Arriving at the Elite Eight for the men's 2023 NCAA tournament has been a delightful maze of the underdogs enjoying their day in the sun and basking in glory.
A moment of silence, here at the end of the men's Sweet 16, for the fallen no. 1 seeds. We hardly knew you, Purdue Boilermakers. The Kansas Jayhawks, but a drop in the water. Alabama Crimson Tide and Houston Cougars? Both bowed out on Friday of the second weekend.
Apologies that the odds were not in your favor.
A nod to the no. 2 seeds as well, with the Arizona Wildcats, Marquette Golden Eagles, and UCLA Bruins packing up before the Elite Eight. This leaves the Texas Longhorns as the sole representative from the pack of no. 2 seeds.
We are headed toward the first Elite Eight with any 1s, but also this: Alabama and Houston losing would leave only 2-seed Texas left among all 1s and 2s in this NCAA Tournament.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 25, 2023
It would be the first Elite Eight in history with one or fewer 1s and 2s.
Predictions ahead of this year's tournaments had this as one of the most wide-open fields in recent memory. There was no consensus "unbeatable force" or a group of teams destined for the Final Four. Yes, there were favorites but even then it was a topsy-turvy season with many teams seen as rightful contenders for the throne.
Heading into the Elite Eight, action has held up to that promise. A no. 16 seed in Fairleigh Dickinson knocking off no. 1 seed Purdue. The run of the Princeton Tigers, taking down no. 2 seed Arizona on their way to an appearance in the Sweet 16. And a team from Florida Atlantic that is on the verge of waltzing into the Final Four.
No Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky to speak of in the Elite Eight, with previous powers UNC, Villanova, Syracuse, and Michigan not even finding their way into the tourney. Parity is upon us, with mostly fresh programs locked in for the Elite Eight, with one regular visitor and former powerhouses all vying to punch a ticket to the Final Four.
East region
A safe wager is calling the two teams squaring off in the East region finals a couple of tournament darlings. One, the Florida Atlantic Owls (34-3), even dipped their toes in the villain waters with an ill-advised dunk attempt in the waning seconds of a game already in hand.
And for the Kansas State Wildcats, it's about two outstanding individual players while returning to a high-level they once played on.
For Kansas State, one must first look at the play of point guard Markquis Nowell, who is enjoying quite the run in this year's tournament. One hopes we haven't seen the best of Nowell yet but it will be hard to top his game in the Sweet 16 victory over Michigan State.
Nowell put on a master class, continuing a run reminiscent (to an extent) of what Kemba Walker did for UConn in the 2011 tournament. Nowell's is solid but it is his passing skills truly on display in this tournament.
Putting the Spartans on notice, Nowell dished out a men's NCAA tournament record with 19 assists. He also scored 20 points and added 5 steals, playing most of the second-half and overtime on a bum ankle.
In wins over Montana State and Kentucky, Nowell has been special. He opened the tournament with a 17-point, 14-assist effort and, against his Wildcat brethren from Kentucky, Nowell settled in for a 27-point, 9-assist game in the six-point victory.
Nowell is part of a heart-and-soul combo along with Keyontae Johnson. Johnson, only 2.5 years ago, collapsed on the court and was in a medically induced coma for three days. To be here playing today is one thing. For Johnson to be doing it at such a high level is another.
Johnson has 53 points and 18 rebounds in three tournament games for a Wildcat team averaging 83.3 points in the tourney while allowing 75.6. The Wildcats had more turnovers in their opening game (14) than their last two games combined (13) and are minus 24 in rebound margin (thanks in large part to a 20 rebound disadvantage against Kentucky).
Florida Atlantic has survived close games, too, and have been in some defensive slugfests so far, averaging 68.7 points to their opponents 63.3. The Owls were two seconds away from not even making it out of the first round in a victory over Memphis, which was followed with wins over and Fairleigh Dickinson.
FAU has controlled the pace and the ball well (28 turnovers in three games) while also holding a rebound margin of +10.
The Owls have a deep bench and it's routine to see three to four players sub in at once. In the tournament, they've consistently scored three or more players in double figures and have a bench putting in between 15-20 points.
