The Tournament That Wasn't

[PointGuard]

South Region—Round 2 (part 2 of 2)

#3 seed Oregon Ducks (25-7) vs #6 St. Mary’s Gaels (27-8)

During the early portion of the first half both teams had found it tough to score and the game was close. But midway through the half, Oregon had begun scoring and led 25-12. But then St. Mary’s caught fire and led by PF Jabari Edwards, the Gaels took a 31-27 lead with 2:30 remaining. When the half ended, St. Mary’s was ahead 40-33, primarily because they dominated the boards 24-14. PF Jabiri Edwards had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks for the Gaels. SG Travis Murray, PF Clarence Crosby and PF Martin Rencher each had scored 7 points for Oregon.

St. Mary’s held Oregon scoreless for the first 4 minutes of the 2nd half and led 45-33 at that point. The Gaels lead expanded to as much as 16 points, but the Ducks fought back and with 3-1/2 minutes left in the game had cut the lead to 63-55. With 1-1/2 minutes to go, Oregon was down by 7 points. But that was as close as the Ducks got as St. Mary’s held them off for a minor upset victory. Both teams hit just 38% of their shots, but the Gaels held a 39-33 rebounding advantage and scored 10 more points on free throws that did Oregon.

St. Mary’s-71 (PF Jabari Edwards-24 pts, 9 reb, 2 steals, 3 blocks; C Terrell Call-11 pts, 8 reb; SF Brad Amaker-10 pts, 9 reb, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks)
Oregon-62 (SG Travis Murray-15 pts; C Fred Andersen-10 pts, 10 reb, PF Clarence Crosby-9 pts, 4 reb, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 block)

“Defense by both teams predominated throughout the entire game. During the middle 20 minutes of the game, we played very well and that was enough to get by Oregon. We’re stoked to be going to the Sweet 16,” said St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett.

#4 Maryland Terrapins (25-7) vs #5 Brigham Young Cougars (25-8)

The Terrapins hit their shots early in the game to maintain a small lead but midway through the first half BYU edged ahead. At the end of the half the Cougars had a 45-40 advantage even though team stats were very similar between the two teams. BYU’s PF Ben Bryant scored 9 points and reserve C Dylan Thelmon had 8 points and 6 rebounds. SG Zack Hayes dropped in 13 points for Maryland.

Maryland scored the first 5 points of the 2nd half to tie the game, but then BYU opened a 5-10 point lead. The Terrapins whittled the lead down and overtook BYU at 68-67 with 9-1/2 minutes remaining. Maryland went ahead by 5 points at which point the Cougars came back to go ahead 76-64 with 4 minutes to go. Maryland’s SF Danya Nathaniel sunk 2 free throws to tie the game 30 seconds later. BYU scored 5 straight points in the next 90 seconds. With a minute to play, PF Dusty Barnes of Maryland scored on a dunk to cut the Cougars’ lead to 81-79. The Cougars threw the ball away on their next possession. The Terrapins worked the ball around and with 34 seconds on the clock SG Zack Hayes stuck a 15 foot jumper to tied the game. BYU’s PG Jeremy Cross got open and hit a 12 foot jumper to put the Cougars back on top by 2 points with 22 seconds left. Trying to rush their offense, Maryland was called for travelling. The Terrapins pressed to try to steal but SG Robbie Songaila found PF Ben Bryant open and he drove for an easy layup with 5 seconds to go to ice the game. The team stats were closer (if that’s possible) than the score. There were 17 lead changes and 11 ties during the game. The single area where BYU had a distinct advantage (26-10) was points in the paint.

Brigham Young-85 (SG Robbie Songaila-15 pts, 5 reb; PG Jeremy Cross-14 pts, 5 assists; SF Mike Johnson-14 pts; PF Ben Bryant-11 pts; C Dylan Thelmon-8 pts, 10 reb)
Maryland-81 (SG Zack Hayes-22 pts, 7 reb; PF Dusty Barnes-12 pts; C Jon Asbury-9 pts, 6 reb)

“These two teams were so evenly matched that it’s a shame either had to lose. But I sure am glad we are advancing. Our guys were up to each of the many challenges Maryland presented,” said Mark Pope, head coach of Brigham Young.

