The Tournament That Wasn't

[PointGuard]

West Region—Sweet 16

[The four teams in this region are from all over the U.S. (Gonzaga in the Pacific Northwest, Baylor in the Southwest, Wright State from the Midwest, and Villanova from the East). The three top seeds have advanced this far but #12 seed Wright State provides a Cinderella.]

#1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs (33-2) vs #12 seed Wright State Raiders (27-7)

Is Gonzaga dangerous? Their starters: SF Xavier Ward-22.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.5 spg; PG Henry Chaney-12.0 ppg, 6.0 apg; SG Chris Hare-11.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg; C Dave Bond-11.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.5 apg; PF Michael Frahm-9.5 ppg. Reserves: SF James Person-10.5 ppg; C Damion Warren-10.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg. So if you decide to double team Ward, do you not think one of those other 6 are going to burn you? But Wright State has been surprising everyone. The Raiders have been led by PG Kenny Barrett who has averaged 18.0 ppg and 5.0 apg; SG Kendric Pugh who has 17.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.5 spg, and 2.0 bpg; and C Marco Russell who has hit for 12.5 ppg. Can Wright State continue their magic?

Wright State held a small lead throughout most of the first half and increased their lead late in the half to finish with a 34-28 advantage. The Raiders harassing defense held the Bulldogs’ shooting to just 29% while Wright State made 43% of theirs. Wright State was led offensively by PG Kenny Barrett with 8 points while Gonzaga’s SF Xavier Ward led all scorers with 14 points.

Within the first 90 seconds of the 2nd half, Wright State had opened a 10 point lead. A 9-0 run by the Zags cut the lead to 44-43 and they tied the game with 13-1/2 minutes left. Then with 10 minutes remaining Gonzaga, led by SG Chris Hare, had rolled to a 61-47 advantage. The Bulldogs’ offense continued to scorch the nets and their defense harassed Wright State, forcing repeated turnovers. At one point Gonzaga’s lead was as much as 20 points. Gonzaga’s shooting for the entire game improved to 51% while Wright State’s fell to 38%. The Zags held a 36-32 rebounding advantage and a 19-13 turnover advantage. Gonzaga had 34 points in the paint compared to 16 for the Raiders and 18 fast break points while Wright State had just 4.

Gonzaga-88 (SG Chris Hare-26 pts, 8 reb, 4 assists, 6 steals; SF Xavier Ward-22 pts; PF Michael Frahm-16 pts, 5 reb)
Wright State-69 (PG Kenny Barrett-14 pts, 5 assists; SG Kendric Pugh-14 pts; C Marco Russell-11 pts, 5 reb)

“We were doing so well in the first half and the initial moments of the 2nd half, but then Gonzaga simply caught fire and totally roasted us. I don’t remember an opponent ever scoring 60 points against us before in the 2nd half,” lamented Wright State coach Scott Nagy.

Gonzaga’s coach Mark Few said, “Wright State made us look bad in the first half. Chris Hare was fantastic in the 2nd half and our team fed off his energy. Scoring 26 was big, but even bigger was his defense, particularly those 6 steals.”

#2 Baylor Bears (28-4) vs #3 Villanova Wildcats (26-7)

Baylor has been dominant in their wins thus far. The Bears top scorers have been SF Joe Bush with 24.5 ppg (and 12.0 rpg), SG Brian Butler with 16.5 ppg, and C Dontay Washington with 10.5 ppg (and 6.5 rpg). PG Chris Neely has been impressive with 7.5 ppg, 7.0 apg, and 2.5 spg. Villanova, which stormed through its two wins, also has 3 players averaging in double figures (C Jibran Shannon-22.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg; SG Kevin Foreman-14.0 ppg; and reserve SG Hector Fuller-11.0 ppg) with other starters SF Dave Hill-9.5 ppg, PF Rob Dearborn-9.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg, and PG Mike Goree-7.0 ppg, 6.0 apg.

Displaying some great defense, the Wildcats struck early and took 9-3, 16-7, and 22-11 leads. But Baylor never panicked. They crept closer and then in the last two minutes of the half got their act together and hit some big buckets to narrow Villanova’s lead to 32-30 at the break. Baylor hit just 30% of their FG attempts but from beyond the arc they sunk 43% of their attempts. On the other hand, the Wildcats put in 42% of their FG attempts, but just 14% of their 3’s. SF Dave Hill scored 9 points for Villanova and PF Rob Dearborn only scored 4 points but had 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. The offensive leader for the Bears was SG Brian Butler who tossed in 13 points. Villanova’s PG Mike Goree was tagged for 3 fouls and played just 8 minutes.

