NCAA March Madness Road to Sweet 16 Musings and Highlights (3/21/15)
Highlight of the Day – #3 Notre Dame defeats #6 Butler 67-64 – Of course, the game I was waiting for all day had to be a tension filled dramatic game that went into overtime. A little of everything in this game: an early 10 point lead by Notre Dame squandered for a 2 point lead at halftime; a strong performance by Roosevelt Jones from Butler; Notre Dame had a five-minute stretch in the 2nd half with zero points and then proceeded to go on an 8-0 run sparked by Demetrius Jackson to have the game tied with a little over six minutes left; Zach Auguste, after a spectacular game against Northeastern, struggled offensively and had two costly turnovers toward the end of regulation; Butler had a couple of chances to win in the last seconds, but a great block by Pat Connaughton led the team to overtime; Zach Auguste had several great plays in overtime, including a blocked shot and big rebound in the last seconds to make up for the earlier mistakes; Jerian Grant saved his best for last with a great layup to seal the victory; huge plays throughout the game by Steve Vasturia who hit a 3-pointer in overtime to give Notre Dame a four point lead; Steve Vasturia scored a career high 20 points; with the win, the ACC moves to 9-0; and with the win Notre Dame advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003.
#11 UCLA, coached by Steve Alford, who many believed should not have been in the tournament and who upset SMU on the controversial goaltending call, beat #14 UAB 92-75 proving they belong and advancing to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year.
Thought for a moment in the first half that #8 Cincinnati may be able to upset #1 Kentucky. Kentucky defeated Cincinnati 64-51 to continue their unbeaten streak in a game that saw Kentucky only shoot 37% and Cincinnati shoot 31.7%. Kentucky has started slow both games and if they meet a team that starts the game with a hot hand shooting the ball and running the court well they could finally face their first loss.
The only Big Ten team playing today, Ohio State, had a strong 1st half, but Arizona’s talent and strength took over in the 2nd half and Arizona achieved their 13th consecutive win with a 73-58 win over Ohio State.
The hope of #14 Georgia State becoming the Cinderella team of the 2015 NCAA Tournament was squashed by the #6 Xavier team that shot 67.6% and had a career high 21 points (8-9) from Jalen Reynolds.
The first #1 seed to fall was Villanova who was defeated 71-68 by #8 NC State. A very rough shooting night for a Villanova team that missed 16 of 19 at one point and only shot 31.1% for the game. Villanova managed to make it close at the end, but at critical points when they needed a defensive stop they were unable to keep NC State’s Abu and Freeman from the offensive rebound.
The second upset of the day was the loss by #4 Georgetown to #5 Utah 75-64.
North Carolina moves the ACC to 8-0 in the tournament with a 87-78 victory over Arkansas.
Gabby has joined me in losing one of her Final Four teams (Villanova) and based on a couple other losses, she has informed me that she is definitely thinking of seeking other bracketology counsel next year.
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