NCAA Tournament: Recapping Friday’s Sweet 16 Matchups
By Josh Peelman
The NCAA Tournament is well underway and the last four matchups of the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 are complete. Inside the Loud House gives you quick recaps on each Sweet 16 game played Friday, and who’s next for the winners in the NCAA Tournament.
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The NCAA Tournament had four Sweet 16 games on Thursday, with the winners being 3-seed Oregon, 1-seed Gonzaga, 1-seed Kansas, and 11-seed Xavier, according to CBSSports.com. The NCAA Tournament continued with the last four Sweet 16 games on Friday. As mentioned in my Inside The Loud House article yesterday, the top seeds mostly held on to win on Thursday. That was the case (barely, thanks Florida) on Friday.
If you’re just here to see who won, then here’s how things went down: 1-seed North Carolina, and 2-seed Kentucky won their games, and move onto the Elite 8. South Carolina, a 7-seed, and Florida, a 4-seed, will join them in the Elite 8, according CBSSports.com.
Matchup: 1) North Carolina vs. 4) Butler
Recap:
North Carolina put away the Butler Bulldogs early with a 5 minute stretch in the first half in which they went on a 12-0 run, according to ESPN.com. The score was 13-12 in favor of UNC with 15 minutes to play in the first half, and with 9:55 left in the half, it was 25-12. From there, the Tarheels would make the lead 16 by halftime. In the second half, the Bulldogs struggled to catch up. The Bulldogs finally got within 15 points with 10 minutes to go in the game, but the Tarheels consistent offense kept the Bulldogs from closing the gap the rest of the game. The final score of 92-80 was a good representation that the Tarheels pretty much dominated this contest, which they did in just about every fashion, on their way to an Elite 8 bid.
Key Players:
- UNC– Guard Joel Berry II had 26 points on 8 of 13 shooting, while Forward Justin Jackson had 24 points, five rebounds, and five assists, according to ESPN.com.
- Butler– Forward Andrew Chrabascz scored 21 points, nabbed seven rebounds, and four assists, according to SI.com. Guard Kamar Baldwin had 14 points, five rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
Who’s Next: North Carolina will face 2-seed Kentucky in the Elite 8, according CBSSports.com.
Matchup: 3) Baylor vs. 7) South Carolina
Recap:
Like UNC, South Carolina took an early lead and never looked back, gaining a 15 point edge at halftime, 37-22, according to ESPN.com. In the second half, the Gamecocks, led by Sindarius Thornwell, continued to crush Baylor, and widened the margin to 20. The Bears got within 13 points after a three by Manu Lecomte with 11:46 to play in the second half. However, they would not get any closer, as the Gamecocks would counter once again. The final margin of 20 points really shows how Baylor got trounced in this one. South Carolina showed how they clearly deserved their spot in the Elite 8.
Key Players:
- Baylor– Forward Johnathan Motley scored 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds, had one assist, and one block, according to ESPN.com.
- South Carolina– Guard Sindarius Thornwell led the way with 24 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals, according to SI.com.
Who’s Next: South Carolina will face 4-seed Florida in the Elite 8, according CBSSports.com.
Matchup: 2) Kentucky vs. 3) UCLA
Recap:
Kentucky and UCLA played a game of runs in the first half, ending in a three point lead for Kentucky at halftime, 36-33, according to ESPN.com. In the second half, UCLA would struggle to keep pace with Kentucky’s ability to score. They would stay within striking distance until about 10 minutes to play in the game. Slowly but surely after that, De’Aaron Fox took it upon himself to run the offense a bit more. On the night he finished with 39 points on 13 for 20 shooting. Lonzo Ball had an off night, only scoring 10 points on 4 for 10 shooting. Hence why UCLA struggled on offense. Ball did have 8 assists though. A few offensive spurts in that final stretch by Kentucky was enough to get them past the Bruins and into the Elite 8.
Key Players:
- Kentucky– De’Aaron Fox led the Wildcats in scoring with 39 points on 13 of 20 shooting while also nabbing three rebounds, four assists, and two steals, according to ESPN.com. Guard Malik Monk also chipped in 21 points, shooting 8 of 17 from the field and 4 of 9 from three.
- UCLA– Forward TJ Leaf scored 17 points, and also grabbed seven rebounds, according to SI.com. Guard Lonzo Ball also scored 10 points to pair with eight assists, and two blocks.
Who’s Next: Kentucky will face 1-seed North Carolina in the Elite 8, according CBSSports.com.
Matchup: 4) Florida vs. 8) Wisconsin
Recap:
Like the Kentucky-UCLA game that ended right before it, the game was neck and neck until halftime. In the second half, the Badgers, behind the play of Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ would continue to rally to catch up to a surging Gator’s team.
With 2:54 to play in the game, Zak Showalter would cut the lead to six after two made free throws, according to ESPN.com. The Gators though, would answer with a bucket of their own. Luckily for the Badgers, Bronson Koenig nailed a three pointer with 1:33 to play to cut the lead to five, keeping them in the game. The Gators would miss on the following possession, and the Badgers would make them pay with a layup by Ethan Happ. As a result, that shot would cut the lead to three with 44 seconds to play.
Florida, after calling a timeout, would turn the ball over, and Nigel Hayes would steal it. As a result, it gave the Badgers a chance to tie the game on the final possession. The Badgers, with eight seconds to play, came out of the timeout and quickly launched a Zak Showalter three, which rattled home to tie the game at 72 apiece with two seconds to play. As a result, the game would go to overtime.
Overtime:
In the extra period, Wisconsin did not waste the fresh start and even slate. They played solid defense and constantly threaded the lane, drawing fouls. With 2:26 left in OT, Ethan Happ’s layup put the Badgers up four.
The Gators would come back to tie the game at 81 apiece in the final minute. A foul by Justin Leon with four seconds left meant free throws for the Badgers. Nigel Hayes would hit both free throws to put the Badgers up 84-82. However, a last second three point shot by Chris Chiozza went in, making the score 84-83, advancing the Gators to the Elite 8.
Key Players:
- Florida– KeVaughn Allen led the Gators with 35 points on 11 for 24 shooting, as well as 9 of 10 from the line, according to ESPN.com
- Wisconsin– Forward Nigel Hayes led the way for the Badgers scoring 22 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the field, according to SI.com. Forward Ethan Happ also chipped in 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting, to go along with six rebounds, and four assists.
Who’s Next: Florida will face 7-seed South Carolina in the Elite 8, according CBSSports.com.
Next: Does ACC Showing in NCAA's Discount what ACC Did in 2016?
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