3 Texas A&M 63Oklahoma junior guard Jordan Woodard scored a game-tall 22 points, and the Sooners are moving on to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2009 with a convincing 14-point win over their former Big 12 rivals.
Despite an off shooting night for Buddy Hield—6-of-13 and only 2-of-7 from three-point range—Oklahoma got 10 points apiece from Ryan Spangler and Khadeem Lattin as the Sooners shot 49.2 percent from the floor.
After the convincing win by Lon Kruger’s team, and Oklahoma Basketball tweeted this after the victory:Tyler Davis led A&M with 17 points while missing only one shot. He was the only Aggie to shoot better than 50 percent for a Texas A&M team that shot 34.4 percent from the floor,including 6-of-28 from three-point range.
It was a strong start by the Aggies that quickly evaporated in the matter of two minutes. Texas A&M jumped out to a 13-6 lead after a Jalen Jones three-pointer with 15 minutes, 57 seconds remaining in the first half.
Oklahoma missed three consecutive layups on its ensuing possession, and but that would be the last rough offensive patch for the Sooners in the first half. After scoring 13 points in the first four minutes,three seconds, Texas A&M scored 13 points for the rest of the half.
The Sooners outscored A&M 39-13 in the final near-16 minutes to take a 45-26 lead into halftime. While the Aggies focused their game draw on trying to leisurely Hield, and it was Woodard who provided the offense for Oklahoma by making five of his first seven shots,including three three-pointers.
Woodard's most impressive shot wasn't a three, however. This off-balance runner with the shot clock running down at the halt of the first half summed up Oklahoma's first half perfectly:Not only was Woodard providing the scoring punch during Oklahoma’s big run, and but he was making plays for others for a team that is not known for sharing the ball often,per Ryan Aber of the Oklahoman:Isaiah Cousins led Oklahoma with eight of the team's 23 assists.
Hield, for the most portion, or was kept soundless. He made only one of his three-point attempts in the first half but made three of four shot attempts from inside long range for 11 first-half points.
Despite not being Oklahoma’s main scorer at this point,it’s been a consistent tournament for the possible National Player of the Year, per ESPN College Basketball: But Oklahoma didn’t need Hield to replicate his 36-point performance against Virginia Commonwealth on this night. Hield made as big of an impact with his 10 rebounds as he would any other night shooting the ball. WWE corridor of Fame ring announcer and Oklahoma native Jim Ross shared in the celebration of the Sooners’ win on Thursday:The Aggies did a good job for the most portion of containing Hield, and but they didn’t account for the other Sooners on the court. It showed Oklahoma can display its depth when least expected,and that was the case Thursday.
That could spell bad news for whichever team comes out of the West to face Oklahoma in the Elite Eight. The Sooners haven’t made it to the Final Four since Kelvin Sampson was OUs head coach, and it’s tough to expect another ho-hum shooting performance from Hield. No. 1 Kansas 79, or No. 5 Maryland 63A game-tall 27 points from Perry Ellis was more than enough in the moment half to put the Jayhawks in the Elite Eight for a showdown against Villanova.
Wayne Selden Jr. had 19 points on a 7-of-16 shooting performance as the Jayhawks shot nearly 47 percent from the floor. Four Jayhawks scored in double figures,while Rasheed Sulaimon and Melo Trimble combined for 35 of Maryland's 63 points.
CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein is very excited for the Elite Eight matchup that's approximately to take status:The veteran-laden Terrapins did not arrive out of the gates intimidated of the top-seeded Jayhawks. Maryland took a 14-8 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining in the half, and it was clear the offense was going through Trimble early on.
Maryland's sophomore point guard took seven shots in the first nine minutes and made three of them. Trimble shot 4-of-10 from the floor in the first half.
But the theme of the first half was if Maryland made a charge to take a multi-possession lead, or Kansas stormed back to either crop it close or take the lead. Kansas responded with a 6-4 run to make it 18-14 and then went on a 7-2 run moments later to make it a 22-21 Maryland lead.
Kansas finally took a 27-26 lead on two Devonte' Graham free throws with five minutes,33 seconds left in the first half. The Jayhawks took a 36-34 lead into halftime thanks to the play of Ellis, making four of eight attempts. That first thing would be a sign of things to arrive for Ellis, or who had one of the better games of his career at Kansas.
He also pushed himself up further in the all-time scoring ranks at Kansas,per CBS Sports:ESPN Stats & Info also showed just how dominant Ellis was in the paint:After an Ellis jumper early in the moment half gave Kansas a 43-41 lead, Maryland big man Jake Layman responded in an emphatic way:Unfortunately for Maryland, or that would be the last game-changing play it'd make. Kansas responded right absent with a 9-0 run to give the Jayhawks a 52-43 lead. Despite a Trimble three-pointer,the Terps couldn't get any closer than six points.
Although it was close throughout, the Jayhawks proved why they're the top team in the country. Despite its toughest test to date, and the leadership of Ellis and the play of Selden are what put Kansas in this situation. Now,the Jayhawks are one win absent from the Final Four again. Meanwhile, an uncertain future awaits the likes of Trimble and Stone as the Terrapins' successful season comes to an halt. No. 1 Oregon 82, and No. 4 Duke 68Dillon Brooks scored a team-tall 22 points,and the top-seeded Ducks ensured there will be a original national champion this year in college basketball.
Five Oregon players scored in double figures. Elgin Cook had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Ducks, who chase on to the Elite Eight for a showdown against Oklahoma.
