GREAT TEAMS TOURNAMENT

[PointGuard]

ROUND 1 RESULTS

Midwest Region

#8 Purdue Boilermakers (1994) vs #9 Iowa Hawkeyes (1987)

Purdue’s starters: PG Matt Waddell; SG Porter Roberts; SF Herb Dove; PF Glenn Robinson; C Brandon Brantley
Iowa’s starters: PG B.J. Armstrong; SG Kevin Gamble; SF Roy Marble; PF Ed Horton; C Brad Lohaus

Purdue slowly carved out a small lead but midway through the first half expanded it to double digits behind sharp shooting. Iowa then used some good shooting of their own in the final 7 minutes to close to within 41-39 at the end of the half. Both teams used a deep bench throughout the first half with reserves scoring 16 of Iowa’s points and Purdue’s subs scoring 18 points. Two of the Boilermakers’ starters were tagged with 3 fouls apiece in the first half.

Behind the scoring of Glenn Robinson Purdue scored 7 of the first 8 points in the 2nd half and held the Hawkeyes at arm’s length from thereon. The Boilermakers went on a late run to pull away for a 90-72 victory.

Glenn Robinson scored 28 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, Matt Waddell had 11 points, 7 asssists, and 5 steals, Herb Dove scored 10 and had 7 boards, and Cuonzo Martin scored 10 points for Purdue. Tops for Iowa were Roy Marble with 15 points and Brad Lohaus who scored 14 points, pulled down 8 boards and had 4 blocks.

“The Hawkeyes put a scare into us with their run late in the first half. But in the 2nd half we came out strong and they had to keep their starters on the floor longer than they probably wanted so that I think we were able to wear them down. Glenn had a huge half and our bench was very strong,” said Purdue’s coach Gene Keady.

Up Next: Duke (1992) [34-2] vs Rhode Island (2017) [25-10]

[PointGuard]

ROUND 1 RESULTS

East Region

#1 Duke Blue Demons (1992) vs #16 Rhode Island Rams (2017)

Duke’s Starters: PG Bobby Hurley; SG Thomas Hill; SF Brian Davis; PF Grant Hill; C Christian Laettner
Rhode Island’s Starters: PG Jarvis Garrett; SG Stanford Robinson; SF Nicola Akele; PF Hassan Martin; C Kuran Iverson

Rhode Island was in control of this game for the first 14 minutes. But then Duke took over and went on a 12-2 run as the Blue Demons’ defense throttled the Rams. By the end of the half, Duke led 37-30.

Duke methodically ground down the Rams in the 2nd half. After building a 22 point lead, the Blue Devils relaxed late which allowed Rhode Island to close the gap a little. But there was never any doubt who would win. The final score was Duke—71, Rhode Island—57.

Duke outshot Rhode Island 45% to 31%. Christian Laettner dropped in 18 points while hauling down 7 rebounds and blocking 4 shots before fouling out late in the game. Bobby Hurley and Thomas Hill both scored 14 points. Grant Hill had 8 points and 11 boards. Rhode Island was led by Kuran Iverson who had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a block and Hassan Martin who finished with 7 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks.

“We had a tough time establishing our game early as the Rams were really making it hard on us. But once our defense asserted itself, our offense got cooking as well,” said Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Up next: Syracuse (1987) [31-7] vs Xavier (2017) [24-14]

[PointGuard]

ROUND 1 RESULTS

East Region

#2 Syracuse Orange (1987) vs #15 Xavier Musketeers (2017)

Syracuse’s Starters: PG Sherman Douglas; SG Howard Triche; SF Herman Harried; PF Derrick Coleman; C Rony Seikaly
Xavier’s Starters: PG Edmond Sumner; SG J.P. Macura; SF Trevon Bluiett; PF Tyrique Jones; C Rashid Gaston

The Musketeers came out attacking and took a 16-7 lead after hitting 4 of 5 from beyond the arc, including 3 by Trevon Bluiett. But Syracuse doggedly fought to get back into the game and did so behind the leadership of Rony Seikaly and edged ahead 25-24 with 10:43 to play in the half. With Xavier firing up mostly blanks, the Orange were able to craft a 44-39 halftime advantage. Syracuse outshot Xavier 61% to 33%. But the Musketeers were able to keep from falling far behind due to the Orange turning the ball over 12 times.