[PointGuard]

South Region--Sweet 16

Iowa's upset of #1 seed Florida State was the biggest news coming from the South Regional. #2 seed Creighton took care of business, but #3 seed Oregon and #4 seed Maryland both were defeated. The BYU-Maryland game was close and exciting throughout and the victory up in the air until the final few seconds.

[PointGuard]

West Region—Round 2 (part 1 of 2)

#1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs (32-2) vs #8 seed Richmond Spiders (25-7)

Richmond led 3-2 but that was their last lead of the first half. After 4-1/2 minutes the Spiders trailed 9-3 and they gradually slipped further behind Gonzaga as the half progressed. With 8 minutes left in the half the Bulldogs were on top 34-17. Hitting 53% of their shots (compared to 43% for Richmond) and holding advantages in rebounding (20-13) and turnovers (7-2), the Zags built a commanding 53-32 lead at the end of the first half. SF Xavier Ward hit 5 of 8 FG attempts (including 4 of 6 from 3 point distance) to score 14 points for Gonzaga and teammate C Dave Bond had 9 points and 8 rebounds. Richmond’s SF Michael Garris scored 10 points.

Five minutes into the 2nd half, Gonzaga was ahead by 28 points. They then relaxed their defense which allowed the Spider to close the gap and with 5-1/2 minutes remaining the Bulldogs lead was down to 86-74. The Bulldogs continued to score almost at will but Richmond (aided by a barrage of fouls assessed against the Zags) trimmed the lead a little more but never were a threat. Gonzaga hit 55% of their shots and Richmond hit 52% of theirs. Both shot well from beyond the arc (62% for the Zags and 50% for the Spiders).

Gonzaga-101 (SF Xavier Ward-23 pts, 7 reb, 6 assists; C Dave Bond-13 pts, 11 reb, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks; SG Chris Hare-13 pts; PG Henry Chaney-12 pts, 5 assists; SF James Person-12 pts; PF Michael Frahm-10 pts)
Richmond-92 (SG Jason Paige-17 pts; PG Ross Love-14 pts, 8 assists; PF Brett Perkins-13 pts, 7 reb; SF Michael Garris-13 pts; C Chris Kelly-11 pts, 9 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks)

“Fortunately we built a big lead early because we simply fell asleep defensively in the last 15 minutes of the game. That’s totally inexcusable,” said Gonzaga’s head coach Mark Few.

#2 seed Baylor Bears (27-4) vs #7 seed Illinois Fighting Illini (22-10)

Both teams came out firing and hitting most of their shots. Baylor held the lead throughout most of the first half but Illinois kept close until the final few minutes when the Bears pulled away when their 2-3 finally stopped Illinois. That allowed Baylor to establish a 45-35 halftime lead. Baylor outshot the Fighting Illini 52% to 41% and also held a 19-14 rebounding advantage. SF Joe Bush tossed in 19 points while grabbing 5 rebounds. His counterpart of Illinois, SF Marcus Holmes hit for 17 points.

Illinois began the 2nd half with an 8-0 run that got them within 2 points of the Bears. But Baylor countered with an even more impressive run in which they scored 20 unanswered points to put them ahead 65-43 with 14-1/2 minutes left to play. The stunned Illini lost their fight and were never able to recover. Baylor rolled on to bludgeon Illinois. The Bears hit 47% of their FG attempts (and 14 of 30 3-point attempts) and controlled the boards 41-31.

