NCAA tournament: Duke advances to the Final Four
USA TODAY Sports’ Scott Gleeson explains how Duke secured a place in the Final Four of the 2022 NCAA tournament.
US TODAY
A quartet of traditional college basketball players will meet in New Orleans next weekend for the men’s Final Four.
North Carolina and Kansas potted their tickets in dominating fashion on Sunday. The No. 8 seeded Tar Heels ended a Cinderella run by Saint Peter’s with a 65-42 smash. Next Saturday they meet arch-rival Duke in a national semi-final.
Meanwhile, No. 1 Kansas fell behind early Sunday but turned on the Jets to defeat No. 10 Miami 76-50. The Jayhawks face Villanova in the other Final Four match.
The women take over prime time when their Elite Eight kicks off. Dawn Staley’s No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks take on Creighton (7 p.m. ESPN), No.10-seed Creighton, and No.1 Stanford, the reigning national champion, battle No.2 Texas (9 p.m. ESPN).
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NOT YET MIDNIGHT: Among the 10 most surprising Cinderellas of the NCAA tournament is Saint Peter’s
ELITE EIGHT: Winners and losers of Saturday games
Villanova will be without starting guard Justin Moore for the remainder of its NCAA tournament run, the school confirmed Sunday in an expected but nonetheless disappointing announcement.
Moore went down late in the Wildcats’ Elite Eight win over Houston Saturday night in San Antonio with a right leg injury. He was on crutches watching the game during the team’s hushed celebration. The school announced Sunday that an MRI confirmed an Achilles tendon rupture that requires surgery, leaving the Wildcats without a key contributor as they prepare to face Kansas at next Saturday’s Final Four in New Orleans.
“This is a huge blow to all of us, not only because of the amazing player that Justin is, but also because of his importance to us as teammates and as a coach,” coach Jay Wright said in a statement.
Not only is Moore considered the Wildcats’ best individual defenseman, he’s also second on the team in points (14.8) and assists (2.3).
– Eddie Timanos
Saint Peter’s started slow, the Tar Heels jumped early on the Peacocks, and North Carolina doubled their underdog opponent at halftime. The Tar Heels are looking set to advance to the Final Four – and a possible showdown against bitter rival Duke – after forging a 38-19 lead in the first 20 minutes of the game.
North Carolina had two players, guard Caleb Love (12 points) and forward Brady Manek (10) scoring in double digits. On the glass, forward Armando Bacot was a threat and amassed 15 rebounds.
The Peacocks struggled significantly from the ground, scoring on only 22.6% (7 of 31) of their attempts. Their top scorer, striker Hassan Drame, only had 5 points. Perhaps most concerning for Saint Peter’s is that the team wants to rely on something it hasn’t done well since a first-round stunner against Kentucky: shooting well from three-point range. The Peacocks went just 1 of 11 (9%) from across the arc against North Carolina, giving them a 22.2% (10-45) clip in their last three games.
The last chance for a double-figured underdog to secure a spot in the men’s Final Four lies with the tournament’s Cinderella favorites, No. 15 St. Peter’s. The Peacocks’ game against No. 8 North Carolina is underway and the Tar Heels took a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.
Saint Peter’s opened the game 0-of-3 from the ground with questionable shot selection, leading to an uncharacteristically early timeout from Peacocks coach Shaheen Holloway.
Incidentally, the gap of seven points for St. Peter is the largest that has ever existed in the tournament.
CHICAGO — Kansas returns to the Final Four and finds another gear in the second half to embarrass 10th-seeded Miami (Fla.) 76-50 in Sunday’s Elite Eight and win the Midwest Region title gain
It wasn’t easy for the eventual No. 1 men’s NCAA tournament as the Hurricanes were all guns blazing and hoping to upset the crowd with a double-figure seed. Kansas did itself a disservice by playing poorly in the first half — 35-29 behind, 0-to-5 from beyond the arc and 3-to-9 from the free-throw line.
