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Yesterday turned out to be a rare day where all the higher seeded teams ended up winning their games, but there was a lot more drama involved compared to Saturday’s games that started with a bang and ended with a pop.
Note: Also be on the lookout later tonight for our Sweet 16 Podcast from the Hoops HD panel.
Columbus
The opening game between Tennessee and Iowa looked like it was going to be the game of the weekend; the Vols raced to a 20-point lead before Iowa mounted a furious 2nd-half comeback to tie the game with three minutes remaining. Vol fans were having flashbacks to their Sweet 16 collapse against Ohio State, but never trailed the Hawkeyes despite the game going to overtime. Grant Williams led the Vols with 19 points and 7 rebounds; they move on to meet Purdue in Louisville in the South Region.
North Carolina played like they were scared straight against Iona; they methodically took an 8-point lead at halftime and shifted into overdrive in the 2nd half as they outscored the Huskies by 16 points en route to an 81-59 victory. They will face Auburn in the Midwest Region in their next game.
Columbia
It is said that most national title contenders have to survive either one subpar outing on their end or a stellar outing from the opposing team – Duke was definitely facing survival mode after falling behind by 4 points with under 2 minutes remaining against Central Florida. Once they cut the deficit to 3, Duke managed to parlay a layup by Zion Williamson into an offensive rebound (off of a missed FT) and subsequent layup by RJ Barrett. UCF had a couple of point-blank looks at the basket in the closing seconds, but Duke escaped and will now move on to the East Region in Washington, DC.
Virginia also went on a late run in the first half to take control of their game against Oklahoma; they had a stress-free 2nd half and ended up beating the Sooners 63-51. They are in the Sweet 16 for the first time in three years and will be aiming for their first Final Four appearance since 1984.
Tulsa
Texas Tech is the lone team remaining in the NCAA Tournament out of the rough-and-tumble Big 12, but they had no difficulty in blasting Buffalo out of the tournament with an easy 78-58 victory. This is the first time in school history that the Red Raiders will appear in back-to-back Sweet 16s; they will face Michigan in the West Region.
There was a bit of a dust-up between Houston and Ohio State as the Cougars took an 8-point lead at halftime, but no hard feelings really lingered as Houston rolled to a comfortable 74-59 victory over the Buckeyes for their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1984. They will play Kentucky in the Midwest Region.
San Jose
Liberty made a gallant run for a 2nd straight upset bid, but it was not meant to be as Virginia Tech survived a late run by the Flames; the Hokies ended up winning 67-58 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1967. It was also Buzz Williams’ 100th victory with the Hokies; their reward will be a matchup with Duke in the East Region.
In the nightcap, what looked like an Oregon blowout suddenly turned into a potential Cinderella story as UC-Irvine started the 2nd half with a 14-0 run to take a 2-point lead. Oregon did have an answer with a 15-3 to retake control of the game and ended up winning 73-54. The Ducks will now move on to the South Region where they will be matched up with Virginia.