Johnell Davis had 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and five steals in the round of 32 victory. Davis followed that up with 15 points and 6 rebounds in the victory over Tennessee. Four of FAU's starters have hit double figures at least once so far in this tournament.
This game could easily turn into a track meet, with the Owls adept at playing whatever style is presented to them by their opponent. The stars will shine at Madison Square Garden and this game will come down to whether Kansas State has enough juice to overcome the depth of the Owls.
#9 Florida Atlantic Owls vs #3 Kansas State Wildcats 3/25, 6:09 p.m. (ET) on TBS
West region
In 2022-23, the Gonzaga Bulldogs (31-5) quietly went about their business. They weren't overly hyped, traipsing through the regular season with one loss. Gonzaga looked like their exterior was cracking, sharing a conference regular season title with Saint Mary's and even dropping a few other games they usually win with ease.
A quick exit from the NCAA tournament, despite a no. 3 seed, would not entirely be surprising.
Consider this a lesson learned to never count out Drew Timme.
The All-American Timme has had a tournament to remember, rivaling even that of Nowell. Timme was a catalyst in yet another Gonzaga - UCLA classic, with the Bulldogs taking round three courtesy of a Julian Strawther three-pointer from the edge of the NCAA logo.
Timme did most of his work in the game's first 29 minutes, scoring 31 of his 36 points. He added 13 rebounds and four assists as Timme looks to finish what this Bulldog program started two seasons ago.
Through three tournament games this season, Timme has 85 points and 27 rebounds. He is getting help from Strawther (54 points, 29 rebounds), Anton Watson, and Malachi Smith off the bench. Along with Rasir Bolton (17 points vs TCU), these five are the core of Gonzaga's attack.
One aspect which Gonzaga is excelling in during the tournament is rebounding, hold a +44 margin on the glass. And their opponent for the Elite Eight will likely give them their biggest test, not only in rebounding but in scoring and talent as well.
The UConn Huskies (28-8) hold a large rebounding margin (+37), too, and averaged the same amount of points in the tourney (81.7). The Huskies have had a much easier go of things in three games. While the Bulldogs have one their last two games by a combined six points, the Huskies are outscoring opponents by nearly 20 points per game.
Adama Sanogo is controlling the paint almost at the same level of Timme, scoring 70 points (on 33-44 from the field) and 29 rebounds. This match-up is one to keep an eye on, especially if Sanogo is able to slow down Timme on defense.
Jordan Hawkins has 49 points in the tourney, with a 24-point outburst in the Sweet 16 victory over Arkansas.
UConn can shoot (30 made three-pointers) and own a 15-point win over Saint Mary's in the round of 32. If Gonzaga can play defense like they did in the second-half against UCLA, they'll be Final Four bound. If not, well, UConn may very well run the Bulldogs right out of the gym.
#4 UConn Huskies vs #3 Gonzaga Bulldogs 3/25, 8:49 p.m. (ET) on TBS
South region
Dominos of higher seeds in the South region began in the first-round, with no. 4 seed Virginia and no. 2 seed Arizona exiting. This opened the door, even with top overall seed Alabama holding court, for a couple of surprises to step up.
One of those teams turned out to be the San Diego State Aztecs (30-6). The Aztecs used a 32-16 run to close the game in the Sweet 16, knocking the no. 1 seed Crimson Tide out of the tournament.
San Diego State is now one win away from giving the Mountain West, who hadn't had a team win a tourney game since 2018, an entrant in the Final Four.
The Aztecs continue to rely on an outstanding defense, a deep roster, and timely shooting to march their way through this year's tournament. Regular season and conference tournament champions, San Diego State is holding opponents to 14-77 on three-point attempts. This includes a 3-27 performance by Alabama in the 71-64 Aztec win.
Three different leading scorers have paced the Aztecs, with Matt Bradley going for 17 against Charleston, Micah Parrish 16 against Furman, and Darrion Trammell dropping 21 in the Sweet 16.