Villanova started out hot again in the 2nd half, scoring the first 7 points. With C Jibran Shannon leading the way the Wildcats lead increased to 15 points with 13-1/2 minutes to play. Midway through the half Baylor scored 8 unanswered points within a minute to cut the lead to 55-49. The Bears then crept within 3 at 57-54 with 9 minutes remaining. With 4 minutes to go the Wildcats still held a 3 point lead at 64-61. SG Brian Butler and SF Joe Bush hit 2 back-to-back 3’s for Baylor to cut the lead to 68-67 with 2:45 on the clock. Bush stole a pass on Villanova’s next possession and hit yet another 3 that put Baylor on top 70-68. Two possessions later, PF Ben Church sank a 3 from near the sideline and Baylor led by 5 with 1:14 remaining. Villanova cut the lead to 3 when SF Dave Hill drove from outside, pulled up and knocked down a 17 footer with 13 seconds left. The Wildcats had to foul and Baylor’s PG Chris Neely calmly dropped in both free throws. Villanova threw up a last second shot that went it but the was too far back for it to make a difference and Baylor escaped with a rousing come-from-behind victory. Villanova outshot the Bears 48% to 39%, but Baylor hit a phenomenal 16 of 29 of their 3-pointers. Baylor’s starters scored 72 of the Bears’ 77 points.

Baylor-77 (SG Brian Butler-25 pts (includes 7 of 10 3’s); SF Joe Bush-20 pts, 8 reb, 2 steals, 1 block; C Dontay Washington-11 pts, 6 reb; PG Chris Neely-10 pts)
Villanova-75 (C Jibran Shannon-16 pts, 12 reb, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks; SG Kevin Foreman-15 pts, 6 assists; SG Dave Hill-11 pts)

“With how well Villanova was playing, I have to admit I had my doubts for a bit whether we could come back. But our guys had the confidence that they could make their 3’s and they did,” said Scott Drew, coach for Baylor.

Villanova’s coach Jay Wright admitted, “As most everyone expected it would be, this was a tremendously exciting game. But I absolutely HATE being on the short end of the score of an exciting game.”

West Region—Elite 8

As with the Midwest, the West Region's #1 and #2 seeds will play in the regional championship game and for the right to advance to the Final Four. Both Gonzaga and Baylor had to come back in the 2nd half to win their games.

[PointGuard]

Top Individual performances during the Sweet 16 round:

SG Chris Hare, Gonzaga--26 points, 8 unds, 4 assists, 6 steals
SG Brian Butler, Baylor--25 points (includes 7 of 10 3’s)
PF Mike Hollins, Kentucky--23 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks
SG Gerrod Ward, Creighton--23 points, 3 assists, 4 steals, 1 block
SF Xavier Ward, Gonzaga--22 points
SF Joe Bush, Baylor--20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
SG Jon Cravens, Cincinnati--20 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
PG Marques Tucker, Wisconsin--19 points
PF David Whaley, Creighton--19 points
PF Rick Blizzard, Duke--18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 blocks
C Richard Williams, Kansas--18 points, 10 rebounds
C Corey Porter, San Diego State--18 points, 10 rebounds
SF Gene Barnes, Louisville--17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
C Jibran Shannon, Villanova--16 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
PG Jarvis Brown, San Diego State--15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
PF Andre Howe, Iowa--14 points, 13 rebounds
C Kevin Hansen, Cincinnati--13 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks

Top Performers who have played 3 games thus far:

Joe Bush, SF, Baylor—23.0 ppg, 10.7 rpg
Xavier Ward, SF, Gonzaga—22.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.0 spg
Richard Williams, C, Kansas—21.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg
Gerrod Ward, SG, Creighton—20.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.7 apg
Jibran Shannon, C, Villanova—20.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.3 apg
Mike Hollins, PF, Kentucky—20.0 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.3 spg, 2.7 bpg
Brian Butler, SG, Baylor—19.3 ppg, 2.7 apg
Gene Barnes, SF, Louisville—18.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg
David Warley, PF, Creighton—18.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Jabari Edwards, PF, St. Mary’s—17.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 bpg
Kenny Barrett, PG, Wright State—16.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5.0 apg
Chris Hare, SG, Gonzaga—16.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 3.7 spg
Kendric Pugh, SG, Wright State—16.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.0 spg, 2.7 bpg

Meet the Elite 8:

Midwest
#1 seed Kansas (Big Twelve Conference) vs #2 seed San Diego State (Mountain West Conference)

East
#2 seed Kentucky (Southeastern Conference) vs #9 seed Cincinnati (American Athletic Conference)

South
#2 seed Creighton (Big East Conference) vs #8 seed Iowa (Big Ten Conference)

West
#1 seed Gonzaga (West Coast Conference) vs #2 seed Baylor (Big Twelve Conference)

Only 4 of the 8 teams are from a power-five conferences.