Xavier kept trying to catch up by their deficit throughout the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half ranged between 2 and 8 points. But then the Musketeers continued poor shooting allowed the Orange to open a 15 point led with 3 minutes to go. Syracuse ended up beating Xavier 86-71.

Syracuse hit 62% of their shots compared to just 34% by Xavier. The Orange also held a 40-34 rebounding advantage but had 23 turnovers whereas the Musketeers made just 14.
C Rony Seikaly topped all scorers with 23 points, PG Sherman Douglas dropped in 22 points, and PF Derrick Coleman had 19 points, 13 rebounds and 3 steals for Syracuse. Xavier was led by SF Trevon Bluiett’s 22 points and SG J.P. Marcus’ 17 points.

“We just kept shooting well the entire game. Rony, Sherman, and Derrick combining for 64 points was huge for us. And I thought our defense was solid for most all the game,” said Coach Jim Boeheim said.

Next up: Maryland (2002) [32-4] vs Creighton (2017) [25-10]

[PointGuard]

ROUND 1 RESULTS

East Region

#3 Maryland Terrapins (2002) vs #14 Creighton Blue Jays (2017)

Maryland Starters: PG Steve Blake; SG Juan Dixon; SF Byron Mouton; PF Chris Wilcox; C Lonny Baxter
Creighton’s Starters: PG Maurice Watson Jr.; SG Marcus Foster; SF Khyri Thomas; PF Ronnie Harrell Jr.; C Justin Patton

Maryland took a 14-0 lead (with all 5 starters scoring) as they held Creighton scoreless for the first 4 minutes. The Terrapins then went ahead 28-2 with 12 minutes to go after forcing the Blue Jays to make 9 turnovers and hit just 1 of 6 FG’s. With 9-1/2 minutes left in the half, Maryland was ahead 35-4. The Blue Jays finally began cutting into the lead late in the half, but the first 20 minutes were still a disaster for Creighton since they trailed 49-27 at the break. Three Terrapins starters (Dixon, Blake, and Baxter) were in already in double figures.

Maryland’s lead fluctuated between 21 and 29 points throughout the entire 2nd half. The Terrapins pinned an 85-56 beatdown onto the Blue Jays. Maryland outshot Creighton 50% to 35%, outrebounded them 36-24 and held a 14-10 turnover advantage.

For Maryland SG Juan Dixon popped in 26 points, SF Bryan Mouton hit for 18, C Lonny Baxter had 14 points and 12 rebounds, PG Steve Blake scored 11 and PF Chris Wilcox had 7 points and 11 boards. C Justin Patton led Creighton with 15 points and SF Khyri Thomas added 10.

“Juan, Bryan and Lonny really came through for us! Good win but now we gotta prepare for our next one,” said Maryland Coach Gary Williams.

Next up: Villanova (2018) [36-4] vs Notre Dame (2017) [26-10]

[PointGuard]

ROUND 1 RESULTS

East Region

#4 Villanova Wildcats (2018) vs #13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2017)

Villanova’s Starters: PG Jalen Brunson; SG Donte Divincenzo; SF Mikal Bridges; PF Eric Paschall; C Omari Spellman
Notre Dame’s Starters: PG Matt Farrell; SG Steve Vasturia; SF Rex Pflueger; PF Bonzie Colson; C Martinas Geben

Villanova took a 13-6 lead with PG Jalen Brunson scoring 11 of their 13 points. Notre Dame closed to within a single point twice late in the first half only to see Villanova reassert themselves and finish the half with a 38-34 lead. Brunson scored 22 points in the half. The Wildcats took a 13 point lead with 12 minutes to play with SG Donte DiVincenzo and SF Mikal Bridges lighting up the nets. The Fighting Irish were unable to get closer than 9 points. Villanova came away with an 83-71 victory. Villanova made just 2 turnovers compared to 15 by Notre Dame.

