The second round of March Madness being completed, we are now attacking the Sweet 16! 4 games on the schedule to open the ball before 4 others to follow this Friday. Who continues the adventure, who can already prepare their holidays? Come on, let’s go for the recap.
Les scores
- Arkansas (#4) – Gonzaga (#1) : 74-68
- Villanova (#2) – Michigan (#11) : 63-55
- Duke (#2) – Texas Tech (#3) : 78-73
- Arizona (#1) – Houston (#5) : 60-72
Chef’s surprise
Incredible but true, the last two finalists will not have passed the Sweet 16 this year! After Baylor in the previous round, it’s Gonzaga’s turn to take the door. Chet Holmgren’s team had already performed a miracle to save themselves against Memphis, taking advantage of a big hot shot from Drew Timme. No bis repetita against Arkansas despite a meeting that had started much better. Drew Timme again released a perf ‘boss (25 points, 7 rebounds) but he was a bit alone against the collective Razorbacks, embodied by the Notae-Williams-Wade trio. A special match for Chet Holmgren, author of 11 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks but who was limited to 23 short minutes because of an accumulation of faults. The prospect can already prepare for the next Draft.
The performance to remember
From one big prospect to another, it’s time to send praise to Paolo Banchero. While Chet Holmgren had just taken the door on this same floor of the Chase Center, the nugget of Duke did not fail to lead his people to victory. 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, some big important shots, highlights and a good address from the parking lot (3/4) which must have pleased a fan of the public, a certain Stephen Curry. We also note the very good game of Jermaine Samuels with Villanova: 22 points, 7 rebounds, great efficiency and a lot of defensive activity to hinder Hunter Dickinson, Michigan’s lethal weapon limited to 16 points when he was at 24 points average over the first two rounds of the tournament.
The nice moment
We know that the time of retirement is approaching for Mike Krzyzewski but it is never too late to write great stories. Before, perhaps, finishing in style with a last title, Coach K won his 100th victory in March Madness. Photoshop lovers who want to stick Mike’s head on Wilt Chamberlain’s photo with the piece of paper, indulge yourself. This is obviously historic since no coach has ever reached this threshold. Good luck going past him.
???? #MarchMadness W’s for Coach K pic.twitter.com/qNM436qHvz
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
The French
There was Frenchy on the court last night and, unfortunately, there won’t be any more for the Elite Eight… Moussa Diabate (7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks) and the Wolverines did not pass the Villanova obstacle , the Clarence Nadolny-Daniel Batcho duo barely saw the floor in Texas Tech’s loss to Duke. Same observation for Adama Bal, who watched from the bench his comrades from Arizona being surprised by a great team from Houston.
The perfs of the main prospects
- Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) : 11 points (5/9 shooting, 1/3 from afar), 14 rebounds and 2 blocks against Arkansas.
- Paolo Banchero (Duke) : 22 points (7/12 shooting, 3/4 from afar), 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals against Texas Tech.
- Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona) : 15 points (4/14 shooting, 2/7 from afar), 4 rebounds and 3 assists against Houston.
- AJ Griffin (Duke) : 11 points (3/9 shooting, 3/7 from afar), 7 rebounds against Texas Tech.
Highlights
Kyler Edwards hits his FOURTH three-pointer of the second half! ???????? @UHCougarMBK #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/zQ73B3QlJw
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
RED RAIDERS SHOWING LIFE ????#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/0LC27zc69m
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
JEREMY ROACH KNOCKS DOWN A CLUTCH BUCKET ❄️@DukeMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/TWOE8gPNQL
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
MARK WILLIAMS WITH AUTHORITY ????????????@DukeMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/KtUvxVDSIJ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
PAOLO! ????
Duke isn’t backing down. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/nKiTC6bCVW
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
.@Kevin_McCullar is heating up ????
Tough and-one for @TexasTechMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/dryp3oc9MY
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
Kevin McCullar hit ’em with the spin cycle ????@TexasTechMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/k7Uzaq31su
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
Christian Koloko throws down the alley-oop to bring @ArizonaMBB to within three! ???? #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/IZkPnc70GP
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
Paolo lob up to Williams ????@DukeMBB starting the second half strong #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Saswy5OguN
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
Fabian White with the DENIAL for @UHCougarMBK! ????#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/mvmnYyrS1u
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
TERRENCE SHANNON THREW IT DOWN ????#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/IqOZT9rncw
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2022
Friday’s program
- 0h : Purdue (#3) – Saint Peter’s (#15)
- 0h30 : Kansas (#1) – Providence (#4)
- 2h40 : UCLA (#4) – North Carolina (#8)
- 3h : Miami (#10) – Iowa State (#11)
The Sweet 16 opened with a bang and two new upsets were added to the already long list. The March Madness continues this Friday with a nice program where we find in particular Kansas, UCLA or even the small thumb Saint Peter’s.