Do you think all 4 of the higher seeds will advance to the Final Four? If not, which lower seeds will advance?

What are the odds that the Final Four will ALL be #2 seeds?

[PointGuard]

Elite 8 Results (part 1 of 2)

Midwest Region: #1 seed Kansas Jayhawks (31-3) vs #2 seed San Diego State Aztecs (33-2)

San Diego State got tested in their first game in the tournament by St. Francis but came on strong toward the end of that game, and then the Aztecs routed their next two opponents. In contrast, Kansas routed their first two opponents and then had to come back in the 2nd half in their most recent game against Wisconsin. C Richard Williams with 21.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg has led the Jayhawks. Kansas’ offense has been also supplemented strongly by PF Shaun Bullock who has averaged 11.3 ppg and SG Ron Lawson who has averaged 10.0 ppg. San Diego State’s offense has been shared more widely with SG Isaac Haston averaging 14.7 ppg, C Corey Parker averaging 13.0 ppg, PG Jarvis Brown averaging 12.7 ppg, and SF Jay Cobb averaging 11.3 ppg.

Five minutes into the game San Diego State had outplayed Kansas in all aspects of the game and led 15-7. Kansas then doggedly continued to chip away at the lead, but the Aztecs just as repeatedly reestablished a 7-10 point lead. With 4-1/2 minutes remaining in the half, San Diego State led 35-25. The Aztecs scoring was evenly distributed between the entire starting five. The Jayhawks left the court slightly stunned to be trailing 44-33. While San Diego State only outshot Kansas 42% to 39%, the Aztecs dominated the boards 22-13 and held a 7-5 turnover advantage. PF Tarise Johnson had 9 points and 6 rebounds to pace the Aztecs. His counterpart, PF Antone Gosley scored 8 points to top Kansas’ scoring.

San Diego State continued to outperform the Jayhawks in the 2nd half and led 66-49 with 11 minutes remaining in the game. The Aztecs closed down Kansas outside game and midway through the 2nd half, the Jayhawks starting guards were 1 for 10 from the field and had only scored 2 points between the two of them. With 5 minutes left in the game San Diego State had built an 80-60 advantage. As in the first half, every mini-run by Kansas was met with an equal or better run by the Aztecs. San Diego came away with a surprisingly easy upset of mighty Kansas. San Diego State out-rebounded Kansas 36-30 and had just 8 turnovers compared to 13 by the Jayhawks. The Aztecs also outscored the Jayhawks by 13 points at the free throw line. The starting Aztec guard tandem outscored the pair from Kansas 28-4 even though SDSU’s starting guards played less minutes than did the Jayhawks starting guards.

San Diego State-91 (SG Isaac Haston-15 pts; PG Jarvis Brown-13 pts, 6 assists; PF Tarise Johnson-13 pts, 9 reb; SF Jay Cobb-10 pts; SG Chad Mills-10 pts, 5 assists, 3 steals)
Kansas-77 (C Richard Williams-17 pts, 9 reb; PF Antone Gosley-11 pts, 5 reb)

“It was disappointing to get blown out, but San Diego State just played outstandingly and kept us on our heels the entire game,” said coach Bill Self of Kansas.

The Aztecs’ head coach Brian Dutcher said, “All 10 players we put on the court tonight played so well and executed our game plan to near perfection. Once we got a solid lead, our team was absolutely intent on maintaining it. My guys are so high that they’re wanting to play our next opponent right away, but we’ve got a lot of work to do and not much time to prepare for what comes next.”

A Kansas fan leaving after the game was overheard to say, “I had no respect for San Diego State, but damn, the way they took us apart…that team’s for real.”

East Region: #2 seed Kentucky Wildcats (28-6) vs #9 seed Cincinnati Bearcats (23-10)

Kentucky has crushed the opposition thus far, winning by an average of 23 points. The Wildcats have been led offensively by: PF Mike Hollins-20.0 ppg and 12.3 rpg; and SG Tim Woodley-13.7 ppg. Cincinnati has been scrappy in winning 3 games they have not been expected to win. Their one point victory over #1 seed Dayton showed just how plucky they are. Top scorers for the Bearcats have been: C Kevin Hansen-15.0 ppg (and 10.0 rpg ); SG Jon Cravens-14.7 ppg; and PF Darrell Harris-10.3 ppg. Cincinnati’s coach John Brannen was succinct in saying, “Kentucky has the ability to simply bury an opponent. If we can keep them from doing that, we then we’ll have a chance to give them a run for their money.”

