Half of the Final Four has been set in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. While four ACC teams will battle for two spots in the Final Four, the other half of the bracket seed two number 2 seeds defeat number one seeds, including the number one overall seed going down. Buddy Hield’s 37 point performance led his Oklahoma Sooners to a win over the Oregon Ducks and a berth in the Final Four, being crowned the champions of the West Region. The Villanova Wildcats were looking to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2009 when Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham were seniors. They had to get through the number one overall seed in the Kansas Jayhawks and despite a late run, the Wildcats came out on top.
No.2 Oklahoma Sooners DEF No.1 Oregon Ducks 80-68
Number 2 seed Oklahoma came out firing and never looked back as it toppled number 1 seed Oregon to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2002. The Ducks saw their 11-game winning streak snapped and failed to reach the Final Four for the 76th straight season, the longest stretch in NCAA history. With his game-high 37 points, Sooners guard Buddy Hield boosted his NCAA Tournament scoring average to 29.3 points per game. The national player of the year candidate finished 8-for-13 from beyond the arc in his nation-leading 12th 30-point performance. Oklahoma improved to 5-4 all-time in the Elite Eight and 1-2 against Oregon. Hield became the first player since Steph Curry (2008) with 100 points and 15 3-pointers made prior to the Final Four. Hield also became the first player with at least 30 points against a No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight or later since Carmelo Anthony did so for Syracuse in 2003. Oregon forward Elgin Cook scored a team-high 24 points on 6-for-13 shooting. The Sooners shot 50 percent (12-for-24) from behind the 3-point line while holding the Ducks to 19 percent (4-for-21). Ducks forward Dillon Brooks, who entered the game averaging a team-best 16.8 points per game, was held to 7 points on 3-for-6 shooting. Oklahoma improved to 18-1 when scoring 80 points.
Buddy Hield had one person to blame for his performance in the Elite 8 game. Kobe Bryant, someone he recently met during the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
OU’s Buddy Hield on his 37 points vs. Oregon: “As soon as I saw Kobe was here, I knew I had to put on a show. Blame it on Kobe”
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) March 27, 2016
No.2 Villanova Wildcats DEF No.1 Kansas Jayhawks 64-59
Villanova became the second No. 2 seed to win on Saturday, toppling the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament Kansas to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2009. The Jayhawks fell short of the Final Four once again, losing in the Regional Final for the first time since winning the tournament in 2008. Playing on his birthday, Villanova senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono led a balanced attack, scoring 13 points while adding three rebounds, an assist and a steal. He hit 6-of-7 free throws, with four coming in the final 33 seconds. Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart also had 13 points for Villanova, while Daniel Ochefu added 10. The Wildcats were 18-of-19 from the free throw line. The teams were a combined 10-of-40 from 3-point range. Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham led all scorers with 17 points, while Wayne Selden Jr. and Frank Mason III added 16 apiece. Kansas had 16 turnovers to Villanova’s nine. Villanova guard Mikal Bridges had a game-high five steals.
