The beginning of the Candy 16 wasn’t so candy for groups west of Texas.
Possibly on Friday night time, Gonzaga can salvage issues a bit for the Mountain and Pacific time zones, however Thursday was tough for Arizona and San Diego State.
Gone are the desires of the Wildcats having home-state benefit within the Closing 4 after getting unexpectedly ousted by Clemson. And sayonara to SDSU’s quest to make it again to the Closing 4 for a second straight 12 months after the Aztecs had been drilled by reigning champion Connecticut.
Within the latter video games, Alabama shocked No. 1 North Carolina and Illinois clipped Iowa State in a pair of gems that got here proper all the way down to the wire.
Learn on for the complete checklist of winners and losers from Thursday night time’s motion.
For a lot of the previous three months, there was nothing elite about Clemson.
In what was regarded by most as a down 12 months for the ACC, the Tigers entered the NCAA event having misplaced 10 of their final 20 video games. There was a mighty spectacular street win over North Carolina in the course of that run, however there have been additionally six losses to groups who didn’t make the dance, a number of of them in blowout style, together with the 21-point loss to Boston Faculty within the ACC event.
They seemed primed for a direct loss to New Mexico.
After blowing by the Lobos, the expectation was that the Tigers would lose to Baylor.
And regardless of these two spectacular victories, they weren’t given a lot of an opportunity Thursday night time towards Arizona in Los Angeles.
Nonetheless, Clemson pulled off one more upset and is headed to the Elite Eight for the primary time since 1980 and simply the second time in program historical past.
It was a Hunter and a “Chef” main the best way for the hungry Tigers.
Chase Hunter was the highest scorer, going for 18 factors, seven rebounds and 5 assists. A kind of assists got here on a fantastically drawn up inbounds go to a reducing PJ Corridor for a dunk to place Clemson up by 5 with a little bit over a minute remaining in regulation. And three of the factors got here on an and-one drive on the next possession to roughly ice the sport.
However the chef’s hats within the stands had been there for glue man extraordinaire Ian Schieffelin, who did his common stat-sheet-stuffing factor, ending with 14 factors, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. It was when he banked in a 3 from the highest of the important thing halfway via the second half that it actually began to really feel like Clemson was going to win the sport.
Massive man Oumar Ballo did every little thing he may to maintain Arizona within the recreation. Certain, he missed six of his seven free-throw makes an attempt, however he went for 15 factors and 15 rebounds, each actually and figuratively large in preserving Clemson from blowing the sport vast open within the first half.
Ballo bought just about no assist from his beginning guards, although.
All season lengthy, that was the massive query for the Wildcats: Would Caleb Love and/or Kylan Boswell present up?
The previous was some of the well-known Jekyll and Hyde kind gamers within the nation, liable to simply eclipse 20 factors when he is feeling it, however simply as liable to fireplace up 20 photographs even when he is not—and to take possessions off on protection to make issues even worse. However the latter was truly the larger catalyst for Arizona’s success, because the Wildcats entered the night time 23-1 when Boswell posts an O-rating of 76 or higher—which is not asking a lot, to be clear.
Properly, Arizona bought the unhealthy variations of each of its main guards.
Boswell made Arizona’s first shot of the night time and did not rating once more. He went 1-for-6 from the sphere with only one help. He did at the very least have two steals and no turnovers, however he was mainly a ghost.
Love, however, was very seen, and for all of the mistaken causes. At halftime, he had two made buckets, two air balls (at the very least) and three turnovers. He completed 5-for-18 from the sphere and a brutal 0-for-9 from three-point vary. And whereas not an official stat, he definitely led the sport in defensive possessions spent simply sort of standing there.
All advised, within the constructing the place Kobe Bryant as soon as shot 6-for-24 from the sphere within the means of being named the 2010 NBA Finals MVP, Boswell and Love shot a mixed 6-for-24 from the sphere whereas steering Arizona to one more embarrassingly early exit from the NCAA event.