The lead shifted back and forth for the first 5 minutes but then Kentucky went on a 10-0 run in the next 2 minutes making it 20-10. Cincinnati battled back with blazing hot shooting and took a 34-27 lead with 6 minutes left in the half. The momentum shifted and Kentucky went ahead 41-38 with 3 minutes remaining. But the Bearcats then went on yet another run to leap to a 48-45 advantage at the end of the half. Cincinnati outshot the Wildcats 55% to 46% but Kentucky scored 10 more points on foul shots. When Cincinnati’s C Kevin Hansen went to the bench with 3 fouls after scoring 8 points, his replacement Matt Peskine tossed in 9 points in 10 minutes of play to be the Bearcats top scorer. Besides Hansen, Cincinnati’s PF Darrell Harris also was tagged with 3 fouls in the first half. Kentucky’s scoring was centered on two players: SG Tim Woodley with 16 points and PF Mike Hollins with 15 points. There were 12 lead changes and 8 ties in the first half.

Cincinnati scored 8 of the first 9 points in the first 3 minutes of the 2nd half to jump out to a 10 point advantage. The Bearcats continued to dominate and led 78-60 with 8 minutes left in the game and increased their lead to 20 with 5 minutes left. With Kentucky having trouble getting their shots to go down, their fate was sealed and Cincinnati had yet another upset victory. Kentucky hit just 36% of their shots (and 18% of their 3’s) compared to 50% (and 31% of their 3’s) by the Bearcats. Even though the Wildcats got to the line 24 more times where they scored 15 more points than Cincinnati, their poor shooting combined with making 5 more turnovers than the Bearcats kept them from contending.

Cincinnati-85 (SF Terrance Wolfe-17 pts, 5 reb, 2 steals, 1 block; C Kevin Hansen-14 pts, 6 reb; C Matt Peskine-12 pts; PG Earl Blevins-10 pts, 6 assists)
Kentucky-67 (SG Tim Woodley-20 pts; PF Mike Hollins-17 pts, 6 reb; PF Dennis Mickens-8 points, 7 reb)

“We weren’t able to stop Woodley or Hollins, but we did a helluva job all the other Kentucky players,” said Cincinnati’s coach John Brannen. “We’re torqued to get to the Final Four, but want 2 more wins.”

“I think you can scratch the term “underdog” when talking about Cincinnati. That team is damn good,” said John Calipari, coach of Kentucky. “They fought tooth and nail with us in the first half and then simply took us out of our game in the 2nd half. When they got a double digit lead they applied a death grip.”

[jksander]

I was rooting for both of these teams! Now if I get Iowa right my bracket stays in incredible shape!

Elite 8 Results (part 1 of 2)

Midwest Region: #1 seed Kansas Jayhawks (31-3) vs #2 seed San Diego State Aztecs (33-2)

San Diego State-91 (SG Isaac Haston-15 pts; PG Jarvis Brown-13 pts, 6 assists; PF Tarise Johnson-13 pts, 9 reb; SF Jay Cobb-10 pts; SG Chad Mills-10 pts, 5 assists, 3 steals)
Kansas-77 (C Richard Williams-17 pts, 9 reb; PF Antone Gosley-11 pts, 5 reb)

East Region: #2 seed Kentucky Wildcats (28-6) vs #9 seed Cincinnati Bearcats (23-10)

Cincinnati-85 (SF Terrance Wolfe-17 pts, 5 reb, 2 steals, 1 block; C Kevin Hansen-14 pts, 6 reb; C Matt Peskine-12 pts; PG Earl Blevins-10 pts, 6 assists)
Kentucky-67 (SG Tim Woodley-20 pts; PF Mike Hollins-17 pts, 6 reb; PF Dennis Mickens-8 points, 7 reb)

[jksander]

Gonzaga is my pick to win this whole thing, since Dayton never got anywhere

[PointGuard]

Elite 8 Results (part 2 of 2)

South Region: #2 seed Creighton Bluejays (27-7) vs #8 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (23-11)

Creighton has won its three games by margins of 19, 24, and 20 points. Iowa’s winning margins have been 19, 9, and 14 points. While not statistically as impressive, one of those wins by Iowa was over #1 seed Florida State. Leading the scoring for Creighton are PF David Warley-18.3 ppg, C Stephen Huss-11.0 ppg (and 9.0 rpg), and SF Andry Amaya-10.3 ppg (and 7.0 rpg). Top scorers for Iowa have been PF Andre Howe-13.3 ppg and (7.7 rpg), SF Tom Scott-11.7 ppg, and SG Marcus Cox-10.3 ppg.

