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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
COOPER FLAGG AND THE FIRST FOUR TEAMS INTO THE MEN’S ELITE EIGHT
Jon Scheyer asked for more Cooper Flagg.
Flagg delivered … and then some.
(1) Duke dominated, endured and finally outlasted (4) Arizona, 100-93, behind 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three blocks from its superstar freshman, the first such stat line in NCAA Tournament history.
Duke was truly outstanding offensively and, more importantly, resilient. Caleb Love (35 points) looked like he might produce one more Blue Devil heartbreak, but Flagg, Kon Knueppel (20 points) and others had answer after answer. The kids are all grown up.
Duke will face (2) Alabama, which throttled (6) BYU, 113-88, behind an NCAA Tournament record 25 3-pointers for the right to go to the Final Four. Mark Sears had 10 of them, one shy of the tournament record. Nate Oats used to be a high school math teacher, so he knows a thing or two about maximizing shot value; the Crimson Tide’s 93 points from either 3 or the free throw line tied for the most ever in an NCAA Tournament game and showed why they’re a legitimate, if mercurial, title threat, Matt Norlander writes.
But game of the night — and maybe of the tournament — belongs to (3) Texas Tech rallying past (10) Arkansas, 85-83, in overtime after trailing by 16 points. It’s the second-largest comeback in Sweet 16 history, and a variety of players fueled it.
- Darrion Williams shot just 8 for 26, but he made the big ones: a 3-pointer to force overtime and the game-winning layup in the extra session.
- Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin added 20 points, six of which came in overtime, as well as nine rebounds and five blocks. He was his typical relentless self.
- Christian Anderson had a career-high 22 points, leading the way as his backcourt mates struggled.
This was March at its finest. Arkansas, one of the poorer 3-point shooting teams in the country, went 10 for 25 (40%) from deep. Texas Tech, one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the country, went just 8 for 32 (25%) despite a ton of good looks. It had all the makings of an upset. But in the end, the Red Raiders found just enough stops and just enough buckets.
They’ll face (1) Florida, which pulled away from (4) Maryland, 87-71, in the Elite Eight . Here are all of our takeaways.
Looking forward, here’s our preview of today’s action, and here are our expert predictions.
- (2) Michigan State vs. (6) Ole Miss, 7:09 p.m. on CBS
- (2) Tennessee vs. (3) Kentucky, 7:39 p.m. on TBS/truTV
- (1) Auburn vs. (5) Michigan, 9:39 p.m. on CBS
- (1) Houston vs. (4) Purdue, 10:09 p.m. on TBS/truTV
👍 Honorable mentions
🏀 And not such a good morning for …
JOHN CALIPARI AND THE (10) ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
John Calipari loved being the underdog. The hunter instead of the hunted.
He loved the chance to overachieve in March Madness, which his team very much did for two and a half games. Of all the successful seasons he’s had — titles and Final Fours and deep runs galore — this was maybe his best coaching job.
Then it all unraveled.
There are lots of things you can point to in Calipari’s Razorbacks blowing a 16-point lead, but many go back to Calipari himself. He had been 35-0 in the NCAA Tournament when leading by at least six points at halftime. And when Arkansas stretched its lead to 69-56 with under five minutes left, it looked all but certain that would become 36-0.
It didn’t. Arkansas got outscored 16-3 over the final stretch of regulation.
- At the end of regulation, Calipari opted not to foul. Williams hit a 3 to tie it.
- Calipari then called a timeout and put the ball in D.J. Wagner‘s hands. The talented but inconsistent guard only managed a very tough shot that was off the mark.
- At the end of overtime, Calipari didn’t call a timeout, and Wagner again dribbled into a near-impossible shot. Johnell Davis, who finished with 30 points, never got a touch. Calipari later said he wished he had called a timeout.
These are the decisions that haunt you, the ones that put a stain on what had been a terrific stretch of coaching, Cameron Salerno writes.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
⚾ Opening Day highlights, takeaways, overreactions
Opening Day has come and gone, and no one crossed home plate as often as the Orioles, who thumped the Blue Jays, 12-2. In his Opening Day overreactions, Matt Snyder notes a good start for a player who very much needed one.
- Snyder: “Adley Rutschman is back and the O’s are stacked — Thursday was the start of another chance to break through. Rutschman homered in the first and ended the game 3 for 5 with two homers, three RBI and three runs … Might Rutschman be back and the Orioles ready to win 100+ games, this time with a deep playoff run? Maybe, honestly. The Orioles have the talent to be the best team in the American League.”
