Just a few games left in the round of 32. Here's what Sweet 16 looks like right now:
EAST REGION (in Boston):
(1) Connecticut or Northwestern v. San Diego St. or Yale
(4) Iowa St. v. (10) Illinois
WEST REGION (in Los Angeles):
(5) N. Carolina v. (19) Alabama or Grand Canyon
(9) Arizona v. Clemson
SOUTH REGION (in Dallas):
(2) Houston or Texas A & M v. (13) Duke
(8) Marquette v. N. Carolina St.
MIDWEST REGION (in Detroit):
(3) Purdue v. (18) Gonzaga
(6) Tennessee v. (11) Creighton
The potential Elite Eight games are looking very strong. All the one and two seeds are still alive. UConn is going to beat Northwestern, so the only question left is whether A & M can upset Houston.
This is the third straight year Baylor has gone out in the Second Round.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think UK should only hire coaches who are looking to win their First National Championship.
ReplyDeleteYes.
DeleteMeanwhile, Bryce Drew -- who is possibly the worst coach Vanderbilt ever had in any sport -- has Grand Canyon in a battle with Alabama. The Tide leads 38-32 early in the second half.
ReplyDeleteBryce Drew was at Vandy for three seasons. In 2017, he went 10-8 in the SEC and was a number-9 seed in the NCAA's. In 2018, he went 6-12 in the SEC. In 2019, he went 0-18 in the SEC. It's literally the worst coaching job I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteOf course, Vandy's big idea was to bring in Jerry Stackhouse, and that didn't work either.
DeleteSo Vandy and U of L are both looking for new coaches, and the situation at UK is unstable. I can't remember this much unrest in a long time.
DeleteOur neighbors in West Virginia filled their job -- they are bringing in the coach from Drake.
DeleteOn December 16, Houston beat Texas A & M 70 to 66.
ReplyDeleteThis game, of ocurse, is a Classic Southwest matchup. Whichever team wins will be the only Classic Southwest member in the Sweet 16.
ReplyDeleteUConn leads Northwestern 49 to 22 with 16:56 left in the game. People have no idea how great UConn really is. This is the best team since Florida went back-to-back.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, I have very little idea how great UConn is.
DeleteAlabama and Grand Canyon are tied at 55 with 6:25 left in the game.
ReplyDeleteSome UK fans have talked about bringing in Nate Oats from Alabama, but losing to Grand Canyon would be a terrible result.
ReplyDeleteHouston leads 27-20 with 7:32 left in the first half.
ReplyDeleteHouston leads 30-24 with 5:33 left in the first half. Wade Taylor IV is 0-6 for the field and has no points.
ReplyDeleteAlabama beats Grand Canyon 72 to 61, and the Classic SEC gets two teams -- Tennessee and Alabama -- into the Sweet 16.
ReplyDelete(2) Houston 32 - 32 Texas A & M (3:15 left in first half)
ReplyDeleteHouston leads 43-38 at the half. A & M has killed itself at the line -- the Aggies are 11 of 22 on free throws. Wade Taylor IV has only 1 point.
ReplyDeleteThe radio announcers are talking about how Buzz Williams made changes to A & M's approach. I didn't know coaches could do that.
ReplyDelete(2) Houston 57 - 48 Texas A & M (13:15 left)
ReplyDeleteA & M calls time. I didn't know coaches could do that, either.
(2) Houston 63 - 55 Texas A & M (7:51 left)
ReplyDeleteWade Taylor IV has only 6 points. The Aggies are 13-26 from the line. And those two facts are going to end their season.
UConn rolls over Northwestern 75 to 58.
ReplyDelete(2) Houston 69 - 61 Texas A & M (4:29 left)
ReplyDeleteA & M played hard, but 5-15 from 3-point range and 16-30 from the line isn't enough to get it done against Houston. The Cougars have dominated Wade Taylor IV, who is 1-8 from three-point range and 1-6 from 2-point range.
San Diego State is crushing Yale, 39 to 19, and that will be the last game until Thursday.
ReplyDeleteHere's the final breakdown of the Sweet 16:
ReplyDeleteClassic ACC: 4 (UNC, Duke, NCSU, Clemson)
Classic SEC: 2 (Tenn., Ala.)
Classic Big 10: 2 (Purdue, Illinois)
Classic Big East: 1 (UConn)
Classic Southwest: 1 (Houston)
Classic Pac 10: 1 (Arizona)
Classic Big 8: 1 (Iowa St.)
Classic WAC: 1 (San Diego St.)
Classic WCC: 1 (Gonzaga)
Classic MVC: 1 (Creighton)
Classic Independent: 1 (Marquette)
(2) Houston 86 - 83 Texas A & M (10.1 seconds left)
ReplyDeleteA & M has the ball down three. Wade Taylor IV has scored 10 points in the last four minutes of the game. He is now 2-9 from three-point range, 2-11 from two-point range, and 6-7 from the line. The Aggies have made 12 of their last 13 free throws, and are now 25-39 from the line in this game. Two of Houston's starters have fouled out.
Taylor shoots a three-pointer from the logo. It bangs off the back rim. He gets the rebound and tries an awkward three-pointer. It misses. There's a tie-up on the rebound and the Aggies get the ball with 1.2 seconds left. Houston calls time.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine what it would be like to have a three-point lead with less than 10 seconds to go and see the other team miss a three-pointer. I wonder how that feels.
ReplyDeleteHouston went to the well once too often. With 1.2 seconds left, the Aggies inbound to Andersson Garcia, who nails a three at the buzzer to send us to overtime. 86 to 86.
ReplyDeleteA & M scored 25 points in the last 4 1/2 minutes of regulation.
ReplyDeleteHouston leads 99 to 95 with 13.6 seconds left in OT. Four of Houston's starters have fouled out, and the other starter has four fouls. Houston had to put in a guy who had only taken four free throws all year, and he made one of two to give them a four-point lead. Aggie ball.
ReplyDeleteTyrece Radford misses a three-pointer with 10 seconds left, Houston gets the rebound, and this might finally do it.
ReplyDeleteIf Houston wins, they will become the first team since 1987 to win a game in which four players fouled out.
ReplyDeleteHouston wins 100 to 95 in overtime. San Diego State crushes Yale. And that completes the Sweet 16.
ReplyDeleteJon Rothstein reports that Vandy is looking to hire Mark Byington of James Madison as its next head coach.
ReplyDeleteThis strikes me as a solid choice for Vandy. The question, as always with this type of hire, is whether he will be able to recruit at the SEC level. Most of these guys cannot do so -- but some of them (like Billy Donovan or Nate Oats) can. We'll find out with Byington. But at least he knows how to coach, and he will probably get the most out of the talent he has -- and that will be an improvement over recent years at Vandy.
DeleteHere's Vandy's final ranking on Ken Pom since 2019:
Delete2019: 155
2020: 169
2021: 104
2022: 64
2023: 81
2024: 187
I'm pretty sure Byington can do better than that.
According to the rumors on Twitter, Cal is going to do his radio show tonight.
ReplyDelete