Your bracket is busted and the Sweet Sixteen is set. Let’s do a Regional Reset. Follow @rtceastregion for reporting from Cleveland this week. Check out all of the regional resets for the Sweet Sixteen here.

New Favorite: #3 Oklahoma. There was mayhem at the top, and now Oklahoma – the highest seeded team remaining – becomes the team to beat in Syracuse. The Sooners were in control from start to finish against #14 seed Albany on Friday, then flexed their defensive muscle in a comeback victory over #11 seed Dayton on Sunday, holding the close-to-home Flyers scoreless for a nine-minute stretch late in the game. Make no mistake – Lon Kruger’s group was never dominant – but it also didn’t rely on any one, dominant offensive performance in order to win. The contributions were across-the-board (Frank Booker even dropped 12 points off the bench on Sunday) and big men TaShawn Thomas and Ryan Spangler provided key physicality down low. Michigan State, Oklahoma’s upcoming foe, also made a good case for ‘favorite’ status after beating #10 seed Georgia and #2 seed Virginia, but it’s about time we give the Sooners their due.

Oklahoma is the new favorite in the East. (Jamie Sabau/Getty)

Horse of Darkness: #8 North Carolina State. Dayton looked well on its way to becoming the Horse of Darkness (yet again) before Oklahoma laid down the defensive hammer in the second half in Columbus. So now we turn to North Carolina State, whose last-second, comeback victory over LSU on Thursday seemed to light a fire under a team that’s often struggled to play up to its potential. The Wolfpack didn’t merely ‘upset’ top-seeded Villanova on Saturday; it controlled the game. It played with confidence. Its modest frontcourt played as well as it has all year. It looked like the better team. Mark Gottfried’s group held the Wildcats – among the most explosive and efficient offenses in college hoops – to just 1.06 points per possession on 31.1 percent shooting (9-of-28 3FG), outmanning the Big East champs on the perimeter and outmuscling them in the paint. The effort was so rock-solid that it makes you wonder just how high this team’s ceiling is. With wins over Duke, North Carolina, Louisville and now Villanova under its belt, perhaps a trip to Indianapolis isn’t out of the question for Mark Gottfried’s Pack.

Biggest Surprise (First Weekend): #8 North Carolina State. Look, we knew North Carolina State had talent – you don’t beat Duke and North Carolina without it – but I’m still not sure anyone saw this coming. The Wolfpack entered the Dance fresh off a 24-point beatdown against the Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament, just two weeks after losing by 16 points to Boston College. To call the team ‘mercurial’ would have been giving it too much credit; Gottfried’s bunch looked downright mediocre. And it looked something less than mediocre for the first 30 minutes against LSU, struggling to contain the Tigers’ loaded frontcourt and digging itself a big hole. Then Kyle Washington exploded with a flurry of points off the bench. And Abdul-Malik Abu went to work down low (13 points). And BeeJay Anya happened. Despite its heavily relied-upon guard trio of Cat Barber, Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner combining on a 4-of-21 three-point shooting night, Noth Carolina State survived and advanced. Two nights later, it came out more confident than ever, jumped on #1 seed Villanova early and never conceded control, upending the Wildcats 71-68. And now the once-middling Wolfpack are just two wins away from reaching the Final Four. Where did that come from? Read the rest of this entry »

Your bracket is busted and the Sweet Sixteen is set. Let’s do a Regional Reset. Follow @rtcMWregion for reporting from Cleveland this week. Check out all of the regional resets for the Sweet Sixteen here.

New Favorite: #1 Kentucky. The new favorite is the old favorite, as there was nothing that happened over the first weekend that suggested a change. Kentucky is now an ungodly 36-0 after easily dispatching #16 Hampton in the round of 64 before overcoming a brief first half scare to ultimately blow past #8 Cincinnati in the round of 32. We all know about Kentucky’s talent level, its excellent defense and its superior depth, but can the Wildcats get to the Final Four with an unscathed record? Right now, it looks like the answer to that question is a resounding yes.