It took 2-1/2 minutes before Creighton was able to score and by that time Iowa already had 9 points on the board. Iowa’s 1-3-1 zone gave the Bluejays fits early and they fell behind 19-9 with 13-1/2 minutes left in the half. Iowa’s lead grew to 13 then shrank to 4. But finishing the half strong, the Hawkeyes took a 45-35 lead to the locker room. Most of the difference was due to Iowa scoring 9 more points on free throws. Leading the scoring for the Hawkeyes was C Williams Murray with 13 points. SG Gerrod Ward hit for 11 points for Creighton.

The first 5 points on the 2nd half were scored by Iowa and with 13-1/2 minutes left in the game Creighton trailed by 25 at 64-39. The Bluejays then scored 12 unanswered points to nearly cut the lead in half. 5 minutes later Iowa’s lead had been trimmed to 7 points. Iowa then pulled away to record yet another upset win. Iowa held a 46% to 43% shooting advantage, scored 12 more points at the line, was +8 on rebounding and +4 for turnovers.

Iowa-90 (C Williams Murray-25 pts, 6 reb, 3 steals 1 block; SF Tom Scott-14 pts, 8 reb; SG Ashley Trotman-12 pts)
Creighton-73 (SG Gerrod Ward-26 pts, PF David Walker-14 pts; PG Ryan Gardner-6 pts, 6 reb, 8 assists, 3 blocks)

Creighton’s head coach Greg McDermott said, “It was disappointing to lose, but I’m really proud of this team and how well they’ve played this season. Congratulations to Iowa. The Hawkeyes played solidly in all aspects of the game and put us in a hole from which we simply could not climb.”

“If somebody would have told me we’d lead from tip-off to final buzzer against a great team like Creighton I’d have called them crazy. But my guys did it. Our zone worked well through much of the first half, but they began exploiting it late in that half, so we switched to man to man in the 2nd half to keep them off balance.”

West Region: #1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs (34-2) vs #2 seed Baylor Bears (29-4)

Gonzaga has won but not necessarily impressively. Two of their 3 wins were both by 9 points. Baylor won with ease in its first two games but got barely won their last game by 2 points. Averaging in double figures for Gonzaga are SF Xavier Ward with 22.0 ppg, SG Chris Hare with 16.3 ppg, and PF Michael Frahm with 11.7 ppg. Leading Baylor have been: SF Joe Bush-23.0 ppg, 10.7 rpg; SG Brian Butler-19.3 ppg; and C Dontay Washington-10.7 ppg.

Gonzaga took a 12-0 lead in the first 3 minutes of the game. The Zags were up 29-8 with 9 minutes left in the first half. Gonzaga continued to shred the Bears’ defense and finished the half on top 54-30. The Bulldogs outshot Baylor 62% to 32% and hit 64% of their 3’s whereas the Bears hit just 9% of theirs. Gonzaga’s scoring was spread throughout their lineup but led by SG Chris Hare’s 10 points. C Dave Bond added 8 points and 8 rebounds. SF Joe Bush dropped in 12 points for Baylor.

With 13-1/2 minutes to play the Gonzaga lead had increased to 71-38. With coach Mark Few substituting freely Baylor was able to cut into the lead but could never mount a serious challenge. Gonzaga outshot Baylor 52% to 42% and the Zags hit 15 of 27 from beyond the arc.

Gonzaga-87 (PG Henry Chaney-18 pts, 4 reb, 9 assists; SG Chris Hare-17 pts; SF Xavier Ward-12 pts; C Dave Bond-10 pts, 11 reb, 4 assists)
Baylor-70 (SF Joe Bush-22 pts, 6 reb; PF Ben Church-12 pts, 7 reb; SG Brian Butler-10 pts)

“We put together a solid offensive and defensive effort against Baylor. Henry (Chaney) was a great game general and our guys did a heckuva job executing,” said Mark Few, coach for Gonzaga.

Baylor's coach Scott Drew said, “We had a weak start and then could never control Gonzaga’s offense. We tried doubling guys up, switching defenses, pressing, not pressing. Nothing worked. They ran great patterns that gave them some good free shots...and converted repeatedly. Until towards the end of the game they were connecting on over 60% of their shots, including from way outside.”

