Top seeds vie for final 2 Final Four spots
March 25, 2018
Loyola-Chicago and Sister Jean have completed their divine run to the Final Four. Michigan joined the Ramblers in completing the road to San Antonio.
The upstarts had their fun on the left side of the bracket. Now the final two of the Final Four will be determined by the high seeds on the right.
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 2 Duke in a blueblood showdown in Omaha for the Midwest Region title. No. 1 Villanova and No. 3 Texas Tech in Boston to take the East.
Yeah, this is going to be fun.
The Jayhawks and Blue Devils are among the premier programs in college basketball, combining for eight national championships.
Duke won its last national title in 2015 behind one-and-done star Jahlil Okafor. The Blue Devils have another one-and-doner in Marvin Bagley III and a player from the last championship team, senior Grayson Allen - even if he was only a bit player back then.
Duke (29-7) lived up to expectations as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, beating Iona, Rhode Island and Syracuse to reach the Elite Eight.
Waiting for the Blue Devils will be Kansas and coach Bill Self, 2-7 in Elite Eights for his career. The Jayhawks (30-7) were No. 1 in the Midwest and have played like it, beating Penn, Seton Hall and Clemson to reach their third straight regional final.
For all those upsets in this maddest of Marches, the teams at No. 2 and No. 3 in all-time wins will be going head to head for a spot in the Final Four.
''It's great when you have two programs of this nature, this status in the history of our game play for a Final Four berth,'' Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. ''It's good for the sport.''
This battle of bluebloods will have not one great individual matchup to watch, but two.
One will come in the paint. Bagley has been one of the game's best players as a freshman, an athletic 7-footer who can shoot from the perimeter, drive to the basket and soar for alley-oops. He's expected to be one of the top picks in this year's NBA draft, possibly No. 1 overall.
Waiting for him in the middle will be Kansas sophomore big man Udoka Azubuike, who's a load and finally healthy after a strained knee ligament knocked him out of the perimeter.
The other duel to keep an eye on: Allen against Kansas guard Devonte Graham.
Graham was the Big 12 player of the year and Allen is the feisty straw that stirs the Blue Devils and emotions - on both sides.
''It'll be a tough game, but it's going to be a fun game,'' Self said. ''We know we've got our hands full, but we like to think they have their hands full too.''
D IN THE EAST: If you like defensive basketball, the East Region final is for you.
Villanova is known for its 3-point shooting and rightly so, but the Wildcats (33-4) have dominated defensively as they've made their way through the bracket. Villanova held its first three opponents to 38 percent shooting overall and 28 percent from the 3-point arc.
Texas Tech (27-9) has used its depth and length to wear opponents down, allowed 66 points or less through three games of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders matched one of the nation's toughest defensive teams swat for swat in the Sweet 16, knocking off West Virginia to reach the Elite Eight for the first time.
''They're very similar,'' Villanova's Jalen Brunson said. ''They come from a conference with a lot of athletes, a lot of great coaches, a lot of great defensive schemes. They're physical. They play hard. I mean, they wouldn't be in this position if they didn't do those things.''
LUCKY NO. 11: Loyola continued its magical run through the bracket by blasting Kansas State in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. The Ramblers become the third No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four, joining LSU (1986), George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011).
Loyola hopes to make even more history by become the first to reach the title game; the three previous teams lost in the national semifinals.
''After Selection Sunday, we didn't say, `Hey, let's go to the Final Four,''' Loyola coach Porter Moser said. ''We said, what do we got to do to beat Miami, and then it was the next game, and then it was the next game. These guys have done an amazing job on laser-like focus on what's right in front of them instead of skipping steps.''
March 25, 2018
Loyola-Chicago and Sister Jean have completed their divine run to the Final Four. Michigan joined the Ramblers in completing the road to San Antonio.
The upstarts had their fun on the left side of the bracket. Now the final two of the Final Four will be determined by the high seeds on the right.
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 2 Duke in a blueblood showdown in Omaha for the Midwest Region title. No. 1 Villanova and No. 3 Texas Tech in Boston to take the East.
Yeah, this is going to be fun.
The Jayhawks and Blue Devils are among the premier programs in college basketball, combining for eight national championships.
Duke won its last national title in 2015 behind one-and-done star Jahlil Okafor. The Blue Devils have another one-and-doner in Marvin Bagley III and a player from the last championship team, senior Grayson Allen - even if he was only a bit player back then.
Duke (29-7) lived up to expectations as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, beating Iona, Rhode Island and Syracuse to reach the Elite Eight.
Waiting for the Blue Devils will be Kansas and coach Bill Self, 2-7 in Elite Eights for his career. The Jayhawks (30-7) were No. 1 in the Midwest and have played like it, beating Penn, Seton Hall and Clemson to reach their third straight regional final.
For all those upsets in this maddest of Marches, the teams at No. 2 and No. 3 in all-time wins will be going head to head for a spot in the Final Four.
''It's great when you have two programs of this nature, this status in the history of our game play for a Final Four berth,'' Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. ''It's good for the sport.''
This battle of bluebloods will have not one great individual matchup to watch, but two.
One will come in the paint. Bagley has been one of the game's best players as a freshman, an athletic 7-footer who can shoot from the perimeter, drive to the basket and soar for alley-oops. He's expected to be one of the top picks in this year's NBA draft, possibly No. 1 overall.
Waiting for him in the middle will be Kansas sophomore big man Udoka Azubuike, who's a load and finally healthy after a strained knee ligament knocked him out of the perimeter.
The other duel to keep an eye on: Allen against Kansas guard Devonte Graham.
Graham was the Big 12 player of the year and Allen is the feisty straw that stirs the Blue Devils and emotions - on both sides.
''It'll be a tough game, but it's going to be a fun game,'' Self said. ''We know we've got our hands full, but we like to think they have their hands full too.''
D IN THE EAST: If you like defensive basketball, the East Region final is for you.
Villanova is known for its 3-point shooting and rightly so, but the Wildcats (33-4) have dominated defensively as they've made their way through the bracket. Villanova held its first three opponents to 38 percent shooting overall and 28 percent from the 3-point arc.
Texas Tech (27-9) has used its depth and length to wear opponents down, allowed 66 points or less through three games of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders matched one of the nation's toughest defensive teams swat for swat in the Sweet 16, knocking off West Virginia to reach the Elite Eight for the first time.
''They're very similar,'' Villanova's Jalen Brunson said. ''They come from a conference with a lot of athletes, a lot of great coaches, a lot of great defensive schemes. They're physical. They play hard. I mean, they wouldn't be in this position if they didn't do those things.''
LUCKY NO. 11: Loyola continued its magical run through the bracket by blasting Kansas State in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. The Ramblers become the third No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four, joining LSU (1986), George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011).
Loyola hopes to make even more history by become the first to reach the title game; the three previous teams lost in the national semifinals.
''After Selection Sunday, we didn't say, `Hey, let's go to the Final Four,''' Loyola coach Porter Moser said. ''We said, what do we got to do to beat Miami, and then it was the next game, and then it was the next game. These guys have done an amazing job on laser-like focus on what's right in front of them instead of skipping steps.''