Not much in standing in the way of Kentucky so far. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Horse of Darkness: #7 Wichita State. It is difficult to call a team whose core (with the exception of Cleanthony Early) went 35-1 last year a “horse of darkness,” but the Shockers had to battle through an offensively potent #10 Indiana squad and intrastate rival #2 Kansas to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Wichita State proved during the first weekend that it is a much better team than the #7 seed it earned on Selection Sunday. Point guard Fred VanVleet was terrific all weekend. Shooting guard Ron Baker recovered from a shaky performance against Indiana to greatly contribute to the win over Kansas. Gregg Marshall’s squad also had an unlikely hero step up against the Jayhawks, as forward Evan Wessell (who averaged 4.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game on the season) tallied 12 points (4-of-6 threes) and collected nine rebounds.

Biggest Surprise (First Weekend): The way #8 Cincinnati defeated #9 Purdue. If you want to teach a course on how to NOT close out a basketball game, Purdue’s efforts in the final minute of Thursday’s round of 64 game against Cincinnati should be your textbook. The Boilermakers led by seven points with just 48 seconds left in regulation before allowing the offensively-challenged Bearcats to go on an unbelievable 10-3 run over to force overtime. Cincinnati ultimately emerged victorious in the overtime session, and after the final buzzer sounded, Bearcats associate head coach Larry Davis and his players appeared to be more stunned than anything else. Read the rest of this entry »

Your bracket is busted and the Sweet Sixteen is set. Let’s do a Regional Reset. Follow @rtcsouthregion for reporting from Houston this week. You can find all four regional resets here.

New Favorite: #1 Duke. The Blue Devils are well-positioned to make their first Final Four since 2010. Two wins in Charlotte (by an average of 24.0 PPG) did little to diminish their status as the South Region favorite, even with Gonzaga and Utah also impressively advancing en route to Houston. Duke, 31-4 and trending upwards, has made clear the crown will go through them.

Quinn Cook and Matt Jones Helped Duke Cruise by San Diego State and into the Sweet Sixteen. (Getty)

Horse of Darkness: #11 UCLA. The only double-digit seed left standing in this NCAA Tournament is the South Region’s darkest horse, despite that double-digit seed owning more national titles than any program in the history of college basketball. UCLA’s serendipitous March has been well-documented, but 80 minutes of solid basketball earned the Bruins a trip to Houston and the second weekend. The impediment to advancement (Gonzaga) will be significantly greater in Houston; can UCLA’s mutation into Cinderella maintain itself for another weekend?

Biggest Surprise (First Weekend): #3 Iowa State. It was the quick departure of a pair of #3 seeds from the Big 12 that supplied this year’s NCAA Tournament an early jolt on Thursday afternoon. Baylor’s demise on the other side of the bracket was surprising in its own right, but Iowa State’s loss to UAB was legitimately shocking. Fresh off a takedown of Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament championship game, the Cyclones had entered this tourney with engines revving. The draw was favorable in the South – many believed a Final Four run was in the cards. At worst, a second round victory over 14-point underdog UAB felt like a certainty. But the impossible becomes possible very quickly this time of year; before anyone knew it, Iowa State had become the first casualty of the Madness of March. Read the rest of this entry »

How Sweet it is! From 333 eligibles 21 short days ago to a mere 16 remaining. It was a fun weekend with numerous ups and downs, but the diversity of strength and talent in this year’s Sweet Sixteen looks fantastic. Can’t wait until Thursday night!

Eliminations (03.22.15)

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Rush the Court will be providing wall-to-wall coverage of each of the NCAA Tournament from each of the 13 sites this year. Follow our NCAA Tourney specific Twitter accounts at @RTCeastregion, @RTCMWregion,@RTCsouthregion and @RTCwestregion.

Three Key Takeaways.