Efficient but not flashy on offense, the Aztecs won't overwhelm an opponent from deep (16-53) and are averaging 69.7 points in the tournament while holding opponents to 57.7. Alabama is the first team to cross the 60-point mark against the Aztecs since San Diego State's quarterfinal game of the Mountain West tournament against Colorado State.
The Aztecs have won 13 of 14 games, and hold a +18 rebounding advantage in the tournament.
Defense has proven to be the ace-in-the-hole for San Diego State and the Aztecs have risen to meet every obstacle so far. Another will be presented in the Elite Eight against the no. 6 seed Creighton Bluejays.
The Bluejays (24-12) are playing some of their best basketball of the season, and are steady on both sides of the court, inside and out. Creighton enters the Elite Eight meeting averaging 81 points their last three games, nearly five above their season average. The Bluejays have defeated N.C. State and Baylor by nine, and finally ended Princeton's run, winning by 11.
Creighton has used a +15 advantage on the boards to help win games, as well as a perfect night from the free throw line (22-22) in defeating the no. 3 seed Baylor Bears.
Ryan Nembhard has his best game of the tournament in that round of 32 game, going 10-10 from the charity stripe and dropping 30 points. It's been center Ryan Kalkbrenner, the team's leading scorer, who has had the best tournament so far.
Kalkbrenner scored 31 in Creighton's opening round victory and has totaled 63 points overall. Kalkbrenner was 20-26 from the field in games one and three but struggled in a 4-10 night against Baylor.
San Diego State's frontline, four physical players with talent on both ends, could give Kalkbrenner trouble. Unless Creighton can figure out a hole in this defensive armor of the Aztecs, the Bluejays will be in for a long night.
The teams did each face Arizona and Arkansas this season, with San Diego State losing by 17 the Wildcats and Creighton losing by two. The Aztecs fared better against the Razorbacks, losing by 4. Creighton, however, picked up the win against Arkansas, 90-87
#6 Creighton Bluejays vs #5 San Diego State Aztecs 3/26, 2:20 p.m. (ET) on CBS
Midwest region
The Texas Longhorns (29-8) were simply getting warmed up when they won the Big 12 conference tournament title two weeks ago.
In winning their Sweet 16 game over Xavier with ease, the Longhorns have set the stage to reach their first Final Four since 2003.
Texas is a deep team that can attack opponents from various angles with a multitude of players. In Friday's Sweet 16 victory over Xavier, five players scored in double figures. This has been a regular occurrence, with different players taking the lead each game.
The most consistent has been the top player off the bench. Sirjabari Rice has scored 52 points this tournament. Dylan Disu was a star the first two games, totaling 45 and 20 rebounds, but was forced out of the Sweet 16 game after only two minutes due to injury.
This shows off the depth of the Longhorns, who are averaging 78.3 points in the tournament while allowing 66. Texas has a +10 rebounding advantage in the tournament and after committing 13 turnovers against Colgate, have committed only 14 since.
The Miami Hurricanes (28-7) get almost every drop of effort from their starting five, with not a whole lot of production off their bench. But those five starters match skills with some of the best of the nation.
All five scored in double figures in Miami's Sweet 16 victory over no. 1 seed Houston, 89-75. Nijel Pack led the way with 26 points, knocking down seven three-pointers. Pack had 21 in Miami's opener vs Drake and has scored 59 points this tournament.
The player to keep an eye on, of course, is Isaiah Wong. Wong has been turned to time, and time again, in keeping Miami's season alive (for multiple years now). In this year's tournament, the guard has bounced back nicely after a five-point, 1-10 shooting night against Drake. The last two games, Wong has 47 points and 14 rebounds.
Much of the glass work for the Hurricanes, who hold a +23 advantage in the tournament, is done by Norchad Omier. Omier has 44 rebounds and chipped in 31 points.
Wong's and Pack's shooting will be a key for the Hurricanes and, while Texas has depth, a limited or out Disu for the Longhorns could allow Omier to have a big game.
#5 Miami Hurricanes vs #2 Texas Longhorns 3/26, 5:05 p.m. (ET) on CBS
Photo credit: Flickr via Franchise Opportunities
Comments