Baylor-86 (SF Joe Bush-33 pts, 11 reb; SG Brian Butler-20 pts; PG Chris Neely-8 pts, 4 reb, 8 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks)
Illinois-65 (SF Marcus Holmes-24 pts, 8 reb, 1 steal, 4 blocks)

Baylor’s coach Scott Drew said, “Joe Bush had a tremendous game but our entire team played very well against a talented Illinois squad. We’ve put together two solid wins and I just hope we are peaking. My 2nd assistant, Alvin Brooks, has done a heckuva great job scouting out opponents which has allowed us to prepare and execute.”

[PointGuard]

West Region—Round 2 (part 2 of 2)

#3 seed Villanova Wildcats (25-7) vs #6 seed Houston Cougars (24-8)

Both teams scorched the net early with Villanova holding a small edge. As the half proceeded, the teams’ defenses began to tighten. The half ended with the Wildcats ahead 42-39, primarily due to Villanova holding a 20-11 rebounding advantage over Houston. SG Kevin Foreman scoring 12 points and SF Dave Hill adding 10 points for Villanova. The Cougars’ SG Roderick Inge topped all scorers with 13 points.

The Wildcats were hot coming out in the 2nd half and quickly forged a 54-43 lead. Too many turnovers by Houston allowed Villanova to expand their lead to 76-57 with 9-1/2 minutes remaining. The Cougars cut the lead to 13 with 5 minutes remaining but Villanova’s offense was just too potent. The Wildcats dominated the boards 39-21 and held a 16-9 turnover advantage.

Villanova-95 (C Jibran Shannon-27 pts, 12 reb, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block; SG Kevin Foreman-14 pts; SF Dave Hill-13 pts, PF Rob Dearborn-10 pts, 12 reb; SG Hector Fuller-11 pts in 11 minutes of play; PG Mike Goree-6 pts, 9 assists)
Houston-75 (SG Roderick Inge-21 pts; SF Michael Williamson-12 pts; PF Erik Thomas-12 pts

Jay Wright, Villanova’s coach said, “We played a second really strong tournament game, and Jibran (Shannon) dominated inside. Baylor’s gonna be a big challenge for us in the Sweet 16, though.”

#4 seed Michigan State Spartans (23-9) vs #12 seed Wright State Raiders (26-7)

Michigan State came into this game as a prohibitive favorite. Could Wright State pull off another upset?

Falling behind 7-0, it took 5 minutes for Wright State to score. They closed to within 2 at 12-10 before Michigan State again pulled away. After trailing by as much as 9 points, the Raiders again got back into he game, trailing 30-29 with 5:26 left in the half. But the Spartans dominated in the final 5 minutes of the half and finished with a 45-35 lead. Michigan State outshot the Raiders 57% to 42% and held a 22-10 rebounding advantage. SG Jason Bogans drilled in 16 points for the Spartans. Wright State was led by PG Kenny Barrett’s 10 points.

Wright State battled back in the 2nd half and with 13:21 took their first lead of the game at 56-55 when PG Jared Platts kissed in a shot off the glass. The game was razor close for the next 6 minutes with several lead changes. But then the Raiders hit back-to-back 3’s to jump ahead 77-70 with 5:45 on the clock. With the crowd going wild Wright State increased their lead to 12 points with 2-1/2 minutes remaining. Michigan State fought back to cut the lead to 85-81 with 1:22 to go. But Wright State would bend no further and Cinderella’s dance continued. Michigan State outshot the Raiders 53% to 50% and controlled the boards 37-28. But Wright State had just 5 turnovers while forcing the Spartans to turn the ball over 15 times. The Raiders also hit 13 of 28 of the 3P attempts.

Wright State-91 (PG Kenny Barrett-21 pts, 5 assists; SG Kendric Pugh-17 pts, 8 reb, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block; C Marco Russell-12 pts, SF Pete Webster-10 pts)
Michigan State-83 (SG Jason Bogans-21 pts; PF Mike Grant-19 pts, 5 reb; C Linton Bellamy-10 pts, 8 reb; PF Chris Harrington-9 pts, 6 reb, 5 blocks)

“We kept trying to catch up in the first half, but Michigan State continually turned us away. But our guys never thought they were out of this game and proved it in the 2nd half. Our guys chipped away for the first 7 minutes of the game until they finally grabbed a single point lead and then battled the Spartans for the lead for 6 minutes before finally slamming the door on them in the final 7 minutes. We got just a tremendous effort from our entire team. All 11 players scored and had at least one rebound and 10 of them had at least one assist. Incredible!”