But four minutes into the second half, veteran Christian Braun (12 points) helped the Jayhawks (32-6) with a thunderous dunk and a three-pointer to give Kansas a crucial lead they weren’t about to give up. Bigman David McCormack (15 points) has been a supportive force for Kansas throughout the contest, while reserve man Remy Martin (nine points) — having posted 43 points in the last two games — has been cooling off this round.
– Scott Gleeson
Give glory to the Jayhawks.
After a sluggish first half, they came out with energy and pace, using Miami in transition to open a lead that’s approaching double figures midway through the second half, playing 49-42 and just over 11.
Miami was unable to get back into the transition phase from the start of the game and they’re now starting the half with that Kansas energy
— Dan Clouds (@DanClouds) March 27, 2022
A major problem for the Hurricanes that led to those fast breaks in Kansas was poor ball handling, which resulted in turnovers. Kansas had fought back to play the game at 38 with 16:55. After a Miami bucket, the Jayhawks ripped off an 8-0 run to extend their lead.
Forward David McCormack was instrumental in turning Kansas around and now has 15 points and 4 rebounds. Two other Jayhawks have hit double digits, with guards Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun each yielding 10 chips.
Don’t look now, but after periods of shaky play throughout the tournament, No. 1 Kansas could be on alert. And that’s thanks in large part to Miami guard Kameron McGusty, who was the team’s only player in double figures with 14 points.
The Hurricanes went into the dressing room with a 35-29 lead at halftime after finishing on a 9-2 run.
McGusty flashed confidence in his jump shot, knocking down five of 10 attempts in the half. Guard Isaiah Wong added eight points, and together they made up 62.9% of Miami’s offense.
However, one area where the Jayhawks could gain significant ground in the second half is beyond the arc. Kansas ranked 74th in the country in 3-point shooting this season, and it showed against the Hurricanes. The Jayhawks failed to convert any of their five attempts from 3-point range.
Forward David McCormack led all Kansas scorers with seven points, while guards Ochai Agbaji and Remy Martin had six points each.
The first game of the day is officially live as No. 10 Miami take on top seeded Kansas Jayhawks. The Hurricanes are the first of two double-seeded teams to play in Sunday’s Elite Eight in the men’s division, while No. 15 team Saint Peter is the other.
The good thing about Miami is that its head coach already has underdog experience.
Jim Larrañaga became an instant celebrity when he steered a lovable George Mason team to the Final Four and then stayed for five seasons before leaving for his current job in 2011. But the last decade has never fueled similar success at a more competitive level.
The 72-year-old coach took the Hurricanes to the Sweet 16 in 2013 and 2016, but he didn’t make the same breakthrough as Miami lost three straight seasons before reaching that NCAA tournament as a team playing its way out of the bubble . It’s the deepest March Madness run in the history of the football-rich school.
“I think my boys realize that it doesn’t happen every day,” said Larrañaga. “For Kansas yes, but not for Miami.”
– Scott Gleeson
The Peacocks will be the underdogs again next Sunday when they face off against a deeper and more talented opponent with decades of history to more than overshadow the Peacocks’ three-game run.
But to beat another college basketball giant, all we need is what we already know the Peacocks can bring to the table: Saint Peter’s reached the Elite Eight with energy, aggressiveness and composure, modeled after the steadfast coach Shaheen Holloway, and the same combination will give the Peacocks a chance to secure an even more permanent place in NCAA tournament history.
“We’re happy, but make no mistake, we’re not happy, we’re not happy at all,” Warden Doug Edert said. “The work is not finished yet. We feel like we belong and the more games we win the more confidence we build.”
– Paul Myerberg
Before the Men’s Final Four can be determined, there are two more New Orleans tickets to be dealt in Sunday’s Elite Eight Matchups.
No. 10 Miami vs. No. 1 Kansas … and … No. 15 St. Peter vs. No. 8 UNC. Who do you have?
Here’s a breakdown of why you should check out both games today.
Blue Devils fans want a sixth national championship for legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski before his farewell tour ends.
“I’m going to be shocked when Duke doesn’t become a national champion,” said Arkansas coach Eric Musselman after watching the Blue Devils dissect his team at the Chase Center in the West Regional’s Elite Eight.
– Josh Peter