[PointGuard]

Top Performances by Players during the Elite 8 Round:

SG Gerrod Ward, Creighton--26 points
C Williams Murray, Iowa--25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals 1 block
SF Joe Bush, Baylor--22 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks
SG Tim Woodley, Kentucky--20 points
PG Henry Chaney, Gonzaga--18 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks
C Richard Williams, Kansas--17 points, 9 rebounds
SF Terrance Wolfe, Cincinnati--17 pts, 5 reb, 2 steals, 1 block
PF Mike Hollins, Kentucky--17 points, 6 rebounds
SG Chris Hare, Gonzaga--17 points

(Have you been reading question #1: Which FInal Four team didn't have a player who made the Top Performers list?)

Top 5 Scorers who have played 4 games:

SF Joe Bush, Baylor—22.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg
SG Gerrod Ward, Creighton—22.0 ppg
C Richard Williams, Kansas—20.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg
SF Xavier Ward, Gonzaga—19.5 ppg
PF Mike Hollins, Kentucky—19.3 ppg, 10.8 rpg

(Have you been reading question #2: Only 1 of those 5 players' teams made it to the Final Four...which was it?)

[jksander]

Poor San Diego State, no top performers, but they'll settle for that Final Four bid ... take that, Jayhawks! lol. The Zags have to be happy with Xavier Ward's chances at winning Tournament MVP if they keep their winning alive.

[PointGuard]

Final Four

[PointGuard]

Final Four Results

#2 seed San Diego State Aztecs (34-2) vs #8 Iowa Hawkeyes (24-11)

Lineups:

San Diego State Aztecs
PG—Jarvis Brown, 6’5” Sr—12.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.3 bpg
SG—Isaac Haston, 6’2” So—14.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.3 bpg
SF—Jay Cobb, 6’6” So—11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.8 bpg
PF—Tarise Johnson, 6’6” Jr—7.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.3 bpg
C—Corey Porter, 6’8” Fr—11.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.5 bpg
6th man—C LaMarque Davali, 6’9” So—7.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.0 spg, 0.0 bpg

Iowa Hawkeyes
PG—Ahmad Harper, 5’6” Sr—6.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.5 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.3 bpg
SG—Marcus Cox, 6’1” Jr—9.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.3 bpg
SF—Tom Scott, 6’6” Fr—12.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.5 bpg
PF—Andre Howe, 6’6” Jr—11.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.5 spg, 1.5 bpg
C—Williams Murray, 6’9” Sr—16.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.8 bpg
6th man—SG Ashley Trotman, 6’1” Sr—7.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.3 bpg

The Aztecs got here by beating: #15 St. Francis (PA) 85-76, #7 Butler 81-68, #3 Duke 82-59, and #1 Kansas 91-77.
The Hawkeyes got here by beating: #9 Rhode Island 87-68, #1 Florida State 75-66, #5 Brigham Young 86-72, and #2 Creighton 90-73.

This is a tough game to predict. San Diego State has big wins against Duke and Kansas, but Iowa has been impressive against Florida State and Creighton.

1st Half: Two early fouls on SG Isaac Haston, the Aztecs top scorer, put him on the bench after just a little over 2 minutes of play. Led by C Williams Murray’s 6 points, 3 reb, 1 assist, and 1 steal, Iowa took an 11-2 lead with 15:17 to play in the half. San Diego’s first FG of the game came on their next possession. But with 14 minutes remaining, Williams Murray picked up his 2nd foul. A minute later, the Aztecs’ C Corey Porter tipped in a rebound giving him 7 points and 5 rebounds and San Diego State closed the gap to 13-10. With 9:43 on the clock, PG Jarvis Brown sunk a 3 to give San Diego State their first lead of the game at 15-13. Iowa regained the lead at 20-19 when C Eddy Bailey jammed home a dunk with 5-1/2 minutes to go. Even though the defenses of both teams were staunch, the Aztecs were able to work the ball inside to C LaMarque Davali who put the ball in over the outreached arms of a defender to give the Aztecs a 21-20 lead with at the 4 minute mark. The Hawkeyes got the lead back at 22-21 when SF Tom Scott hit a baseline jumper a minute later. The lead immediately switched back when PF Steve Hordemann hit two free throws for the Aztecs. On Iowa’s next possession, William Murray was fouled and he knocked down both shots making it 24-23 in favor of the Hawkeyes. Corey Porter was then fouled and hit both ends of a one-and-one and SDSU was back on top by a point with 2:24 left. Following a turnover by Iowa, the Aztecs finally got a 4 point lead at 28-24 when Jarvis Brown knocked down another 3. Isaac Haston then stole a pass and shot the ball up court to a driving LaMarque Davali who jammed down the breakaway making it 30-24 with 1-1/2 minutes remaining. The half ended with San Diego State still in front by 6 at 36-30. Iowa outshot the Aztecs 43% to 34% but hit 3 fewer 3’s and 5 fewer free throws plus made 2 more turnovers than San Diego State. C Corey Porter scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds to lead the Aztecs while SF Tom Scott scored 10 points and pulled down 5 boards for Iowa.

