The first day of the NCAA Tournament’s Elite 8 games means one thing. The best of the best teams in the nation remain, so some good games are in store for everyone. The 4 teams playing in day one, didn’t disappoint.
Sure the Sweet 16 games are cool and both days presented us some awesome plays and storylines but these are the best 8 teams remaining in the nation.
The first day of the Elite 8 showcased 2 number one seeds face off with the team all the ‘experts’ believed would be their hardest competition on the road to the Final Four.
West Region Final: Wisconsin Badgers Defeat Arizona Wildcats, 85-78
In a rematch of last years Elite 8 game between the 2 programs, both teams came in one year older and a lot better than last year. Arizona Wildcats led by Freshman phenom Stanley Johnson, Senior leader T.J. McConnell and Sophomore standout Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and the Wisconsin Badgers have been the darlings of the tourney to this point, having fun all month long during the NCAA Tournament. When it came down to play the game, Senior National Player of the Year candidate Frank Kaminsky and Junior playmaker Sam Dekker stepped up when the Badgers needed them the most.
It was a tale of 2 halves for the Badgers as they had their 2 stars dominate in different ways to give the Wildcats headaches all night. Kaminsky got things going for the Badgers in the first half, scoring 13 points to lead them in first half scoring. The Wildcats walked out of the first half with a 3 point lead, barely escaping the barrage from the Badgers.
Then, Sam Dekker made a case to increase his draft stock and completely snapped against Arizona in the second half. Dekker scored 7 points in the first half but then he exploded. Dekker dropped 20 points and made 5 three-pointers, including one 3 that was the final blow with a littler over 2 minutes to go all in the second half alone. Dekker drilled that final 3 as the shot clock expired and you could just see the look of disgust on the faces of the Wildcats as they knew that was the knockout blow.
Hollis-Jefferson scored 17 points with 8 rebounds and Brandon Ashley, who just went at Kaminsky all night in the paint, also scored 17 points for Arizona. The night was all Dekker’s though as he finished with a career-high 27 points one game after he scored a career-high 23 points against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Kaminsky finished with 29 points, Josh Gasser also helped the 2-headed barrage from the Wisconsin stars by scoring 10 of his own points.
The disappointment of the game was projected top 5 pick in this summer’s NBA draft, Stanley Johnson, who scored only 6 points, fouled out of the game and even missed a portion of the game due to a scratched eye. Not exactly a great lasting memory for a kid who’s projected to go so high in the draft, especially when Reggie Miller says he is the ‘reincarnation of LeBron James‘.
The Badgers are on to the Final 4.
Midwest Region Final: Kentucky Wildcats Defeat Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 68-66
Kentucky Wildcats are still on the hot pursuit of perfection and they know it. As much as they tell people ‘they are taking things day by day’, they know what’s at stake. At this point of the NCAA Tournament, it’s on a more elevated scale than ever before but after tonight’s classic against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the target on their back is only going to be bigger.
Kentucky came in expected to eat the Irish alive in the paint. Notre Dame was expected to rely on their fantastic shooting and perimeter game to challenge the Wildcats. Oh, how the tables turned.
Wildcats had a dominating game from their big man, Karl Anthony Towns, who is the projected number 1 overall pick by many ‘experts’. Towns finished with a career-high 25 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists but he was fighting foul trouble for the better part of the second half. Towns rose above the trouble, thanks to some smart coaching by John Calipari. Towns and the other bigs for Kentucky had big issue with Zach Auguste. The 6’10 big man for the Fighting Irish dropped 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds but the main issue was that Kentucky couldn’t stop Auguste from scoring in the paint. The only other member of the Wildcats to score in double-figures was Devin Booker, who came off the bench for 10 points. Steve Vasturia helped out Auguste as much as he could, dropping 16 points and Jerian Grant put up 15 points.
Zach Auguste has 16 points in the paint, the most by a player against Kentucky in this year's tournament.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 29, 2015
At the end of the day, It was a pair of twins that saved the Wildcats from their first loss of the season and an elimination in the tournament. Aaron Harrison drilled a huge 3 with a little over 3 minutes remaining in the game that gave Kentucky their first lead in over 12 minutes. Irish guard Jerian Grant responded with a 3 of his own but then there was a costly mistake by Notre Dame with 34 seconds to go. Grant tried to shoot a step back jumper against Willie Cauley-Stein but the skilled Wildcats forward blocked his shot and the ball went out of bounds with 1 second left on the shot clock. The Irish ran a poorly executed out of bounds play and then it was Kentucky’s ball.
The other Wildcat twin, Andrew Harrison, had the ball, drove in the lane and got fouled with 6 seconds to go. He made both free throws and then it was Notre Dame’s time to shine. Jerian Grant had the ball, drove it up court while getting triple teamed and had an amazing look at a shot but it came up just short.
Kentucky escapes with a win but not without a big challenge from Notre Dame. For the second straight season Kentucky and Wisconsin will face off in the Final Four but if the Badgers expect to end the undefeated season, they better hope that history isn’t on the side of the Wildcats.
Kentucky will square off against Wisconsin in the Final Four for the 2nd year in a row pic.twitter.com/kNuhW4A1MT
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 29, 2015
