The NCAA tourney has been full of drama from the start and last night’s Sweet 16 action did not disappoint. Four of the spots in the Elite Eight have been filled and all of the games were exciting. Two regions played last night to decide its Elite Eight squads. Let’s start with the West Florida State knocked off Gonzaga 75-60 in another crazy upset. The Seminoles were in control most of the night thanks to a great defensive effort and balanced scoring. Terrance Mann was the only Seminole in double digits (23) but five players scored 7 a piece. Florida State will continue their unlikely run as a 9 seed against Michigan. The Wolverines rolled #7 Texas A&M 99-72 in an emphatic offense statement game. They played like a team with something to prove. They’re for real, even after barely surviving their second round game with Houston. The offense was in overdrive, making it easy to believe that Michigan has won 12 straight now.
Meanwhile, in the West region Loyola-Chicago has been fitted for their glass slipper and is officially this year’s Cinderella. The 11 seed moved on after Marques Towns landed the final blow in a slugfest with Nevada. The two teams battled all night and it was only fitting that the game was decided by a corner three with just seconds left on the clock. Kansas State also pulled off the upset over Kentucky to set up an insane 9-11 matchup in the Elite Eight. Kentucky struggled to take care of the ball (15 turnovers) and had a terrible shooting night (16 0f 42 FGs) and Kansas State did just enough to move on in the battle of the Wildcats. Of course both teams will tell you they knew they could get here if they played their game, but we all know that’s bullshit. Neither of these teams were supposed to be anywhere near the Elite Eight with teams like Virginia, Tennessee, and Cincinnati in their region. But that’s the beauty of this tournament. Every year teams win games that everyone thinks they have no business winning. And its a recipe for sports paradise.
The Madness will continue tonight as we fill out the other half of the Elite Eight. We have a pair of #1 v. #5 matchups with both Kansas v. Clemson and Villanova v. West Virginia both tipping off after 7:00 pm eastern. The late games will be #2 Duke against #11 Syracuse and #2 Purdue taking one #3 Texas Tech. Whatever you have planned for your Friday night, just make sure there’s a tv or two around cause you won’t want to miss tonight’s action.
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