2nd Half: In contrast to the first half when defense predominated, both offenses began clicking in the 2nd half. Midway through the half, Iowa had narrowed the gap to 53-52. With 9 minutes to go, SF Jameel Bright took a pass at near the foul line, started to drive down the key and pulled up to sink a 7 footer that tied the game at 55-55. On Iowa’s next possession, PG Ahmad Harper hit a long 3 to give the Hawkeyes their first lead in over 14 minutes. San Diego State hit 2 free throws and then Isaac Haston picked off an errant pass by Iowa and again got it to LaMarque Davali who threw down a jam to put the Aztecs ahead again 59-58. Iowa’s Eddy Bailey knocked down 2 free throws to put the Hawkeyes up 60-59 with 5-1/2 minutes left. To keep the game’s back and forth going, Corey Porter took a pass on the left baseline and drove to the bucket to slam home a dunk giving the Aztecs the lead again. The lead shifted back 15 seconds later when Eddy Bailey knocked down a 12 foot jumper to put Iowa back on top 62-61. Iowa held the lead until the 2:30 mark when PF Tarise Johnson threw down a jam for SDSU to tied the game at 65-65. On Iowa’s next possession, Tom Scott made one of two free throws. San Diego State’s Jarvis Brown made a slick pass inside to Tarise Johnson who sank a five-footer making it 67-66 in favor of the Aztecs with 2:08 remaining. The next score was at 1:15 when SF Jay Cobb drilled a 3 to put San Diego ahead by 4 points. Iowa missed a 3 and then had to intentionally foul 4 times before the Aztecs got to the bonus and had to shoot free throws. Jarvis Brown bounced the first free throw in and then swished the 2nd to make it 72-66 with 47 seconds left. Iowa’s Jameel Bright drove and was fouled. He made both shots to cut the lead to 4 with 38 seconds on the clock. Iowa fouled on the inbounds play and Jarvis Brown made one of two to increase the Aztecs lead to 5. The Hawkeyes’ Andre Howe was fouled on his shot but made just one of two free throws. Jarvis Brown was quickly fouled again and again made just 1 of 2 foul shots with 21 seconds to go. Williams Murray got the ball inside and laid it in for Iowa to cut the lead to 3 points. Another quick foul put Jarvis Brown back on the line where he only made one of 2 shots. Iowa tried getting fouled on a last gasp 3 point attempt as time was expiring but no foul was called and the shot missed anyway. Team shooting stats provided an advantage by neither team. Rebounding favored Iowa 44-37 while turnover favored San Diego State 15-10. The Aztecs held a 32-22 advantage on points in the paint.

San Diego State-75 (C Corey Porter-17 pts, 7 reb; PG Jarvis Brown-13 pts, 4 assists; C LaMarque Davali-10 pts; PF Tarise Johnson-8 pts, 7 reb, 3 blocks)
Iowa-71 (SF Tom Scott-15 pts, 8 reb, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block; C Eddy Bailey-15 pts; C Williams Murray-13 pts, 5 reb; PG Ahmad Harper-10 pts, 5 reb, 4 assists)

“This was an amazing game that was so close throughout. The Aztecs withstood the pressure and pulled out the game in the final minutes, but our guys fought hard the entire 40 minutes, ” said Fran McCaffery, coach of Iowa.

San Diego State’s coach Brian Dutcher said, “I’m physically and emotionally drained. It was a damn fine game by each team. Both teams were so evenly matched that it’s a shame to see Iowa head home. Once we were up by 6 points with less than a minute to play, we were intent on not giving a 3 pointer so that forced them inside. But our tenacious defense resulted in a couple fouls that I complained lustily about, but admittedly were good calls. Their effort to draw the foul on the final 3 point attempt nearly succeeded which could have sent the game to OT. I’m tremendously ecstatic to go on to the championship game. My guys played their hearts out, so they deserve to go forward. Getting to this point is huge for our school and conference. Now we have to regroup after this draining game and get ready for the finale.”

There's general consensus that the Iowa/San Diego State game has been THE GAME OF THE TOURNAMENT thus far.