[PointGuard]

West Region--Sweet 16

The top of the bracket in the West Region took care of business in Round 2 to reach the Sweet 16. #1 seed Gonzaga, #2 seed Baylor, and #3 seed Villanova all won their 2nd round games...and generally with ease. But #4 seed Michigan State was upset the the real Cinderella of this tournament, Wright State. The plucky Raiders looked in the first half like they woudn't be able to post another upset victory, but then ground out a tremendous upset of the mighty Spartans.

[PointGuard]

Top Individual performances during Round 2:

SF Joe Bush, Baylor-33 points, 11 rebounds
SF Louis McClendon, Northern Iowa-31 pts
SF Gene Barnes, Louisville-30 points, 10 rebounds
C Richard Williams, Kansas—28 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks
C Jibran Shannon, Villanova-27 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
PF Jabari Edwards, St. Mary’s-24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocks
SF Marcus Holmes, Illinois-24 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 blocks
SF Xavier Ward, Gonzaga-23 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists
SG Jason Mason, Virginia-24 points
SG Gerrod Wood, Creighton-22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks
SG Zack Hayes, Maryland-22 points, 7 rebounds
C Kevin Hansen, Cincinnati-21 points, 10 rebounds, 1 game-winning block
SF Pat Hawkins, Auburn-21 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 blocks
PG Kenny Barrett, Wright State-21 points, 5 assists
SG Jason Bogans, Michigan State-21 points
PF David Warley, Creighton-20 points, 4 blocks
SG Brian Butler, Baylor-20 points
PG Darius Howell, Louisville-19 points, 6 assists
SG Kendric Pugh, Wright State-17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
PF Rick Blizzard, Duke-17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks
PF Mike Hollins, Kentucky-16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks
PF Andre Howe, Iowa-16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks
SG Marcus Cox, Iowa-15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
PG Ross Love, Richmond-14 points, 8 assists
C Dave Bond, Gonzaga-13 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
C Chris Kelly, Richmond-11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
PF Rob Dearborn, Villanova-10 points, 12 rebounds
C Fred Andersen, Oregon-10 points, 10 rebounds
PG Chris Neely, Baylor-8 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
PG Mike Goree, Villanova-6 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists

Top Individual Performers thru the first 2 rounds:

SF Joe Bush, Baylor: 24.5 ppg, 12.0 rpg
SG Zack Hayes, Maryland: 24.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 spg, 2.0 bpg
C Richard Williams, Kansas: 23.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.5 spg, 4.0 bpg
C Jibran Shannon, Villanova: 22.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.5 apg
SF Marcus Holmes, Illinois: 22.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg
SF Xavier Ward, Gonzaga: 22.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.5 spg
SF Gene Barnes, Louisville: 19.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg
PF Jabari Edwards, St. Mary’s: 19.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg
SG Jonathan Jefferson, Dayton: 19.0 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.0 spg
PF Mike Hollins, Kentucky: 18.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 2.5 bpg
PG Kenny Barrett, Wright State: 18.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.5 bpg

Individual Stat Leaders thru the first 2 rounds:

Most Points: Joe Bush, Baylor and Zack Hayes, Maryland-49
Most FGM: Joe Bush, Baylor-20
Most 3PM: Roderick Inge, Houston-10
Most FTM: Mike Hollins, Kentucky and Marcus Cox, Iowa-18
Most Rebounds: Devon Emery, Ohio State; Pat Riggs, St. Louis; and Joe Bush, Baylor-24
Most Assists: Jeffrey Gardiner, Duke-17
Most Steals: Jeff Gordon, Arizona-8
Most Blocks: Andre Sampson, Arizona and Roy Battier, Michigan-9

[PointGuard]

Here’s the Sweet 16!

