Day 1:
The first night of an all-time Sweet 16 kicked off at 7:09 PM with the matchup between No. 1 Gonzaga (28-5) and No. 4 Arkansas (28-8). Being the No. 1 overall seed, the Bulldogs were expected to roll past an Arkansas team that had just narrowly squeaked past two double-digit seeds in the first two rounds, but that is not what happened. The Razorbacks played stellar defense, holding a Gonzaga team that ranks second in points scored per game (87.2) to just 68 points on 37.5% shooting. Other than Drew Timme’s 25-point performance, nearly every Gonzaga player simply didn’t show up to play. Arkansas won this game 74-68, kicking off an exciting first night of Sweet 16 play. The Razorbacks aim to continue their March Madness run and reach the Final Four for the first time in nearly three decades when they face No. 2 Duke on Saturday at 8:49 PM.
The second game of the Sweet 16 was one of two South Regional Semi-Final matchups. This one was between No. 2 Villanova (29-7) and No. 11 Michigan (19-15). Despite nearly missing the tournament entirely, Michigan entered the contest having won its last two games, over No. 6 Colorado State and No. 3 Tennessee. Villanova cruised past No. 15 Delaware in the first round and snuck past No. 7 Ohio State in the second. The Wildcats overcame poor shooting, opting instead for stellar defense, holding Michigan to just 55 points, to win the game 63-55. Villanova will play the Houston Cougars on Saturday at 6:09 PM in what should be one of the more exciting matchups of the Elite Eight.
The third game of the Sweet 16 was between No. 2 Duke (31-6) and No. 3 Texas Tech (27-10), beginning at 9:39 PM. It was a battle between the rookies and the veterans. Texas Tech’s starting lineup consisted of five upperclassmen. On the other hand, the starting lineup for Duke had four underclassmen, with Wendell Moore Jr. the only upperclassman. Coming into this game, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski had amassed 99 NCAA Tournament wins. All eyes were on this game as Texas Tech aimed to stop the legendary coach from getting to 100. While not of the same importance, the pressure on Duke was similar to that on Coach K’s final home game, when UNC defeated the Blue Devils 94-81. Could this young team respond to the pressure? Yes. Texas Tech started the game on a 12-4 run, before an 8-0 run by Duke tied the game back up. The first half continued to go back and forth, but ended with the Red Raiders on top, 33-29. The second half kept up this trend, with both teams going blow-for-blow. Eventually, Duke went on a small, but meaningful 5-0 run, which never subsided. The Blue Devils prevailed against a tough Texas Tech team 78-73. At 8:49 PM, Duke will face No. 4 Arkansas (28-8) in the West Regional Final on Saturday.
The final game on the first day of Sweet 16 play was a South Regional matchup between No. 1 Arizona (33-4) and No. 5 Houston (32-5). The game began at 9:59 PM in what would be one of the most stunning games of the tournament. During March, nearly everyone filling out brackets sleeps on Houston, and for no good reason. The Cougars have the eighth ranked offense and the tenth ranked defense in the country. Houston has an all-around great basketball team this year, and they showed that against the No. 1 seed in the South. The Cougars controlled the tempo of the game throughout and imposed their will on a lackluster Arizona team. While the 12-point win doesn’t stand out as a one-sided game, for those watching it definitely was. Arizona never led during the game, and Houston’s slight lead slowly crept up as the game went on. The Wildcats shot just 33.3% from the field as Houston cruised past Arizona, 72-60.