Remember, it’s a long season (maybe too long), so don’t get too high or too low. Still, we have plenty of Opening Day takeaways and headlines:
And finally, make sure to check out Matt best bets to win it all.
🏀 Josh Giddey makes halfcourt heave to stun Lakers
LeBron James bailed the Lakers out with a game-winning tip-in on Wednesday night. But 24 hours later he was on the wrong end of one of the wildest buzzer-beaters you’ll ever see … after one of the wildest end-of-game sequences you’ll ever see. Josh Giddey nailed a half-court 3 as time expired to lift the Bulls over Los Angeles, 119-117.
- After trailing by as many as 18, the Bulls got close but looked like they’d come up short, down 115-110 with a dozen seconds left.
- Then Patrick Williams made a 3, Giddey stole James’ inbounds pass, and Coby White made a 3. Chicago suddenly led 116-115.
- The Lakers got a quick Austin Reaves layup with 3.1 seconds left to take a 117-116 lead.
- But all that did was set the stage for Giddey’s heroics. It was the longest buzzer-beating game-winner in franchise history. James, coincidentally, was the closest defender on the shot.
The Lakers got outscored 44-26 in the fourth quarter and allowed 19 points in the last 2:13. That’s … less than ideal.
🏀 Women’s Sweet 16: Full schedule, best games
The women’s Sweet 16 begins today, and here’s the schedule today …
- Friday, 2:30 p.m.: (2) Duke vs. (3) North Carolina
- Friday, 5 p.m.: (1) South Carolina vs. (4) Maryland
- Friday, 7:30 p.m.: (2) NC State vs. (3) LSU
- Friday, 10 p.m.: (1) UCLA vs. (5) Ole Miss
… and tomorrow …
- Saturday, 1 p.m.: (2) TCU vs. (3) Notre Dame
- Saturday, 3:30 p.m.: (1) Texas vs. (5) Tennessee
- Saturday, 5:30 p.m.: (2) UConn vs. (3) Oklahoma
- Saturday, 8 p.m.: (1) USC vs. (5) Kansas State
We’ve already run through reseeding the bracket and ranking the best games of the round, which includes the first game today at No. 3, says our Isabel Gonzalez.
- Gonzalez: “(2) Duke vs. (3) North Carolina — These two schools have one of the best-known rivalries in college sports, and very much on brand, they split their series during the regular season. This third meeting matters most as it is the first time the in-state rivals will face each other in the NCAA Tournament. One thing to keep an eye on is the status of Duke leading scorer Toby Fournier, who wasn’t feeling well and missed the second round game against Oregon.”
📺 What we’re watching this weekend
🏀 We’re watching the women’s NCAA Tournament. Here’s how.
🏀 We’re watching the men’s NCAA Tournament. Here’s how.
Friday
🏀 (2) Duke vs. (3) North Carolina (W), 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 (1) South Carolina vs. (4) Maryland (W), 5 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 (2) Michigan State vs. (6) Ole Miss (M), 7:09 p.m. on CBS
🏀 (2) NC State vs. (3) LSU (W), 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 (2) Tennessee vs. (3) Kentucky (M), 7:39 p.m. on TBS/truTV
🏀 Suns at Timberwolves, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 (1) Auburn vs. (5) Michigan (M), 9:39 p.m. on CBS
🏀 (1) UCLA vs. (5) Ole Miss (W), 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 (1) Houston vs. (4) Purdue (M), 10:09 p.m. on TBS/truTV
Saturday
🏀 (2) TCU vs. (3) Notre Dame (W), 1 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Twins at Cardinals, 2:15 p.m. on FS1
🏀 (1) Texas vs. (5) Tennessee (W), 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 (2) UConn vs. (3) Oklahoma (W), 5:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 (1) Florida vs. (3) Texas Tech (M), 6:09 p.m. on TBS/truTV
⚾ Mets at Astros OR Braves at Padres, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
🏀 (1) USC vs. (5) Kansas State (W), 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Celtics at Spurs, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Bruins at Red Wings, 8 p.m. on ABC
🏀 (1) Duke vs. (2) Alabama (M), 8:49 p.m. on TBS/truTV
Sunday
🏀 Trail Blazers at Knicks, 6 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ Braves at Padres, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Rockets at Suns, 9 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Sharks at Kings, 10 p.m. on ESPN
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