Midwest Region
#1 seed Kansas vs #5 seed Wisconsin
#2 seed San Diego State vs #3 seed Duke

East Region
#4 seed Louisville vs #9 seed Cincinnati
#2 seed Kentucky vs #6 seed Ohio State

South Region
#5 seed Brigham Young vs #8 seed Iowa
#2 seed Creighton vs #6 seed St. Mary’s

West Region
#1 seed Gonzaga vs #12 seed Wright State
#2 seed Baylor vs #3 seed Villanova

[PointGuard]

Midwest Region—Sweet 16

#1 seed Kansas Jayhawks (30-3) vs #5 seed Wisconsin Badgers (23-10)

Wisconsin turned the ball over 7 times in the first 8 minutes of play and Kansas took advantage to gain a 15-9 lead. With 7 minutes to play in the first half, PF Jon Stanton knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Badgers on top 20-19. The game remained close until the final few minutes of the half with Kansas carving out a 37-32 halftime lead. Wisconsin bettered the Jayhawks in shooting percentage and 3 point scoring, but Kansas held a 13-9 turnover advantage plus the Jayhawks scored 17 points on 18 FT attempts. C Richard Williams scored 13 and hauled down 5 rebounds for Kansas. Reserve PF Michael Minor scored 9 to lead Wisconsin.

Kansas padded their lead early in the 2nd half to go up by 9 points but Wisconsin tightened the game, trailing 45-44 with 14-1/2 minutes remaining. While the game continued to be extremely close, the Jayhawks held a very small lead most of the rest of the game. Kansas went on to win a squeaker where their defense kept Wisconsin from getting a clear shot on their last possession and forcing them to put up a tightly-contested 18 foot jumper that was off target. The Badgers hit 44% of their shots while Kansas only dropped in 36% of theirs. But the Jayhawks got to the line 10 more times and scored 11 more points at the line which was a big difference between the two teams.

Kansas-71 (C Richard Williams-18 pts, 10 reb; PF Antone Gosley-12 pts, 5 reb)
Wisconsin-69 (PG Marques Tucker-19 pts; C Kyle Grady-12 pts; SG Travis Grady-10 pts, 6 reb, 5 assists)

“The final 15 minutes were exceptionally close. Wisconsin really played tough. But our front line worked the boards so well and Richard Williams buoyed our offense,” said coach Bill Self of Kansas.

#2 seed San Diego State Aztecs (32-2) vs #3 seed Duke Blue Demons (27-6)

Even though San Diego State is a higher seed, this game feels like a David vs Goliath scenario. And the question is: does David have the right stone to knock off Goliath?

Three minutes into the game, the Aztecs were up 7-2 but already had one of their starters, PF Tarise Johnson, on the bench with 2 fouls. A minute later though San Diego State had a 12-4 lead. With 12 minutes to go in the half, the Aztecs had hit 5 of 9 three-point shots and increased their lead to 22-9. Duke called a time out and scored the next 5 points. With 7 minutes remaining, San Diego State sunk their 8th 3-pointer out of 12 attempts and went up 32-16. Even though the Aztecs missed their final 4 attempts from beyond the arc, they gamely held on to come away with a 42-27 lead over Duke at the break. Duke only hit 31% of their shots (and 20% of their 3P attempts), was out-rebounded by San Diego State 22-18 and turned the ball over 7 times compared to 3 by the Aztecs. SG Isaac Haston and C Corey Porter both scored 10 points for San Diego State with PG Jarvis Brown adding 9 points to go along with his 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Dukes’ PF Rick Blizzard had 10 points and 4 rebounds.

