The Elite Eight kicked off today, and all four teams were eager to prove their worth and punch a ticket to the Final Four in Phoenix. The first two of four total games tipped off today. The one seed Gonzaga Bulldogs took on the underdog 11 seed Xavier Musketeers while the one-seed Kansas Jayhawks went up against the three seed Oregon Ducks.
Making History
This game was set to make history for one program regardless of who won as Gonzaga and Xavier had never before made the Final Four. The one loss Bulldogs changed that as they topped Xavier in an 83-59 rout. Gonzaga came out of the half up only 10, but it didn’t take the explosive offense very long. The Bulldogs played a very good game highlighted by going an impressive 12 for 24 from beyond the arc.
The Bulldogs were led by their junior guard Nigel Williams-Gross who stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Johnathan Williams also chipped in with 19 points and eight rebounds. The Bulldogs looked amazing and will prove to be an extremely hard team to beat in the Final Four.
Xavier and their unlikely run to the Elite Eight has ended, but the team has nothing to hang its head over after topping three seeded Florida State and two seeded Arizona. The team simply could not handle the onslaught of scoring that the Bulldogs brought down on them.
The Musketeers were led by their standout junior guard J.P. Macura who had 18 points and five rebounds. He fought hard for his team, but it just simply wasn’t enough. Xavier ended the night with only two players in double digits for scoring and simply put, they had no answer for the Bulldogs shooting beyond the arc.
The Bulldogs will be in the Final Four next weekend and await the winner between the Florida Gators and South Carolina Gamecocks.
Kansas Quacks Under Pressure
The Oregon Ducks are headed to the Final Four for the first time in over seven decades, and they beat a very talented Kansas team to do it. The Ducks shot 44 percent from beyond the arc to upset the Jayhawks 74 to 60. The Ducks put up an offensive clinic to take down the Midwest Region one seed.
Dillion Brooks played well as always, putting up 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists while fellow Duck Tyler Dorsey posted 27 points along with five rebounds. The real story of the night, however, has to be big man Jordan Bell who was two blocks shy of a triple-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks. The talented big man also dished out four assists.
The Jayhawks cut a double-digit lead down to six with a few minutes to go, and all looked lost for the Ducks after a miss from beyond the arc. Bell comes out of nowhere and rips down a rebound which would lead to the dagger three by Dorsey.
Kansas can’t be happy with the way this ended but had a great season either way. Frank Mason III led the way for the Jayhawks with 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Josh Jackson’s shooting was ice cold early on, but did end the night with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. The Jayhawks find themselves bounced out of the Elite Eight in back to back years.
The Oregon Ducks will meet the winner of North Carolina and Kentucky in the Final Four.