West Virginia’s pressure was too much for Maryland tonight. (Joe Maiorana/USA TODAY Sports)

1. West Virginia’s pressure finally wore Maryland down. Maryland was going to turn the ball over – everyone does against West Virginia – but in the first half, it didn’t let those miscues (nine of them) deter it from scoring. The Terrapins shot 54.5 percent from the field and knocked down six threes, breaking the press with enough regularity to stay in the game. Over the final 20 minutes, however, the Mountaineers’ bruising style of play started to wear down Mark Turgeon’s club. Errant passes, five-second calls, rushed possessions – even injury [see below]. Maryland coughed it up 14 times in the second half and only made two shots from behind the arc, clearly suffering from mental and physical fatigue. “They kept throwing a lot of bodies at us,” Terrapins senior Dez Wells said afterwards.
2. Melo Trimble took a beating, and his absence spelled the end for Maryland. Already struggling with injury after falling victim to a hard screen earlier in the game, Maryland’s star freshman was knocked out for good around the seven-minute mark of the second half; a teammate accidentally kneed him in the back of the head as he was falling down in transition. That probably finished off the Terrapins. Trimble is the team’s best offensive playmaker and most accurate three-point shooter, the one guy who could have realistically helped Maryland regain momentum at that point in the contest (still only down by seven). But the team doctors decided he didn’t pass enough concussion tests, and that just about sealed the deal – a brutal end to an otherwise excellent season.
3. West Virginia probably won’t beat Kentucky, but it could give the Wildcats hell. West Virginia’s entire M.O. amounts to this: force turnovers, offensive rebound and out-shoot the opponent. Tonight, the Mountaineers accomplished all of that, forcing 23 turnovers, securing 14 offensive rebounds and attempting 16 more shots than Maryland. It’s an extremely aggressive, extremely simple formula that’s predicated on toughness, energy and the ability to send bodies in waves. But can it work against Kentucky? Maybe so, at least to some degree. One of the Wildcats’ most glaring ‘weaknesses’ (if they have any) is on the defensive glass, where the SEC champs rank 196th nationally in defensive rebounding rate. If Huggins’ group can force more turnovers than Arkansas (which also likes to press) was able to against Kentucky, its ability to crash the glass – in conjunction with that unmatched relentlessness – might be enough to keep it in the game.

Star Player: Devin Williams (16 points, 10 rebounds). For the second straight game, West Virginia’s goggle-wearing forward was a beast on both ends of the court. He hammered the offensive and defensive glass, played great defense around the rim, and led the team in scoring. Williams must keep that going on Thursday night if West Virginia has any designs on a trip to the Elite Eight.

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Rush the Court will be providing wall-to-wall coverage of each of the NCAA Tournament from each of the 13 sites this year. Follow our NCAA Tourney specific Twitter accounts at @RTCeastregion, @RTCMWregion,@RTCsouthregion and @RTCwestregion.

Three Key Takeaways.

It Was All Smiles as Louisville Advanced to Its Fourth Straight Sweet Sixteen (USA Today Images)

1. Four-Point Swing. With 3:45 remaining on the game clock and Northern Iowa still hanging around, sophomore guard Jeremy Morgan was racing upcourt with the ball and a clear path to the basket. With Louisville’s athletes chasing him and their spectacular blocked shots surely in the back of his mind, Morgan opted for a nice dump off pass to teammate Wes Washpun. Washpun’s layup attempt was caught up to and rejected from behind by Louisville’s Wayne Blackshear, leading to a transition opportunity the other way and a Montrezl Harrell dunk to complete a four-point swing that extended the Cardinals’ lead back to eight points. From that point on, the game was never again in doubt.
2. Athleticism. Northern Iowa is a very good basketball team with a spectacular leader in senior Seth Tuttle. But Louisville’s athleticism and length were definitely something the Panthers hadn’t seen a whole lot of. It had a massive effect on that fast break attempt mentioned above and it was a factor throughout the game. The Panthers think they’ve got an open look at a three? Not so fast, as a long and athletic player in white comes swooping in to challenge the attempt. The final numbers show just four Louisville blocked shots for the game, but clean looks were hard to come by for the Panthers. In the first half, the Cards’ defensive pressure forced Northern Iowa into eight turnovers (they average 10.8 turnovers per game) in large part because that athleticism bothered them. The Panthers adjusted and got used to it in the second half, but by then much of the damage was done.
3. Three-Point Shooting. Louisville came into the game shooting 30.5 percent from three on the season, good for 312th in the nation. Northern Iowa’s defensive strategy all year long has been to take away something that its opponent does really well and give up the things it doesn’t do that well. The goal tonight was to pack it in and encourage the Cardinals to shoot a bunch of those threes that they’ve struggled with all year. But when the Cards started the game 5-of-8 from three, it appeared like that decision was backfiring. The Cards cooled down, missing their final three attempts from behind the arc, but still wound up shooting 45.5 percent from three for the game. On the other end, Northern Iowa came in shooting 40 percent from three, good for 10th in the nation. Tonight? Just 6-of-19, or 31.5 percent. This kind of noise in a single-elimination setting is hard to make up for.

