If the first 60 games of the NCAA tournament were a mediocre television series with a few worthwhile moments, then the Elite Eight was a daunting limited series in which every moment was spellbinding.
Leaving us with the question: Will the Final Four prove to be the fantastic ending to the intriguing cliffhanger this weekend's game's provided?
Given the four schools that remain, the answer should be a resounding yes.
A lackluster first three rounds -- as compared to previous dances -- provided very little suspense. Of the top 16 seeds in the tournament, 14 advanced, and some signs pointed to all four no. 1 seeds reaching the Final Four.
Oh what a difference the weekend can make.
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 31, 2019
The no. 1 seeds started to fall on Friday night, when fifth-seed in the Midwest region Auburn took down the top-seed North Carolina Tar Heels. Strong guard play and the outstanding play of Chuma Okeke helped propel the Tigers to a 97-80 victory.
Advancing to the Elite Eight had a bittersweet feel to it as the Tigers learned the knee injury suffered by Okeke, who left the game with 8:08 remaining, was a season-ending one. Up until his injury Okeke was having the game of a lifetime with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The hangover of playing without one of their best players showed early in the Elite Eight game against Kentucky. The Wildcats raced out to an early lead, the Tigers weren't hitting shots, and it looked like the rout might be on early.
Auburn steadied the ship, however, and head coach Bruce Pearl's team righted its course to pick up the victory in overtime. And the steady guard play continued, with Jared Harper scoring 26 points and Bryce Brown adding 24.
Games for the ages, both individual and team
It's stories like Auburn and the Tigers playing for a fallen star or the Virginia Cavaliers on an ultimate redemption tour that partly keeps fans on the edge of their seats. A season after becoming the first no. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed in the men's tournament, Virginia has played themselves into their first Final Four since 1984 thanks to a 80-75 overtime victory over the Purdue Boilermakers.
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 31, 2019
Virginia won in part thanks to the re-emergence of guard Kyle Guy. Guy was still struggling through a shooting slump (1-6 in the game at the point, including 0-3 from three-point range) when he injured his ankle a couple of minutes before halftime.
How did he respond? With a 21-point second-half, finished with 25 points on 8-19 shooting. Up until halftime of the Elite Eight game, Guy had been a collective 9-44 from the field and 3-29 from three-point range.
Guy may have bounced back, but this game on Saturday also gave us one of the great individual performances of this year's tournament. Carsen Edwards of Purdue gave us four of these types of games, to be exact.
After three games in which the sophomore had already dropped 97 points, Edwards went ahead and scored 42 against Virginia. He shot 56 percent from the field and knocked down 10 threes. It was an errant pass by Edwards in overtime, however, that ultimately sealed Purdue's fate.
A tantalizing individual effort in a losing cause was also the case for Duke's Zion Williamson. Williamson had 24 points -- 17 in the second half -- and 14 rebounds but the Blue Devils fell to Michigan State, 68-67.
Williamson, in likely his only NCAA tournament, averaged 25.1 points in tourney games as the fabulous freshmen on Duke's team fell short of expectations. Fellow freshman RJ Barrett averaged 20 points for the tournament -- scoring 21 against the Spartans -- but missed 1 of 2 free throws with just under six seconds remaining that could have tied the game.
Duke's loss ensured that only one no. 1 seed would reach the Final Four. North Carolina started the trend on Friday, followed by Gonzaga's Elite Eight loss to Texas Tech on Saturday.
The Red Raiders secured their first-ever Final Four appearance thanks to their usual stifling defense and an outburst on offense of their own to defeat the Bulldogs 75-69.
Texas Tech made nine threes and held Gonzaga to only seven while forcing 16 Bulldog turnovers. Gonzaga had their chances late, but key plays by Davide Moretti (12 points), Jarrett Culver (19 points), and Matt Mooney (17 points) helped seal the deal for the Red Raiders.
A weekend of the excitement in the books, we now have to wait until Saturday to see the next chapter. One blue blood basketball program. A no. 1 seed. Two football schools. It's not The Breakfast Club but it should certainly be just as entertaining.
photo credit: wikimedia commons
Check back later this week for a full preview of the Final Four.
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