#1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs (35-2) vs #9 seed Cincinnati Bearcats (24-10)

Lineups

Gonzaga Bulldogs
PG—Henry Chaney, 6’1” So—10.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 7.0 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.5 bpg
SG—Chris Hare, 6’1” Fr—16.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.8 spg, 1.0 bpg
SF—Xavier Ward, 6’6” Fr—19.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.8 bpg
PF—Michael Frahm, 6’6” Sr—10.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.5 bpg
C –Dave Bond, 7’1” Sr—9.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.3 bpg
6th man—C Damion Warren, 6’10” Sr—8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.8 bpg

Cincinnati Bearcats
PG—Earl Blevins, 6’3” So—8.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.8 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.8 bpg
SG—Jon Cravens, 6’4” Jr—12.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.3 bpg
SF—Terrance Wolfe, 6’8” So—10.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.5 spg, 1.3 bpg
PF—Darnell Harris, 6’7” Jr—8.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.3 bpg
C—Kevin Hansen, 6’10” Jr—14.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.5 bpg
6th man—PF Leon Jeter, 6’7” Jr—4.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.0 spg, 0.8 bpg

The Bulldogs got here by beating: #16 Little Rock 83-75, #8 Richmond 101-92, #12 Wright State 88-69, and #2 Baylor 87-70.
The Bearcats got here by beating: #8 Louisiana State 74-58, #1 Dayton 72-71, #4 Louisville 71-59, #2 Kentucky 85-67.

While Gonzaga may be the oddsmakers favorites, betting against Cincinnati is risky given the way they’ve been playing against the level competition they’ve had to play in the tournament.

1st Half: After being tied at 8-8, Cincinnati ran off 7 straight points. The Bearcats then went on to take a 25-13 lead with 11 minutes to go in the half. The Bulldogs then went on an 11-2 run that got them within 3 points. Cincinnati then hit a barrage of 3’s that gave them a 49-36 lead at the end of the half. The Bearcats hit 56% of their FG attempts and 11 of 20 from beyond the arc. Gonzaga’s 46% FG shooting and 33% 3P shooting lagged. The Zags also had an uncharacteristic 10 turnovers in the half whereas the Bearcats had 7. Cincinnati’s SG Jon Cravens hit 6 of 7 FG’s and 3 of 4 threes to score 15 points while PG Earl Blevins scored 11 points and dished out 7 assists. SF Xavier Ward led Gonzaga’s scoring with 8 points.

2nd Half: Both teams scored freely at the beginning of the 2nd half. The Bulldogs made several mini-runs to narrow the lead but each time the Bearcats offset those with runs of their own. Midway through the half, Cincinnati led 71-59. With 7 minutes remaining, the Bearcats had increased their lead to 80-61. Cincinnati never let the Zags really close the gap at all after that and went on to record yet another big upset. The Bearcats outshot Gonzaga 54% to 45% and hit 12 of 27 from outside the arc. Cincinnati also held a 22-11 turnover advantage.

Cincinnati-90 (SG Jon Cravens-20 pts, 3 reb, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks; C Kevin Hansen-15 pts, 5 reb, 1 steal, 2 blocks; C Matt Peskine-13 pts; PG Earl Blevins-11 pts, 9 assists, 2 steals, 1 block; SF Terrance Wolfe-11 pts, 3 reb, 3 assists, 5 steals, 1 block)
Gonzaga-73 (SF Xavier Ward-16 pts; SF Chris Hare-12 pts, 4 reb, 3 assists; C Dave Bond-10 pts, 8 reb; PF Michael Frahm-10 pts)

Gonzaga’s head coach Mark Few said, “We just couldn’t get it done tonight. Cincinnati got some big leads on us in the first half and we came back but then the Bearcats bombed away from outside at the end of the half to give us a big halftime deficit. Coming out in the 2nd half we shot well and I felt we had a chance, but Cincinnati kept shooting well and just never let us really get back into the game.”

“I’m so proud to be coaching such a great bunch of players. These guys came into the tournament with no fanfare and were expected to bow out quickly. But they simply didn’t get that memo. Each and every game they have risen to the challenge no matter who we have gone up against. We’re on a roll and need to keep it going for one final game,” said John Brannen, coach of Cincinnati.

Top Individual Performances in the Final Four round:

SG Jon Cravens, Cincinnati-20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
C Corey Porter, San Diego State-17 points, 7 rebounds
SF Xavier Ward, Gonzaga-16 points
SF Tom Scott, Iowa-15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
C Kevin Hansen, Cincinnati-15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks
PG Earl Blevins, Cincinnati-11 points, 9 assists, 2 steals, 1 block