Star of the Game.  Terry Rozier. On a team without a bunch of guys who can create their own offense, Louisville puts a lot of pressure on Rozier to score. Against a far less athletic team that those typically found int the ACC, Rozier was mostly unstoppable. He notched 25 points for the game and his early offensive explosion caused the Panthers’ defense to divert another defender to stymie his penetration. He used that newfound attention to dish to his open teammates, leading to seven assists, the second-highest single-game total of his career.

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Rush the Court will be providing wall-to-wall coverage of each of the NCAA Tournament from each of the 13 sites this year. Follow our NCAA Tourney specific Twitter accounts at @RTCeastregion, @RTCMWregion,@RTCsouthregion and @RTCwestregion.

Three Key Takeaways.

Oklahoma dominated Dayton in the final 10 minutes. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

1. Oklahoma cranked up the defense. From about the midway point of the first half to the midway point of the second, Oklahoma’s defense simply wasn’t very good. Dayton found open perimeter look after open perimeter look and slashed to the rim at will, assembling two huge runs – 15-0 and 12-0 – that energized the crowd and put it ahead comfortably. Then the Sooners cranked up the heat. For over nine straight minutes of game time – virtually the entire last quarter – the Flyers did not muster a single point, enabling Lon Kruger’s bunch to overcome its deficit and come out on top. The prolonged stand – punctuated by Buddy Hield’s transition block at the 1:02 mark – showed why Oklahoma ranks among the 10-most efficient defenses in college basketball. The Sooners can lock down.
2. Kendall Pollard’s airballed free-throw may have been a sign. With just under one minute to play and his team down five, Dayton forward Kendall Pollard stepped to the line for a 1-and-1… and promptly missed everything. Net, rim – everything. Maybe it was a sign that the Flyers had finally run out of gas. After playing with great energy against Providence on Friday and for the first 30 minutes tonight, it looked as if Miller’s short-handed group – taking the court for the sixth time in 10 days – just didn’t have the legs to finish. Make no mistake – Oklahoma won this game – but it’s hard to argue that that Dayton’s extremely short turnaround and utter lack of depth (342nd in bench minutes) didn’t play some kind of factor.
3. Lon Kruger deserves some dap. With the victory, Kruger became the first head coach in the expanded NCAA Tournament era to take four different programs to the Sweet Sixteen. That feat is especially impressive when you consider how dire things looked at times tonight; not only did Oklahoma trail by multiple possessions in front of a hostile environment, but several Sooners’ players seemed heated and rattled during a few second half timeouts. Credit the veteran head man for rallying his guys and gutting out the historic win.

Star Player: Buddy Hield (15 points, five assists). Hield was not very efficient tonight (4-of-13 FG) nor did he ever go on a scoring tear, but the 6’4” junior came up with several big defensive plays – including the clutch block – that illustrated why he’s among the best players in the Big 12.

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Rush the Court will be providing wall-to-wall coverage of each of the NCAA Tournament from each of the 13 sites this year. Follow our NCAA Tourney specific Twitter accounts at @RTCeastregion, @RTCMWregion,@RTCsouthregion and @RTCwestregion.

Three Key Takeaways. 