Day 2:
The second and final day of the Sweet 16 began at 7:09 PM with the matchup between No. 15 Saint Peter’s (22-11), a Cinderella team that danced their way to the Sweet 16 with wins over Kentucky and Murray State, and No. 3 Purdue (29-8), a team that many have advancing to the Final Four and beyond. Coming into this game, Purdue was a 12.5-point favorite over Saint Peter’s and nearly everyone, except those who were joking, picked Purdue to cruise into the Elite Eight, but that isn’t quite what happened. A 15 seed making it to the Sweet 16 is a monstrous feat in and of itself, but the Peacocks weren’t satisfied, and boy did they show that. Saint Peter’s once again did exceptionally well on the defensive side of the ball, holding the No. 1 offense, according to KenPom.com, to just 64 points. From the 0:16 mark in the first half and the 15:43 mark in the second, Saint Peter’s went on a 10-0 run. From then on, both teams were trading blows, but after a Daryl Banks III jumper put the Peacocks up by two, Purdue never retook the lead, eventually losing 67-64 to the Peacocks on National Peacock Day. Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway said after the game, "What are they going to say now? Anybody got something to say? " No, nobody has anything to say, except for the fact that you better not sleep on the Peacocks come game time.
The second game of the final day of Sweet 16 Madness was between the Midwest Region’s No. 1 seed, Kansas (31-6), and No. 4 seed, Providence (27-6). The final remaining No. 1 seed aimed to keep their season alive, while a dark-horse Providence team looked to end it. Kansas dominated the first half and early second half, leading 27-16 at halftime and 36-23 with 14:56 remaining.However, a strong late performance by the Friars nudged them ahead by one with just under six minutes to play. This lead was short-lived as Kansas scored on nearly every possession after that. Kansas ended up winning 66-61 and will next play No. 10 Miami on Sunday at 2:20 PM.
The second-to-last Sweet 16 game was almost destined to be a good one, as two of the best college basketball programs ever, No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels (27-9) and No. 4 UCLA Bruins (27-8), went head-to-head trying to reach the Elite Eight. UNC kicked off its NCAA Tournament with a 95-63 win over No. 9 Marquette and a 93-86 overtime win over Baylor. The Bruins narrowly escaped No. 13 Akron, 57-53, and soundly defeated No. 5 Saint Mary's, 72-56. UCLA quickly gained the momentum and took control of the first half, leading by as many as eight points. The No. 1 team in the country since March 5, according to Battorvik.com, looked like the sloppy, disjointed team we saw toward the end of the Baylor game. Despite all this, the Tar Heels only trailed by three at halftime. Beginning the second half, both teams went back and forth. North Carolina seemed to hit its offensive stride, but so did UCLA. Throughout the second half, especially the last 10 minutes, Caleb Love was on fire. He made 10 baskets on 16 second-half shots, scoring 20 out of UNC’s final 27 points. The Bruins had a three-point lead with just over two minutes to play. Still, the Tar Heels never gave up. Caleb Love hit two clutch threes to pull North Carolina ahead by three, and Armando Bacot made a tip shot with 15 seconds left to effectively seal the game. In a great matchup between two blue bloods, UNC defeated UCLA 73-66. What a game. And as Caleb Love said in a post-game interview, "We just wanted to prove everybody wrong." Which is exactly what they did. The Tar Heels will face No. 15 Saint Peter’s on Sunday at 5:05 PM to decide the winner of the East.
The final game of the Sweet 16 tipped off at 9:59 PM and was a double-digit seed battle between No. 10 Miami and No. 11 Iowa State. Miami was scorching hot, coming off a first-round win over No. 7 USC and a shocking 18-point bulldozing of No. 2 Auburn. Miami won this game on defense, holding Iowa State to 29 first-half points and only 27 second-half points. Kameron McGusty scored 27 points, and Jordan Miller added 16, on 6 of 6 shooting. McGusty and co. held the Cyclones to just 32% shooting and forced 18 turnovers. The Hurricanes will face No. 1 Kansas on Sunday at 2:20 PM. The winner will represent the Midwest Region in New Orleans in the Final Four.
That wraps up an exciting Sweet 16. We hope for more of the same great basketball with the Elite Eight starting today.
As much as I love basketball and writing, it's sometimes very difficult to keep up with and cover games that go as late as some of these, especially since it isn’t my job. So it would really mean a lot if a few people liked or interacted with a few of my articles, just so I know that some people are enjoying my stuff. And even if you’re just reading this, I thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. Big things are coming soon. Stay tuned.
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