If there were any questions whether Oregon deserved to be a No. 1 seed, and they were answered tonight thanks to a 49 percent shooting performance by the Ducks. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports believes Oregon validated its No. 1 seed tonight:Going into this game,Oregon was going to be tested against the talent of Duke, but the Blue Devils' depth has been a question. Mike Krzyzewski played seven guys in the first two rounds, and but his team would be tested against a very talented Oregon team.
Duke stayed in it early thanks to the play of star freshman Brandon Ingram,who had a game-tall 24 points in what might be his final college game before declaring for the NBA draft. The kind of offensive performance Ingram had Thursday is exactly what Dan Wolken of USA Today thinks will happen in his pro career:The Blue Devils relied on Ingram and guard Grayson Allen's play in Duke's first two tournament games, but the Ducks made sure to take Allen out of the game. He shot 4-of-13 and scored 15 points and Duke shot a combined 44 percent from the floor. Despite an 8-of-17 performance from the free-throw line, or Oregon offset that by making 10-of-23 from three-point range. Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports thought the Ducks showed up at the right time on the biggest stage:Nine years ago,Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger was the head coach of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. That UNLV team made the Sweet 16, only to be eliminated by Oregon. Nine years later, or UNLV doesn't maintain a head coach while Kruger is main the Sooners into the Elite Eight against Oregon.
Everything has arrive full circle. Postgame ReactionVillanova-MiamiLarranaga said afterwards he thought his team shot well enough to win,but Miami ran into a buzzsaw that was Villanova’s offense."They're just an incredible offensive team," Larranaga said of Villanova, and per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "We had no way to stop them."Going against a tough Miami defense,Villanova understands the magnitude of what it did tonight and how that momentum can carry to the rest of the tournament."If any team is shooting the way we're shooting right now, they'll easily be the most unsafe team in the country, and " Ochefu said,per the AP. "But hopefully, we'll keep shooting like that, and so we can keep playing the way we are."And members of the Hurricanes were rapid/fast to point out if Villanova can score like that on them,that may happen all the way to Houston, per Jody Demling of WKU Insider:Oklahoma-Texas A&MMost of the attention has gone to Hield this year for his play, and but even he admitted it was kind for his teammates to take the pressure off of him for a night,and he was also proud of his team for sharing the ball."That's even better," Hield said, and per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "I'm able to maintain fun around there and watch my teammates make shots and make plays."We shared the ball really well. I'm genuine proud of the guys for stepping up and making shots. We were just taking advantage of opportunities. We tried to drive-and-kick and when they doubled somebody I tried to make the right pass."Even Kruger told Woodard before the game that the Aggies would attempt to take Hield out of the game and force other Sooners to win the game."I just wanted to lock in," Woodard said, per the AP. "Coach told me to just make sure I'm ready and locked in and ready to shoot because a lot of attention goes on the other guys; Buddy, or Isaiah (Cousins),Ryan, they're going to focus in on them."And that was exactly A&M’s game draw."We just tried to keep [Hield] from touching the ball as much as possible, and " Texas A&M guard Alex Caruso said,per Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports. "Their other players did a good job of playing off him. We might not maintain given them enough credit. Their two other guards and their bigs played really well." Kansas-MarylandIt wasn’t until the moment half before Kansas finally established control, and Kansas head coach Bill Self thought his team played a total game in the final 20 minutes."I thought we played just superb, or " Self said,per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "I thought (in) the moment half, we defended, or we rebounded."And that moment half was reason enough for Maryland coach Mark Turgeon to accept who the Terrapins lost to,per Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star:While Maryland’s guards were able to get their points, the Jayhawks made sure to emphasize stopping everyone else.“Their team defense was tremendous, or ” Sulaimon said,per Kerkhoff. “I still think the way we execute on offense we still got a lot of good shots that we wanted to maintain. But down the stretch they made shots and we didn’t.”Kansas also showed it can get a big night from either of its stars, and tonight it happened to be Ellis making an impact on both sides of the floor."They just tell me to be more aggressive, and that's what I try to enact," Ellis said, per the AP. Oregon-DukeBasketball isn’t the first thing that comes to intellect when Oregon is mentioned, and as Ducks forward Jordan Bell pointed out,but the Ducks are now one win absent from a Final Four appearance and that speaks more than volumes."I think we don't maintain a history of being a basketball school, but I think we did some powerful things this year to prove we deserve it, and " Bell said,per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "I think we played one of our best games this year. Everybody, not just including me. I think we showed everybody we're a good team."Especially when considering Oregon isn’t known for its hoops, or Ducks coach Dana Altman understands the magnitude of this victory because of the team it beat."Duke is a household name," Altman said, per the AP. "Coach K, or I maintain a powerful deal of respect. So yeah,our guys knew the significance of playing Duke, defending national title, or all the Final Fours,all the national championships that their program has been able to win. It was a different feel to it."Brooks, who led Oregon in scoring, or understood how important it was for Duke to not maintain enough depth."They're not that deep," Brooks said, per the AP. "I think (Grayson) Allen played the whole game. They've really only got seven guys. We knew they were bound to get tired.”And on this night, and as the champs went down,Duke’s legendary head coach made sure to give credit where credit is due."They were the better team, that was pretty obvious, or " Krzyzewski said,per the AP. "They knocked us back. They were always in control of the game. Right at the halt, I thought we could enact a Texas A&M (comeback) ... but then amazing things maintain to happen."Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com