Frank the Tank Showed His Muscle as the Badgers are Sweet Sixteen Bound (USA Today Images)

1. Wisconsin survived a below-average performance. Wisconsin looked like it was in a funk for most of the game but the Badgers still showed flashes of the greatness that they exhibited during the regular season. Oregon hung around for most of the game before Bo Ryan’s team put the Ducks away late. Wisconsin rode a balanced attack from its starters and only turned the ball over six times, but this was not a performance that the Badgers will think fondly of. Nevertheless, they got the result they wanted — a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in Los Angeles. Wisconsin has shown few weaknesses this year so it’s not crazy that they experienced a bit of a lapse here today; what is crazy, though, is that they had such a lapse and still defeated an explosive Oregon team by seven points.
2. Joe Young went down in a blaze of glory. The senior attempted 25 shots on Sunday, more than three times the Ducks’ second-most active shooter, Dillon Brooks. Young, who scored 30 points, might drive a casual college basketball fan up the wall with his gunner tendencies, but his domination of the offense is the very thing that makes Oregon go. He is really the only Duck who is capable of creating space to get his own shot, so Dana Altman’s strategy to ride him for as long as his team could was a reasonable one. Oregon’s going to miss the Pac-12 Player of the Year for his scoring and toughness, but Altman has proven that he can mold a good team around the strengths of his roster. The round of 32 felt like the limit for Joe Young and this year’s Oregon team, but they should be proud of the way they battled and challenged the most fundamentally sound team in the country.
3. Sam Dekker’s stock grew tonight. Dekker has been somewhat of an afterthought with all the publicity centered around Frank Kaminsky this season, but tonight he showcased his entire basketball arsenal. He dunked, defended, blocked shots, sank threes and took care of the basketball. Without him lifting the Badgers, this game would have been even closer at the buzzer. He led the Badgers with 17 points and seven rebounds, but he did so without stealing the show. Dekker’s ability is so often hidden among Wisconsin’s great balance (outside of his magnificent dunks), so it’s great to see him get some of the recognition that he’s deserved all year long.

Star of the game. Sam Dekker. Dekker guided the Wisconsin offense through an atypically mediocre offensive performance here on Friday, sinking two clutch three-pointers and scoring 14 points in the second half to push the Badgers into the Round of 32. Dekker was the only Badger in double-figure scoring in the second stanza today, as he took over as the Badgers’ primary scorer in Sunday’s win.

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Rush the Court will be providing wall-to-wall coverage of each of the NCAA Tournament from each of the 13 sites this year. Follow our NCAA Tourney specific Twitter accounts at @RTCeastregion, @RTCMWregion,@RTCsouthregion and @RTCwestregion.

Three Key Takeaways.

Gonzaga Rolled into the Sweet Sixteen Today in Seattle (USA Today Images)

1. Skilled Bigs. In order to have a chance to beat Gonzaga, you’ve need size to deal with their trio of bigs – Kyle Wiltjer, Prezemek Karnowski, and Domantas Sabonis. But simply having size is not enough to slow down this group. Wiltjer, as he showed tonight, has the ability to step out well beyond the three-point line and rain jumpers from deep. Karnowski’s nimble feet and deft passing ability belie his 288 pounds and brick-wall defensive ability. And Sabonis’ intelligence and polished post moves are impressive for an 18-year-old freshman. The left-handed Karnowski and Sabonis present a different look for defenses. Oh, and these guys go 6’10”, 7’1”, 6’10”, respectively. They fouled out Iowa bigs Adam Woodbury and Gabe Olaseni and got three fouls on Aaron White. They scored 40 points in the paint and dominated on the glass. There aren’t a lot of teams in the nation outside of Lexington, Kentucky, that can match the Zags’ imposing and talented size.
2. Useful Parts. You know all about those Gonzaga bigs. You also know about senior guards Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell. But something that will serve the Bulldogs extremely well from here on out is some of their bit pieces deeper down their bench. Kyle Dranginis has been described by head coach Mark Few as a “Swiss Army knife,” a guy who can do a little bit of everything. Tonight, after Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff got off to a hot start draining sevearl mid-range jumpers, Dranginis earned that assignment for large stretches for the final three-quarters of the game, challenging his shots and generally making him uncomfortable. Vanderbilt transfer Eric McClellan only played 12 minutes but he served as an athletic defensive stopper on the perimeter, a tertiary ball-handler and another veteran leader. And then there’s USC transfer Byron Wesley who, although a starter and a double-figure scorer, flies under the radar. He’s another guy who Few can rely on as a lockdown defender on the perimeter against teams with strong guards. The stars on this team are one thing, but this Gonzaga roster checks off every box you look for in a Final Four contender.
3. Defensive Questions, Still. Look, the Zags were phenomenal on offense today. The final numbers – 1.28 points per possession, 13-of-21 from three, 74% eFG. Those are ridiculous offensive statistics. But we know this is a talented team offensively. If this team is going to get to a Final Four, they’re going to need to get some stops. Iowa tonight did not have a lot of things go well for it, but they still shot a better than 50% eFG and averaged a point per possession. Gonzaga has some nice defensive pieces but they’ve also got some liabilities. How far they will go may depend on how well they can mask those issues.