Duke continually edged down the lead a little only to have San Diego State regain what they’d lost, and with 5 minutes left in the game the Aztecs’ lead had ballooned to 72-50. When the buzzer sounded not only had David felled Goliath but the Aztecs had totally annihilated the Blue Demons. San Diego State’s domination included their sinking 13 of 29 three-pointers, completely controlling the boards to the tune of 43-25 and holding a 14-9 turnover advantage.

San Diego State-82 (C Corey Porter-18 pts, 10 reb; PG Jarvis Brown-15 pts, 4 reb, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks; SG Isaac Haston-12 pts, 1 steal, 3 blocks; SF Jay Cobb-12 pts, 5 reb)
Duke-59 (PF Rick Blizzard-18 pts, 11 reb, 2 steals, 4 blocks)

“Rick Blizzard played great, but the rest of our team was just flat. But you have to credit San Diego State for coming in with a great game plan and executing it very well,” said Mike Krzyzewski, coach of Duke.

San Diego State’s coach Brian Dutcher said, “I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t worried coming into this game, but our team played outstanding defense and got the job done offensively from outside plus Corey (Porter) took care of things inside.”

Midwest Regional--Elite 8

[PointGuard]

East Region--Sweet 16

[Interesting fact: Two of the schools left in the East Region are north of the Ohio River and two are south of the Ohio River and all four (Lexington, Columbus, Cincinnati and Louisville) are located within a triangle with sides of 155 miles, 190 miles, and 70 miles. Even though they are that close together, all four represent different conferences (ACC, Big 10, AAC, and Southeastern.]

#4 seed Louisville Cardinals (26-7) vs #9 seed Cincinnati Bearcats (22-10)

Cincinnati got out to an 11-3 lead. But the Cardinals then shut down the Bearcats’ offense which allowed Louisville to go on an 11-0 run. Cincinnati finished the half with a 30-21 lead. Defense was the name of the game in the first half. The Bearcats hit 30% of their shots while Louisville could only connect on 25% of theirs. Cincinnati had 12 turnovers while the Cardinals had 6. SF Gene Barnes had 9 pints, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks for Louisville. Cincinnati’s C Kevin Hansen had 7 points, 5 rebounds, an assist, one steal, and 2 blocks.

Cincinnati came out playing aggressively and with 9 minutes left, led by the scoring of SG Jon Cravens, the Bearcats took the lead at 47-45. Cincinnati had destroyed the defense that Louisville had used so well in the first half. The Bearcats went up by 5 with 3-1/2 minutes remaining and then by 10 at 69-59 with a minute to play. Cincinnati won their 3rd straight game over higher seeded opponents. After a horrible shooting first half the Bearcats shot so well in the 2nd half that their shooting percentage for the entire game rose to 46%. Cincinnati controlled the boards 38-30 but Louisville held a 19-15 edge on turnovers.

Cincinnati-71 (SG Jon Cravens-20 pts, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks; C Kevin Hansen-13 pts, 12 reb, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks; PF Darrell Harris-13 pts)
Louisville-59 (SF Gene Barnes-17 pts, 7 reb, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks)

Cincinnati’s coach John Brannen said, “During halftime our guys banded together and were determined to come back. We made some adjustments that worked to free up players offensively and our guys simply clamped down defensively. Making the Elite 8 is a testament to the grit of our players. Even though we’re considered underdogs each tame, our guys just go out and do what’s necessary to win.”

#2 seed Kentucky Wildcats (27-6) vs #6 seed Ohio State Buckeyes (22-11)

Thus far in the tournament Kentucky has two players who are providing great inside/outside scoring. PF Mike Hollins is averaging 18.5 ppg and SG Tim Woodley has averaged 17.0 ppg. Hollins is also averaging 11.0 rpg. Ohio State has 3 players averaging in double figures: SG Drew Searcy with 16.5 ppg, PG Speedy Costello at 12.5 ppg, and PF Devon Emery with 10.0 ppg. Emery has been the team’s leading rebounder with 12.0 rpg.