Villanova’s scoring was centered on 3 players: PG Jalen Brunson with 25 points and SF Mikal Bridges with 21 points. The two also combined for 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 steals and a block. SG Donte DiVincenzo added 17 points. Notre Dame was led by PF Bonzie Colson’s 20 points and 10 rebounds. SG Steve Vasturia scored 12 and C Martinas Geben and PF Matt Farrell both scored 10 with Geben also recording 7 rebounds for the Fighting Irish.

Jay Wright, Villanova’s coach, said, “After that tough first half, our guys came together in the locker room and pumped each other up and they came out on a mission. Jalen, Mikal and Donte combining for 63 points was critical to us winning.”

Up next: UCONN (2004) [33-6] vs Navy (1987) [26-6]

[PointGuard]

ROUND 1 RESULTS

East Region

#5 UCONN Huskies (2004) vs #12 Navy Midshipmen (1987)

UCONN’s Starters: PG Taliek Brown; SG Ben Gordon; SF Denham Brown; PF Charlie Villanueva; C Emeka Okafor
Navy’s Starters: PG Doug Wojcik; SG Cliff Rees; SF Carl Liebert; PF Byron Hopkins; C David Robinson

Navy scored the first point of the game, but then UCONN swept to a 17-3 lead midway through the first half as Navy simply could not solve the Huskies’ defense. By the end of the half the score was 40-19 and 9 of Navy’s points had been scored at the foul line. Not only had the Midshipmen hit just 5 of 19 shots from the field, but they had grabbed just 8 rebounds compared to 21 by UCONN. The Huskies’ C Emeka Okafor played just 2 minutes after making 3 quick fouls and PF Charlie Villanueva was on the floor just 5 minutes due to foul troubles, but Hilton Armstrong had played well at C, scoring 8 points, and Josh Boone had come in at PF and scored 6 and grabbed 8 boards.

While Navy’s offense came alive in the 2nd half, they were never able to seriously challenge the Huskies. UCONN finished with a resounding 76-61 win.

Although C Emeka Okafor probably had one of the worst games of his career with just 3 points (hitting just 1 of 6 of his FG attempts), 4 rebounds and 2 blocks (he only played 11 minutes, though), SG Ben Gordon scored 22, PF Charlie Villanueva hit for 14, C Hilton Armstrong put in 14, and SF Denham Brown added 10 for the Huskies. Navy’s David Robinson scored 19 points in the 2nd half and finished the game with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 blocks.

“With Emeka being in foul trouble the entire game, I’m just happy to we were able to get by Navy and move on,” said Huskies’ coach Jim Calhoun.

Up next: Massachusetts (1996) [31-1] vs Providence (1987) [25-9]

[Wayne23]

Survive and advance, UConn.

[PointGuard]

ROUND 1 RESULTS

East Region

#6 Massachusetts Minutemen (1996) vs #11 Providence Friars (1987)

Massachusetts’ Starters: PG Edgar Padilla; SG Carmelo Travieso; SF Donta Bright; PF Tyrone Weeks; C Marcus Camby
Providence’s Starters: PG Billy Donovan; SG Ernie Lewis; SF David Kipfer; PF Steve Wright; C Abdul Shamsid-Deen

UMASS stormed out to a 10 point lead in the first 5 minutes of the game. They extended it to as much as 19 points before Providence began cutting it toward the end of the half with ended with the Minutemen ahead 46-35. Massachusetts outshot Providence 54% to 36% and while the Friars held an 18-11 advantage on the boards, Providence made 15 turnovers to just 4 by the Minutemen. 3 of the Friars starters and 2 Minutemen starters each had 3 fouls apiece going into the 2nd half.

Massachusetts held onto their double digit lead early in the 2nd half and they expanded it to 20 with 8 minutes remaining. The Friars were unable to respond and [i]UMASS drubbed Providence 95-74[/i]. Massachusetts poured in 61% of their shots from the field.

