Men’s Basketball Elite Eight: Cinderella’s Clock Struck Midnight
The NCAA Tournament was in a complete frenzy for two weekends, living up to its moniker of “March Madness.” We saw a 15-seed not only beat the 2-seed Kentucky in the First Round but win two more to become the first 15-seed in the Elite Eight. And the St. Peter’s Peacocks weren’t the only ones messing with everyone’s brackets.
Three of the 1-seeds fell either in the Second Round or the Sweet Sixteen, leaving only one (Kansas) the opportunity to make it to the Final Four. Another double-digit seed (No. 10 Miami) also made it to the Elite Eight.
However, the four Elite Eight games were played over the weekend, with the winners advancing to next weekend’s Final Four in New Orleans. After those games concluded, we were left with four of basketball’s blue bloods—no Cinderella. The clock struck midnight, and St. Peter’s run was done. No Arkansas or Houston, both of whom had very respectable seasons. And no 10-seed Miami. Instead, we have Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and Villanova all headed to the Big Easy.
Here’s a look at the four Elite Eight games that were played on Saturday and Sunday:
Saturday, March 26
(5) Houston (32-6) vs. (2) Villanova (30-7) – South Region Final
San Antonio, Texas
Villanova wins 50-44
The Houston Cougars had an incredible season. And had the home crowd advantage for their Elite Eight game. It was an ugly game. Neither team shot above 30%. Houston found themselves down by 11 points in the second half but managed to cut that deficit to two with 5:25 left. But that was as close as it got. Houston never trailed in their Sweet 16 game, never led in this game.
Villanova is 9-0 in March, their longest winning streak of the season. They also have only lost one game since the first week of February. They are now 20-3 in NCAA Tournament games since 2016. Their leading scorers were Jermaine Samuels (16) and Caleb Daniels (12 off the bench). For Houston, only Taze Moore scored in double digits with 16. He also had ten rebounds for a double-double.
(4) Arkansas (28-9) vs. (2) Duke (32-6) - West Region Final
San Francisco, California
Duke wins 78-69
Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement tour gets one more round. After first winning his 1,200th career game last weekend then his 100th NCAA Tournament win on Thursday night over Texas Tech, Coach K will now make his 13th Final Four appearance, surpassing legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. And in a script that couldn’t have been any better, he will face North Carolina when he gets there.
The game between Duke and Arkansas was the Blue Devils’ most complete performance of the entire tournament. They shut down the Razorbacks, never giving them a chance. Arkansas, at one point, got the game within five points before Duke went on a 10-0 run to assert their dominance in the game. Four Duke starters all ended in double-digit scoring – AJ Griffin (18), Paolo Banchero (16), Wendell Moore Jr. (14), and Mark Williams (12). Jaylin Williams led the way for Arkansas with 19 points and ten rebounds for the double-double. Stanley Umude and JD Notae each added 14 points.
Sunday, March 27
(10) Miami (FL) (26-11) vs. (1) Kansas (32-6) – Midwest Region Final
Chicago, Illinois
Kansas wins 76-50
The Big 12 started with six teams in the tournament. All six made it to the Second Round. Three made it to the Sweet Sixteen. And only Kansas made it to the Elite Eight and the Final Four. For the conference billed as the toughest conference in the nation, all hopes are now on the Jayhawks to win the national championship.
Miami actually played Kansas close in the first half and actually led 35-29 at halftime. However, Kansas pulled away in the second half thanks to its stars, Ochai Agbaji, David McCormack, and Christian Braun. In the second half, Kansas outscored Miami 47-15 and shot 59.3% compared to 21.4% for Miami. All three of those players ended with double-digits scoring; Agbaji had 18 points, McCormack had 15, and Braun added 12 points. Two players for the Hurricanes had double-digit points – Kameron McGusty (18) and Isaiah Wong (15).
(15) St. Peter’s (22-12) vs. (8) North Carolina (28-9) – East Region Final
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
North Carolina wins 69-49
They quickly became America’s team. The St. Peter’s Peacocks made history, making it to the Elite Eight. But they never stood a chance against a historic basketball blue blood, North Carolina. The Tar Heels were out to a quick start and never looked back. St. Peter’s could not strut their feathers anymore, and as the clock struck midnight, it was time for Cinderella’s dance to come to an end.
Armando Bacot led the way for North Carolina with 20 points and an unbelievable 22 rebounds for his double-double. Brady Manek had 19 points, and Caleb Love added 14 more. For the Peacocks, starter KC Ndefo had 10 points, but their leading scorer came off the bench. Fousseyni Drame had 12 points.
Next up: The Final Four will be played in New Orleans, Louisiana, next weekend. 2-seed Villanova will take on 1-seed Kansas on Saturday, April 2 at 5:09 p.m. Central. The game will be broadcast on TBS. Immediately following, at approximately 7:49 p.m. CT, 8-seed North Carolina will take on 2-seed Duke. The winners of both games will advance to Monday’s national championship game.
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