Whereas Caleb Love and Kylan Boswell had been leaving Arizona up a creek with no paddle in Los Angeles, Connecticut’s main guards had themselves one heck of an evening in Boston.
Cam Spencer has by no means been missing for confidence, however he had loads of it within the first half towards San Diego State, scoring 16 of Connecticut’s first 40 factors. When the Aztecs threatened to make issues mighty attention-grabbing heading into the intermission, Spencer scored the Huskies’ ultimate seven factors, together with a dagger triple that sort of extinguished the hopes of an upset.
Tristen Newton was additionally huge within the first half, perhaps most notably on the offensive glass, the place the purpose guard had 4 rebounds. He additionally had 9 factors, three assists and a steal earlier than the break, ending the night time with 17 factors, albeit on 14 photographs.
The largest star, although, was freshman Stephon Fort, who certain picked a neat time for the primary double-double of his school profession.
Fort solely had 5 factors and 4 rebounds at halftime, however his fingerprints had been throughout UConn turning a nine-point lead right into a 30-point blowout within the second half. He completed the night time with 16 factors and 11 boards, doing most of his injury both proper on the rim or from the free-throw line.
The trio darn close to outscored San Diego State by itself, going for 51 factors to the Aztecs’ 52. Spencer, Newton and Fort additionally mixed for 23 rebounds and 9 assists. SDSU went for 29 and 9, respectively.
It was simply a type of nights the place UConn felt like a cheat code. No likelihood you are beating this crew when these guards are doing that to what was one of many higher defenses within the nation this season.
In program historical past, San Diego State has earned a No. 5 seed or higher within the NCAA event 4 instances. (5 if you wish to depend the 2020 event, when the Aztecs had been 30-2 and headed for no worse than a No. 2 seed when the world shut down.)
Sadly, in three of these 4 years, they’ve run right into a Connecticut-shaped buzzsaw.
The 2011 Kawhi Leonard-led Aztecs had been no match for Kemba Walker’s historic run. He went for 36 in UConn’s 74-67 run in that Candy 16 showdown.
One of many others, after all, was final 12 months’s nationwide championship, which the Huskies received by a 17-point margin. Tristen Newton racked up 19 factors, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in that victory.
And on Thursday night time, UConn improved to 3-0 all-time towards SDSU within the NCAA event, in blowout style as soon as once more.
Aztecs huge man Jaedon LeDee had an superior first half, going for 15 factors whereas utterly neutralizing Donovan Clingan (two factors, two fouls). However the Huskies shut him down within the second half whereas blowing the sport vast open. Newton (17 factors, seven rebound, 4 assists) will perpetually hang-out the desires of SDSU followers, however Cam Spencer and Stephon Fort had been equally large within the 30-point win.
The 12 months SDSU earned a No. 5 seed or higher and did not run into UConn? That was in 2014, when the Aztecs bought a No. 4 seed and misplaced to Arizona within the Candy 16. However had they been capable of win just a few extra video games, they’d’ve finally needed to tangle with UConn, because the Huskies received all of it that 12 months, too.
If and when Connecticut goes on to win all of it subsequent Monday, any individual please remind me the subsequent time San Diego State will get an awesome seed within the dance that Connecticut is batting 1.000 at profitable titles when that occurs.
The place would Alabama be proper now with out the switch portal?
Mark Sears got here to Nate Oats from Ohio. Nick Pringle began out at Wofford. Aaron Estrada went from Saint Peter’s to Oregon to Hofstra earlier than touchdown with the Crimson Tide. And earlier than dominating Alabama’s Candy 16 victory over No. 1 seed North Carolina, Grant Nelson spent three seasons at North Dakota State.
Suffice it to say, he by no means performed in a recreation with the Bison as huge as this one towards the Tar Heels. However after going for a grand whole of six factors, two rebounds and two blocks in Alabama’s first two event victories over Charleston and Grand Canyon, he went off for twenty-four factors, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Nelson scored 15 of these 24 factors and tallied three of these 5 blocks within the ultimate seven minutes and a few change, nearly single-handedly carrying the Crimson Tide to victory. They had been down 72-67 when he began to take over, they usually outscored the Heels 22-15 the remainder of the best way.