C Marcus Canby had 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks for Massachusetts. His teammates SG Carmelo Travieso scored 14 (and had 3 assists and 4 steals), reserve C Ted Cottrell scored 12, and PF Tyrone Weeks had 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. For Providence SG Pop Lewis had 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals plus PG Billy Donovan (who fouled out after playing just 11 minutes in the game) and reserve guard Carlton Screen both scored 10.

“We got here but unfortunately we forgot to bring our defense with us from Rhode Island,” said Rick Pitino, head coach of the Friars.

Up next: Georgetown (1989) [29-5] vs DePaul (1987) [26-2]

[PointGuard]

ROUND 1 RESULTS

East Region

#7 Georgetown Hoyas (1989) vs #10 DePaul Blue Demons (1987)

Georgetown’s Starters: PG Dwayne Bryant; SG Charles Smith; SF Bobby Winston; PF John Turner; C Dikembe Mutombo
DePaul’s Starters: PG Rod Strickland; SG Kevin Edwards; SF Terence Greene; PF Stanley Brundy; C Dallas Comegys

After DePaul scored first, Georgetown scored 12 unanswered points. The Blue Demons hung in though. While they could not pull ahead, they stayed closed and the half ended with Georgetown on top 34-29. But Georgetown’s starting guards, Dwayne Bryant and Charles Smith, both had 3 fouls. Smith was the Hoyas’ leading scorer in the first half with 11 points.
The Hoyas inside combo of C Dikembe Mutombo and PF John Turner were too much for the Blue Demons and Georgetown powered their way to a 70-44 beatdown of DePaul.

Mutombo scored 14 and 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. Turner finished with 11 points, 14 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. SG Charles Smith scored 13 points even though his playing time was limited to 19 minutes for the Hoyas. DePaul’s SG Kevin Edwards scored 15 points and C Dallas Comegys scored 11 points plus pulled down 9 rebounds. PG Rod Strickland had a horrible game, playing 36 minutes but hitting just 1 of 15 shots from the field and missing all 3 of his FT’s to score just 2 points. He only had 3 assists and 1 steal while turning the ball over 8 times.

After being asked by a reporter about Strickland’s performance, DePaul coach Joey Meyer responded, “Look, it wasn’t Rod’s fault we lost. The Hoyas were all over him the entire game. Give Georgetown the credit for a great defense and their dominance on the boards.”

Up next: West Virginia (2010) [31-7] vs Temple (1988) [32-2]

[PointGuard]

ROUND 1 RESULTS

East Region

#8 West Virginia Mountaineers (2010) vs #9 Temple Owls (1988)

West Virginia’s Starters: PG Darryl Bryant; SG Da’Sean Butler; SF Kevin Jones; PF Danny Jennings; C Devin Ebanks
Temple’s Starters: PG Howard Evans; SG Mark Macon; SF Shawn Johnson; PF Tim Perry; C Ramon Rivas

West Virginia grabbed a small lead from the beginning and stretched it to 12 points midway through the first half. Temple cut the lead to a single point with 3:30 remaining but slipped behind again to trail 45-37 at the break. West Virginia’s Devin Ebanks had 11 points and 8 boards in the first half. The Owls’ Harold Evans also scored 11 points in the first half.

Temple quickly cut the lead to 3 points in the first couple minutes of the 2nd half, but while they got with 3 several more times, they could get no closer and the Mountaineers pulled away in the final 8 minutes to win 84-74. West Virginia won the game by hitting 29 of 40 FT’s compared to Temple’s 14 of 19.

For West Virginia C Devin Ebanks had 19 points and 12 rebounds; PG Darryl Bryant scored 16 points with 4 assists; SF Kevin Jones hit for 10 and grabbed 5 boards; and PF Danny Jennings scored 8 points, pulled down 9 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots. Temple’s SG Mark Macon tossed in 17 points and had 3 assists; C Ramon Rivas scored 17 while pulled down 5 rebounds; PF Tim Perry had 16 points and 7 boards; and PG Howard Evans added 11 points plus 4 assists.

In the post-game interview, Temple’s coach John Chaney could only shake his head while muttering, “40 foul shots, 40 foul shots.”

Up next: Kentucky (1996) [34-2] vs Texas Christian (2017) [24-15]