Kentucky had early foul problems with 5 team fouls in the first 5 minutes, including 2 on SG Tim Woodley that sent him to the bench. Ohio State led 11-7 at that point, scoring 6 of their points on free throws. The Buckeyes had only been assessed with one foul, so Kentucky hadn’t yet been to the charity line. Coach Calipari of Kentucky was working the refs hard. But the Wildcats made up for it by hitting 5 of their first 8 shots including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc to move ahead 13-11 with 12-1/2 minutes remaining in the half. With 5-1/2 minutes left Kentucky, led by PF Mike Hollins, moved out to a 23-15 advantage. Ohio State fought back to reduce the difference to 4 points only to have Kentucky finish the half strongly and take a 33-23 lead to the locker room. Kentucky hit 44% of their first half shots while holding the Buckeyes shooting down to just 27% and also forcing Ohio State to turn the ball over 10 times. The Wildcats’ PF Mike Hollins finished the first 20 minutes with 9 points and 7 rebounds. SG Drew Searcy was the leading scorer for Ohio State with 6 points, but PF Devon Emery had 7 rebounds. Both SG Tim Woodley and C Markell Hedde of Kentucky were saddled with 3 fouls apiece, so that meant the Wildcats would start the 2nd half with subs at those positions.

Ohio State struck early and hard, hitting 3’s on their first 4 possessions of the 2nd half to pull ahead 35-34 after just 2 minutes of play. Kentucky then clamped down defensively to go on an 11-0 run over the next 5 minutes giving the Wildcats a 45-35 lead…and the Buckeyes went without a FG for another 2 minutes, attesting to the pressure being applied by Kentucky. With 8-1/2 minutes remaining in the game Kentucky was on top 58-39 and Ohio State’s shooting for the game had plummeted to a dismal 31% while their turnovers had increased to 17. What little scoring the Buckeyes were able to do was at the free throw line. The Wildcats’ lead grew to 64-44 with 6 minutes to go at which point Kentucky’s win was assured. When the game concluded Kentucky had outshot Ohio State 45% to 32% (although the Buckeyes did hit 44% of their 3-point attempts) and had commanded the boards 40-28.

Kentucky-79 (PF Mike Hollins-23 pts, 15 reb, 2 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks; PG J.J. Fischer-13 pts; SF/PF Dennis Mickens-11 pts, 6 reb)
Ohio State-57 (SG Drew Searcy-14 pts; SF Angelo Nelson-13 pts)

“They poked us in the eye with all those 3’s at the beginning of the 2nd half. But like being stung by a bee, it only made our guys mad, and they responded with some of the best defense we’ve played all season,” said coach John Calipari of Kentucky.

Chris Holtmann, coach of the Buckeyes said, “We flat out got a butt-kicking. Kentucky is one helluva team. For most of the 2nd half we couldn’t get off a shot and even when we did it seemed there was a hand in our face so the shot wouldn’t drop.”

John Brannen, Cincinnati’s head coach, who was in the stands was seen stroking his chin and overheard to murmur, “We have to get busy right away figuring out how to beat the Wildcats’ defense.”

East Region—Elite 8

[The East Region final comes down to two teams separated by a distance of 73 miles.]

[PointGuard]

South Region—Sweet 16

[This could be renamed the I-80 Region since all 4 teams are located on or very near Interstate 80 but span a distance of nearly 2000 miles along that freeway.]

#5 seed Brigham Young Cougars (26-8) vs #8 Iowa Hawkeyes (22-11)

Brigham Young has 4 players averaging in double figures…PG Jeremy Cross at 16.0 ppg (he also has 5.0 apg); SG Robbie Songaila at 15.5 ppg; PF Ben Bryant at 13.5 ppg; and SF Mike Johnson at 11.5 ppg. Iowa matches that with SG Marcus Cox with 14.0 ppg, PF Andre Howe with 13.0 ppg, C Williams Murray at 12.5 ppg, and SF Tom Cox at 11.0 ppg.