It was Nelson’s block with 25 seconds remaining and his shot contest on RJ Davis with about 10 seconds to go that resulted in a UNC shot-clock violation. It was Nelson’s subsequent clutch free throws that put Alabama again forward by two possessions. And when Nelson missed two free throws with a second remaining, he rose up for one ultimate block of Harrison Ingram’s tried full-court heave.
The 24 factors matched a season excessive set within the opener towards Morehead State.
We’ll see if he saved any extra magic for the Elite Eight matchup with Clemson.
By the point UNC-Alabama tipped off, we already knew the ‘Caleb Love Bowl’ wasn’t going to be taking place.
The Tar Heels nonetheless had unfinished enterprise, although, even when it not concerned an Elite Eight showdown with a former teammate.
After lacking the 2023 NCAA event one 12 months after coming so near profitable all of it, Armando Bacot and RJ Davis got here again for yet another shot at glory; yet another attempt to win the title that eluded their grasp in 2022. And as soon as Arizona was bounced, the trail seemed a lot simpler: Simply beat an Alabama crew that hadn’t been capable of beat high quality opponents all season lengthy after which maintain enterprise towards ACC rival Clemson.
Early on, it seemed like they may deal with that.
The Tar Heels led 54-46 at halftime and—save for RJ Davis—seemingly could not miss. They had been 10-for-16 from distance, with even Elliot Cadeau hitting a pair regardless of coming into the sport at 8-for-48 for the season.
Within the second half, although, all they may do was miss, going 2-for-16 from downtown whereas squandering that lead.
Worst of all was RJ Davis, going 0-for-9 from three-point vary for the sport, simply hours after Love did the identical.
Davis at the very least nonetheless scored 16 factors and had seven assists, doing his greatest to battle via a poor taking pictures night time whereas making an attempt to keep away from changing into the rationale UNC misplaced the sport, but it surely wasn’t sufficient. When the remainder of the three-point choices went chilly and Davis was unable to choose up the slack, the sport progressively slipped via their fingers like sand via an hourglass.
In Thursday’s nightcap, it was the nation’s No. 1 offense (Illinois) towards the nation’s No. 1 protection (Iowa State).
And, for probably the most half, protection was the secret in a 72-69 contest that was a pal of the below bettors.
There have been a mixed whole of 19 steals, and the groups shot a mixed 40.9 % from the sphere after they weren’t succumbing to the relentless strain and physicality on each ends of the ground.
There have been two main exceptions to the rule, although, as Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. and Iowa State’s Curtis Jones had fairly the person battle.
As Illinois raced out to a 36-26 halftime lead, Shannon was the star with 16 factors. However whereas Milan Momcilovic and Keshon Gilbert shot a mixed 0-for-8 from the sphere for the Cyclones in these first 20 minutes, Jones got here off the bench for 13 of their factors, preserving them inside putting distance.
The duo mainly doubled down within the second half, as nicely, every scoring 13 extra factors to complete at 29 and 26, respectively.
That is enterprise as common for Shannon, who was averaging 31.6 PPG because the begin of the Massive Ten event, but it surely was a season-high for Jones, who got here off the bench for all however one recreation.
Each time Iowa State bought it again to inside one possession, it gave the impression to be Jones’ doing. Nonetheless, he simply couldn’t fairly get the Cyclones over the hump, because the Illini led for your entire recreation. And, naturally, it was Shannon sealing the cope with a steal, a breakaway dunk and a pair of game-ending free throws within the closing second.
Now, Illinois will go from the age-old “unstoppable pressure vs. immovable object” debate to only a good old style battle between two unstoppable forces when it clashes with Connecticut in a matchup of the 2 best offenses within the nation.