The Sweet 16 is over just as quickly as it came. After a day full of insanity, the 2018 NCAA Tournament cooled down for the latter half of the Sweet 16. Let’s take a look at the final results of the third round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
What a start to the second half for @KUHoops!
Jayhawks jump out to a 9-0 run and lead by 20. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/qDmfEI2zok
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 24, 2018
The day started with 1-seeded Kansas taking on a hot, 5-seeded Clemson squad. Kansas was in control for nearly the entire game, at times looking dominant. It was a real team effort for the Jayhawks, as six of the eight players who saw the floor scored 9 points or more. Meanwhile, it was the Gabe DeVoe show for the Clemson Tigers. DeVoe played all 40 minutes, scoring 31 points on 10-17 shooting. Towards the end of the game, Clemson made a comeback and got the game within six points with just under 2:30 left. Unfortunately for them, it was too little too late. Kansas would win 76-80 to keep it a chalk result.
It’s Brunson ? for Villanova ?. #MarchMadness #Sweet16 pic.twitter.com/Jn3IwadPNk
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 24, 2018
The second game of the day featured another #1 seed in Villanova. Villanova was tasked with taking on the full-court pressure defense of 5-seed West Virginia. “Press Virginia” gave the Wildcats some real fits throughout the game. Neither team was able to break away for the first 30 minutes or so. Jalen Brunson had an outstanding game and singlehandedly kept Villanova in the game at times. He would finish with 27 points and 4 assists on 8-15 shooting. After trailing by six in the second half, Villanova answered with an 11-0 run and never looked back from there. Villanova would keep the chalk result with a 78-90 win.
WATCH YA HEAD BAGLEY! ?#MarchMadness #Sweet16 pic.twitter.com/oJzd5UhFyN
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 24, 2018
The night shift was led by an ACC matchup between 2-seed Duke and 11-seed Syracuse. It was a slow burn of a game, as both teams are predicated around zone defense and forcing ugly offense. The game was back-and-forth for the bulk of the matchup with no team asserting real dominance. Oshae Brissett and Tyus Battle led the way for the Orange as per usual with 15 and 19 points respectively. With a trip to the Elite 8 on the line, it was Marvin Bagley who took over for the Blue Devils and ensured a victory. Bagley led all scorers with 22 points while also chipping in 8 rebounds. Duke earned a date with Kansas in the Elite 8 after the 65-69 win.
Smith TOOK FLIGHT! ?#MarchMadness #Sweet16 pic.twitter.com/YTPwDxZ8Yt
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 24, 2018
The final game of the night featured 2-seed Purdue taking on 3-seed Texas Tech. The Boilermakers got off to a strong start as Vincent Edwards scored a couple of easy baskets. Texas Tech quickly recovered and it was tightly contested throughout the first half. The Red Raiders put on their typical all-around team performance while Carsen Edwards did the bulk of the scoring for Purdue. Edwards would finish with 30 points on 11-20 shooting. Compare this to Keenan Evans’ 16 points to lead Texas Tech and it became obvious that Tech’s deep bench was too much. In the second half, Chris Beard’s squad took full control of the game. The Red Raiders took the win and became the only lower seed to win on Friday night, 78-65.
The Sweet 16 was very much a tale of two days. After seeing total chaos in the first round, things reverted back to normal for a day with 3 of the 4 games being won by the higher seed.
The Elite 8 matchups are set for the 2018 NCAA Tournament! The games will be played as follows:
Loyola-Chicago vs Kansas State
Florida State vs Michigan
Texas Tech vs Villanova
Duke vs Kansas
