HoopsHD continues its simulation of what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t). Up next it is time to continue with the First and Second rounds of the NCAA Tournament with a look at the fourth and final of the four pods in the South Region. These games were to be played in Albany, New York and featured an always entertaining 7 vs 10 matchup between Illinois and Oklahoma, followed by 2-seed Villanova taking on 15-seed Georgia Southern. Who would have advanced to the Sweet 16 from this pod? It is time to find out!
FIRST ROUND – SOUTH REGION – ALBANY, NEW YORK
(7) Illinois vs (10) Oklahoma
The final first and second round pod in the South Region was being played in Albany, New York, and started with the Big Ten’s 7-seed Illinois taking on the Big 12’s 10-seed Oklahoma. Brad Underwood’s Illini surprised this season with a 4th place finish in the tough Big Ten, winning 21 games overall heading into the Big Dance. The Oklahoma Sooners were one of four teams to finish 9-9 in Big 12 play but needed a few key late-season wins, including one over Texas Tech, to lock up their spot in the Tournament.
A 7 vs 10 matchup always has a chance to be a great game that comes down to the final minutes, and this one was no exception. Illinois grabbed the early lead and held a 47-43 advantage at the halftime break. The Sooners stormed back early in the second and eventually opened up at 10 point lead at 67-57, about halfway through the period. A 13-3 Illini run knotted the game at 72. From there, it was back-and-forth the rest of the way. Kofi Cockburn’s layup with a minute left gave Illinois a 3-point edge. Oklahoma then had four different chances to tie the game, thanks in part to poor free throw shooting by the Illini, but could not get the ball through the net. Illinois won, 83-80, behind 17 points each from Cockburn and Trent Frazier.
Final Score: (7) Illinois 73, (10) Oklahoma 70
(2) Villanova vs (15) Georgia Southern
The Villanova Wildcats won the national championship in both 2016 and 2018. This season, they looked to continue their every-other-year streak by taking home the 2020 championship as well. The path to a title would begin with a matchup against the automatic bid winners from the Sun Belt, the Georgia Southern Eagles. Georgia Southern was in the Big Dance for only the fourth time ever and the first since 1992. Although the Eagles entered the tournament with 22 victories under their belts, it would take a huge upset for them to defeat Villanova in this game.
15 seeds had knocked off 2 seeds before, though these types of upsets were rare indeed. This was the South Region, however — a region that had already seen its 4, 5 and 6 seeds all go down in the first round. So adding the 2 seed to that list should not have come as too much of a shock, and seemed to be a reality when the Eagles came out on fire building a 43-28 halftime lead. Villanova knew how to win games, however, and came out with guns blazing in the second half. With just over 5 minutes left to play, the Eagles’ lead was down to 6. However, Georgia Southern was not done yet. Back-to-back jumpers from Isaiah Crawley extended the lead to 10. Villanova tried to make one last run, but the Wildcats simply ran out of time, and the biggest upset of the tournament so far was in the books — 2-seed Villanova was gone and Georgia Southern was moving on.
Final Score: (15) Georgia Southern 82, (2) Villanova 75
SOUTH REGION – SECOND ROUND – ALBANY, NEW YORK
(7) Illinois vs (15) Georgia Southern
Only once since the field has expanded to 64 or more teams had a 15 seed advanced to the second weekend and the Sweet 16. The Georgia Southern Eagles, following their amazing upset of Villanova, had a chance to join Florida Gulf Coast on that very short list. To get there, however, the Eagles would have to defeat the Brad Underwood’s Illini, a team that had shown a ton of heart in their first round win over Oklahoma.
Given how the first two rounds had played out so far in the South Region, another upset win would not have been a shock. In fact, Georgia Southern was right there in striking distance, trailing by only 6 points at the halftime break. The Illini tried to pull away several times, but the Eagles kept responding, pulling the score to 62-60 with just under 6 minutes left to play. Illinois did not let up, and with one final strong push and some key free throw shooting, the Illini notched the victory and punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 by a final score of 79-70. Kofi Cockburn led the way with 17 points and 10 boards for the victors.
Final Score: (7) Illinois 79, (15) Georgia Southern 70