Iowa stormed out to a 20-5 lead with 14 minutes still to go in the first half with C Williams Murray accounting for 9 of their 20 points. With 6:46 to play, the Hawkeyes were still stomping the Cougars at 35-14. BYU began scoring at that point but with Iowa still hitting their shots could only narrow the lead at the break to 50-33. Whereas the Cougars his just 38% of their shots, Iowa knocked down 47% of their and more importantly had a 10-2 turnover advantage. SF Tom Scott and C Williams Murray both had 12 points for the Hawkeyes. Topping the scoring for Brigham Young was PF Ben Bryant with 8 points.

BYU scored 8 of the first 11 points in the 2nd half to cut the lead to 12 points, but Iowa stopped the run and regained a big lead. The Cougars fell behind by as much as 20 points in the 2nd half and never mounted a serious challenge as Iowa advanced with ease. Iowa outshot BYU 41% to 38%. The Cougars held a big rebounding advantage though…45-34. But the Hawkeyes forced BYU to make 22 turnovers while Iowa made just 9 of their own.

Iowa-86 (C Williams Murray-16 pts; PF Andre Howe-14 pts, 13 reb; SF Tom Scott-13 pts; PF Eddy Bailey-11 pts)
Brigham Young-72 (SF Mike Johnson-15 pts; PF Ben Bryant-12 pts, 5 reb; SG Robbie Songaila-8 pts, 11 reb; C Terry Day-8 pts, 10 reb)

“Andre Howe was just so solid today. But our entire team put together a great game. I’m liking our underdog role,” said Iowa’s coach Fran McCaffery.

#2 seed Creighton Bluejays (26-7) vs #6 St. Mary’s Gaels (28-8)

Creighton’s SG Gerrod Ward is averaging 19.0 ppg, PF David Whaley has hit for 18.0 ppg and pulled down 6.5 rpg, SF Andry Amaya has notched 13.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg, and C Stephen Huss is averaging 12.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg. St. Mary’s is anchored by their big men: PF Jabari Edwards has scored 19.0 ppg and grabbed 10.5 rpg, C Mike Johnson is averaging 11.0 ppg, and SF Brad Amaker has averaged 8.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg.

The Gaels took 7-2 and 10-5 leads but with 14-1/2 minutes left in the half, SG Gerrod Ward’s 3 made it 17-15 in favor of Creighton. Not more than 2 points separated the two teams for the next 6 minutes at which point Creighton took a 27-23 lead. The two teams stayed extremely close until Creighton finished the half with a 9-0 run that gave the Bluejays a 41-33 halftime advantage. Creighton outshot the Gaels 45% to 40% and held a 10-5 turnover advantage. The Bluejays’ SG Gerrod Ward had 10 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals. PF Jabari Edwards hit for 9 points for St. Mary’s.

Creighton continued to pull away in the 2nd half and with 12 minutes left in the game the Bluejays were ahead 58-38. The Gaels closed to within 11 points but could get no closer as Creighton powered their way to another victory. The big difference in the team stats was a 22-13 advantage for the Bluejays in turnovers.

Creighton-79 (SG Gerrod Ward-23 pts, 3 assists, 4 steals, 1 block; PF David Whaley-19 pts; C Stephen Huss-9 pts, 13 reb)
St. Mary’s-59 (PF Jabari Edwards-13 pts, 6 reb, 3 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks)

Greg McDermott, coach of Creighton said, “We’ve had a great season and our guys are showing why. Gerrod (Ward) and David (Whaley) carried us offensively. Although not impressive, our defense was solid, particularly early in the 2nd half which allowed us to finally pull away from St. Mary’s. But Iowa seems to be peaking so we will need to play our best.”

South Region—Elite 8

[Creighton continues to impress and Iowa continues to surprise. The South Region will have two teams from the center of the country playing each other to see who gets into the Final Four.]