Three traditional powers remain in the loaded West Region bracket, while fifth-seed Notre Dame (24-9 SU, 12-15 ATS) is crashing the party. The Fighting Irish actually had an easier game against fourth-seed Illinois than in their opening-round contest.
Notre Dame escaped an upset bid versus 12th-seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee to prevail as a five-point favorite, 70-69. The Panthers missed a layup at the final buzzer that would have sent the Irish packing.
Coach Mike Brey?s team stepped up in its second-round contest versus fourth-seed Illinois to triumph as a 5 ?-point underdog, 68-60. That victory ended a two-game ATS losing funk for Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish maintain an 11-6 SU and 8-7 ATS road ledger, winning by an average score of 76-72. Notre Dame reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament after losing in the second round the past two seasons. This is the farthest the school has advanced in 16 years.
Notre Dame is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1987. (Getty Images)
Dan Miller matched a career high with 23 points against Illinois on 9-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Chris Thomas added 17 points and Matt Carroll contributed 11. Torin Francis accounted for 14 rebounds.
Notre Dame set a school record with 13 3-pointers, going 13-of-24 from behind the arc. The defense limited the Big Ten champions to 38 percent shooting.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Arizona as a 7 ?-point ?chalk? over Notre Dame, with the total listed at 154. The line has moved slightly to eight, while the total is now 157 ?. CBS will provide coverage of this Sweet 16 matchup in Anaheim, California starting at 7:27 p.m. ET.
Arizona (27-3 SU, 12-15 ATS) is off probably the most exciting game of the tournament thus far. The top-seeded Wildcats survived a double-overtime upset bid from ninth-seed Gonzaga as a 10-point Salt Lake City favorite, 96-95. Arizona fell to 1-4 ATS its last five games after failing to cover versus the Bulldogs.
All five starters reached double digits in scoring, while also logging at least 42 minutes. Center Channing Frye stepped up with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Luke Walton had 16 points and nine assists, while Jason Gardner broke out of a shooting slump with 22 points. Rick Anderson contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds and teammate Salim Stoudamire had 15 points.
Coach Lute Olson?s team shot a blistering 46 percent (34-of-74) from the field, but couldn?t shake the scrappy Bulldogs who shot 44 percent (34-of-77). This marks the third straight year that Arizona has advanced to the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats routed 16th-seed Vermont in the opening round as a decided 26-point ?chalk,? 80-51. That was the lone cover for the team the past five games.
Arizona exercised some demons with its two victories in Salt Lake City. The John M. Huntsman Center was the site of the Wildcats? first-round loss to 15th-seed Santa Clara in 1993. Arizona also fell to eighth-seed Wisconsin on this court as the top-seed back in 2000.
The Wildcats also have some history at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. Arizona was the defending champion in 1998 playing on this court in the West Region finals versus Utah. The Utes pulled out a triangle-and-two defense and embarrassed Arizona en route to the Final Four, 76-51.
Arizona has won three of the four meetings with Notre Dame, with the last meeting occurring in the Preseason NIT Nov. 24, 1999. The Wildcats won that affair at Madison Square Garden, 76-60.
One side note to this contest pits the point guards against one another. Notre Dame?s Chris Thomas was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana in 2001, while Gardner took the same title in 1999. These two players went to rival high schools, and often play against each other during summer pickup games.
One final tidbit about this contest is that these two schools met in the women?s bracket Sunday. Eleventh-seed Notre Dame beating sixth-seeded Arizona, 59-47.
Notre Dame escaped an upset bid versus 12th-seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee to prevail as a five-point favorite, 70-69. The Panthers missed a layup at the final buzzer that would have sent the Irish packing.
Coach Mike Brey?s team stepped up in its second-round contest versus fourth-seed Illinois to triumph as a 5 ?-point underdog, 68-60. That victory ended a two-game ATS losing funk for Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish maintain an 11-6 SU and 8-7 ATS road ledger, winning by an average score of 76-72. Notre Dame reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament after losing in the second round the past two seasons. This is the farthest the school has advanced in 16 years.
Notre Dame is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1987. (Getty Images)
Dan Miller matched a career high with 23 points against Illinois on 9-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Chris Thomas added 17 points and Matt Carroll contributed 11. Torin Francis accounted for 14 rebounds.
Notre Dame set a school record with 13 3-pointers, going 13-of-24 from behind the arc. The defense limited the Big Ten champions to 38 percent shooting.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Arizona as a 7 ?-point ?chalk? over Notre Dame, with the total listed at 154. The line has moved slightly to eight, while the total is now 157 ?. CBS will provide coverage of this Sweet 16 matchup in Anaheim, California starting at 7:27 p.m. ET.
Arizona (27-3 SU, 12-15 ATS) is off probably the most exciting game of the tournament thus far. The top-seeded Wildcats survived a double-overtime upset bid from ninth-seed Gonzaga as a 10-point Salt Lake City favorite, 96-95. Arizona fell to 1-4 ATS its last five games after failing to cover versus the Bulldogs.
All five starters reached double digits in scoring, while also logging at least 42 minutes. Center Channing Frye stepped up with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Luke Walton had 16 points and nine assists, while Jason Gardner broke out of a shooting slump with 22 points. Rick Anderson contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds and teammate Salim Stoudamire had 15 points.
Coach Lute Olson?s team shot a blistering 46 percent (34-of-74) from the field, but couldn?t shake the scrappy Bulldogs who shot 44 percent (34-of-77). This marks the third straight year that Arizona has advanced to the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats routed 16th-seed Vermont in the opening round as a decided 26-point ?chalk,? 80-51. That was the lone cover for the team the past five games.
Arizona exercised some demons with its two victories in Salt Lake City. The John M. Huntsman Center was the site of the Wildcats? first-round loss to 15th-seed Santa Clara in 1993. Arizona also fell to eighth-seed Wisconsin on this court as the top-seed back in 2000.
The Wildcats also have some history at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. Arizona was the defending champion in 1998 playing on this court in the West Region finals versus Utah. The Utes pulled out a triangle-and-two defense and embarrassed Arizona en route to the Final Four, 76-51.
Arizona has won three of the four meetings with Notre Dame, with the last meeting occurring in the Preseason NIT Nov. 24, 1999. The Wildcats won that affair at Madison Square Garden, 76-60.
One side note to this contest pits the point guards against one another. Notre Dame?s Chris Thomas was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana in 2001, while Gardner took the same title in 1999. These two players went to rival high schools, and often play against each other during summer pickup games.
One final tidbit about this contest is that these two schools met in the women?s bracket Sunday. Eleventh-seed Notre Dame beating sixth-seeded Arizona, 59-47.
