RADIO
The Sweet Sixteen is set for this year’s NCAA Tournament after some great games Sunday.
After the first No. 1 seed (Villanova) lost Saturday in the round of 32, two No. 2 seeds fell Sunday. Many of the teams that are still in the tournament have recently been to the Final Four, and still many have earned the Division I championship. However, there are others still looking to win their first title.
Here are a few notes from Sunday’s games:
- Two No. 2 seeds ended their season Sunday. Kansas dropped to No. 7 Wichita State in the Midwest Region, 78-65, and the Jayhawks finish their season 27-9. It marked the second consecutive season Kansas fell in the round of 32 as a No. 2 seed. All five Shockers starters scored in double figures, led by guard Tekele Cotton. Perhaps now we know why this matchup of teams from The Sunflower State doesn’t happen during the regular season. (Nostalgia: The teams hadn’t played since 1993, when Kansas scored more than 100 points in nearly doubling up the Shockers, who scored just over 50 points.)
- The other No. 2 seed to fall was Atlantic Coast Conference regular season champion Virginia, which dropped a 60-54 contest against No. 7 Michigan State, which ended the Cavaliers’ season in 2014 as well. Virginia finished the season 30-4. Tom Izzo is now 13-1 in the round of 32.
- Two No 1 seeds punched their tickets to the Sweet Sixteen on Sunday. Wisconsin beat Oregon 72-65 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight season and fourth in five seasons. Wisconsin was among the Final Four participants. Oregon’s loss was the first for the Pac-12 in this year’s tournament (7-1). Guard Joseph Young scored the most points (30) since the round of 64 was set.
- Duke beat No. 8 San Diego State 68-49, with the 19-point victory tied for the biggest win Sunday. For San Diego State, the Aztecs’ 49 points were a school-record low in the NCAA Tournament. Duke advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2013.
- The only No. 2 seeded team to win Sunday was Gonzaga, which defeated Iowa convincingly, 87-68. The Bulldogs’ 87 points were the most on the day. This marks the first Sweet Sixteen for Gonzaga since 2009.
- No. 3 Oklahoma is the highest seeded team remaining in the East Region, after the Sooners beat the No. 11 Dayton Flyers 72-66; the six-point contest was tied for the closest game of the day. This is Oklahoma’s first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2009. Head coach Lon Kruger has now taken four schools to the Sweet Sixteen.
- No. 5 West Virginia advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2010 as the Mountaineers defeated No. 4 Maryland, 69-59. West Virginia didn’t participate in the NCAA Tournament in 2013 or 2014. The last time West Virginia made it this far, the Mountaineers went to the Final Four. Next up: Kentucky.
- No. 4 Louisville eliminated No. 5 Northern Iowa 66-53 in the East Region, and will take on fellow ACC foe North Carolina State next. Louisville is seeking the same magic that carried them to the NCAA Tournament title just two years ago.
- The ACC has five teams in the Sweet Sixteen (Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Louisville), a conference record. The Pac-12 (Arizona, UCLA, Utah) has three, while the Big 10 (Wisconsin, Michigan State) and Big 12 (West Virginia, Oklahoma) each have two remaining teams.
- Six programs returned to the Sweet Sixteen from 2014: UCLA, Michigan State, Arizona, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Louisville.
- Of this year’s Sweet Sixteen participants, 10 schools have won at least one national championship: Louisville, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, Arizona, UCLA, North Carolina State, Utah, Wisconsin.
- Of this year’s Sweet Sixteen participants, six schools are still seeking a national championship: West Virginia, Notre Dame, Wichita State, Xavier, Oklahoma, Gonzaga.
- Thirteen games in the NCAA Tournament have been separated by three points or less. None of those games occurred Sunday.
- The average margin of victory in Sunday’s games was 11.63 points (Saturday’s average was 9.88 points, Friday’s average was 12.19 points, Thursday’s average was 9.13 points). That means that the average during the 48 games so far is 11.08 points.
- Villanova’s 41-point victory over Lafayette on Thursday remains the largest margin of victory in this year’s tournament. Duke and Gonzaga’s 19-point wins were the largest of Sunday’s games.
- Joseph Young of Oregon scored 30 points Sunday, the most of any player on the day. BYU’s Tyler Haws leads all players in single-game scoring, with 33 points in the First Four game loss to Old Miss on Wednesday.
