The Elite Eight is set and we’re just seven games away from crowning a champion. College basketball is coming down to the wire, with a few more tricks up its sleeve. The Sweet Sixteen offered a litany of competitive games, yet the Elite Eight offers something more special – four games that lead to the semifinals in San Antonio.
The NCAA Tournament can feel chaotic, but this late in the month of March, things are starting to fall into place. The Cinderellas clearly have shown they belong and the top teams remind us all why they are so highly seeded. Looking back at Friday’s games can shed some light on what to expect in the rest of the tournament. Here are the six biggest takeaways:
1. Duke zones out Syracuse
Going into the Sweet Sixteen match-up between Duke and Syracuse, anyone could have pegged the game as one that would be slow and ugly. The slower and uglier the game looked, the more Syracuse would have a chance to steal a win.
Both teams leaned on zone defenses, but Duke fared better offensively. The Devils committed fewer turnovers than Syracuse, shot and made more free throws, and dominated the paint. Freshman star Marvin Bagley went for 22 points and 8 rebounds — his third straight game with 22 points. Seven of his rebounds came on the offensive end, with the Orange zone unable to find and corral Bagley all night long.
In the end, the game was slow and it was ugly, but Duke survived.
2. Villanova outlives the West Virginia press
West Virginia’s chances to upset Villanova rested on two possibilities: The Mountaineers needed their press to frustrate Villanova for all 40 minutes of the game, and they needed the Wildcats to have a tough shooting night. The two factors could have gone hand-in-hand, helping West Virginia sneak into the Elite Eight.
The press was effective, forcing 17 Villanova turnovers. When the Wildcats did break the press, however, they were able to find the kinds of shots that makes their offense work. Villanova shot 13 of 24 from outside the arc, keeping West Virginia at arm’s length for the final quarter of the game.
Villanova center Omari Spellman shot 4 of 7 on 3-point attempts. When he is stretching the defense to that extent, no one can slow down the Wildcats.
3. Kansas goes up early and hangs on
The way Kansas scores, it’s easy to imagine the Jayhawks leading a charging comeback with outside shooting and stops on the defensive end. It’s not as easy to see a Bill Self Kansas team collapse down the stretch.
The latter scenario nearly happened Friday night. Kansas led Clemson by 20 points with under 11 minutes to play. The Tigers chipped their way back into the game, getting as close as a four point deficit in the game’s final minute.
Though Kansas never allowed Clemson to even get the game within one possession, the game was a perfect encapsulation of the highs and lows of Jayhawk basketball this season. Kansas is a team of runs and streaks, looking to ride a hot one to a national championship.
4. Another missed opportunity for Purdue
This season, Purdue reached the top five of the AP Poll for the first time since 2010. That 2010 team was derailed when star shooter Robbie Hummel tore his ACL in late February with the Boilermakers ranked third in the nation. This season, Purdue fans again suffered injury misfortune, with center Isaac Haas breaking a bone in his elbow in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Without Haas, Purdue was able to fight into the Sweet Sixteen but was clearly hampered. The entire flow of Matt Painter’s rotation and the Boilermaker offensive attack was out of sync without Haas.
Friday night, Purdue looked out of sync all night. Vincent Edwards had six turnovers and Dakota Mathias shot just one of seven. Without Haas in the middle, Purdue shot only six free throws versus Texas Tech.
Sadly, Purdue fans will be left again asking what could have been.
5. Texas Tech making school history
While Purdue fans wonder what might have been, Texas Tech is looking at what could be. The Red Raiders have reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. In just his second season on the job in Lubbock, Chris Beard has built something at Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders rank third in the nation this season in defensive efficiency, and it shows on the floor. Purdue was stymied for long stretches of the game, unable to find an open shot anywhere. Tech’s defense matching up with the elite offense of Villanova should make for a fantastic match-up.
Keenan Evans is one of the best college basketball players whom most casual fans don’t know much about. He can change that with a win over Villanova on Sunday.
6. The Big XII is for real
All season long, it was fairly clear that the Big XII was the best conference in college basketball from top to bottom. It can be dangerous to use tournament performance as the only barometer for a conference. At the same time, the tournament can help reinforce or validate what we’ve already seen this season.
With the knowledge that the Big XII is the best league in the land, it should come as no surprise that three teams from the conference are still alive in the Elite Eight, with Kansas, Texas Tech, and Kansas State playing this weekend. Certainly it may be a bit surprising that one of those teams is Kansas State, yet the Wildcats finished fourth in conference play.
Those three teams are proof that surviving the most brutal conference slate in America, a true round robin against ten strong teams, is the perfect preparation for the difficulty of the NCAA Tournament.
Shane McNichol covers college basketball and the NBA for Larry Brown Sports. He also blogs about basketball at Palestra Back and has contributed to Rush The Court, ESPN.com, and USA Today Sports Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @OnTheShaneTrain.