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Rush the Court will be providing wall-to-wall coverage of each of the NCAA Tournament from each of the 13 sites this year. Follow our NCAA Tourney specific Twitter accounts at @RTCeastregion, @RTCMWregion,@RTCsouthregion and @RTCwestregion.

Three Key Takeaways.

The Shockers Are Living It Up Tonight (USA Today Images)

1. Wichita State wanted it more. If you tuned in to the game at any point during the action today in Omaha, this was plainly obvious. Kansas, loaded with NBA-bound talent, simply acted like it didn’t feel like playing very hard today. A lot of that should fall on head coach Bill Self, who was unable to coerce any sort of fire or emotion from his guys. For a week now, the nation had anticipated this Sunflower State battle that the Selection Committee so generously mapped out for us, and still the Jayhawks had trouble amping up. But do NOT get caught up in thinking that an “underdog” Wichita State team somehow toppled a Goliath in Kansas today — it didn’t. Wichita State is incredibly talented and well-coached, which makes Kansas’ lack of total effort that much more disappointing. Fred VanVleet is one of the best point guards in the country. Ron Baker and Tekele Cotton are vastly underrated sidekicks, and the Shockers’ bench is more than formidable. Good luck getting on Kansas’ schedule now, Shockers, because this only furthers the notion that the Jayhawks have nothing to gain from playing their intrastate rivals from the MVC.
2. If you know where Wayne Selden or Kelly Oubre are, give Bill Self a call. Kansas’ team is loaded with excellent players but it shouldn’t be a stretch to ask Selden and Oubre to perform like the future NBA players that they are. They were nearly nonexistent today. Selden was 0-of-5 from the field and committed two turnovers, with his only positive contributions coming in the form of one offensive rebound and one steal. Oubre found some life late in the game, as he finished with nine points and three makes from the free throw line. Still, he went 3-of-9 from the field and was hassled constantly by Wichita State’s wings, never finding a clean look at the rim. When Frank Mason fouled out of the game late in the second half, Self put in Svi Mykhailiuki over his future pro, Selden. Mason, Ellis and Devonte’ Graham carried the load for the Jayhawks, and we’ll never know just how different the game may have gone if Selden or Oubre had done anything.
3. Excuse me if you’ve heard this one before: Fred VanVleet is a killer. There’s no question who the best point guard in Kansas is. VanVleet again gave way to a strong first half to his counterpart Frank Mason, giving up nine points and allowing Mason to routinely drive into the lane. But VanVleet shut him down in the second half, playing a heavy role in forcing him into five turnovers. VanVleet was only 4-of-12 from the field, but he consistently found his way to the rim, drawing fouls and defenders away from their primary assignments. Wichita State went 10-of-20 from three-point range, and while VanVleet only made a couple of those, he undoubtedly was the primary reason that the Shockers found so many good looks from three. It’s common knowledge that the Rockford, Illinois, product is the Shockers’ emotional leader – but it’s naive to think that the Shockers’ needed any more motivation than their false moniker of “little brother.”

Star of the game. Evan Wessel. The Shockers’ “garbage man” had to deal with former high school teammate Perry Ellis in the post all game long, conceding 17 points to the Jayhawks’ big man. Keep in mind that Ellis has more than four inches on him, though, and that Wessel still grabbed nine rebounds to Ellis’ total of eight. Wessel only scored 12 points, all of them coming from the three-point line, but each shot was a mini-dagger to the Jayhawks’ hopes of mounting any sort of comeback.

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