Bye 1-seeds. Hiya, Elite Eight selection pack
The NCAA males’s basketball event settled the Elite Eight subject with one other 4 video games Friday, together with matchups that includes the best seeds nonetheless alive in No. 1 Alabama and No. 1 Houston.
Becoming this wild and unpredictable event, each prime seeds did not advance to the regional semifinals.
Alabama fell 71-64 to No. 5 San Diego State, victimized by what’s yearly one of many prime defenses in faculty basketball.
The Cougars lost 89-75 to No. 5 Miami because the Hurricanes booked an Elite Eight berth for the second 12 months in a row.
Later Friday night, No. 2 Texas blitzed No. 3 Xavier 83-71 and No. 6 Creighton ran away from No. 15 Princeton within the second half to win 86-75.
Observe the insanity: Latest Men’s NCAA Tournament College Basketball Scores and Schedules
San Diego State, Creighton and Alabama prime the winners and losers from Friday’s action:
Winners
San Diego State
As a program, SDSU has been knocking on the door of the Elite Eight and Closing 4 because the late 2000s, when the Aztecs started to flourish below former coach Steve Fisher. Now coached by longtime Fisher deputy Brian Dutcher, this 12 months’s workforce is the primary in program historical past to achieve the regional semifinals due to a suffocating protection that put the clamps on Alabama ahead Brandon Miller. With Miller lacking every little thing in sight, the Aztecs held Alabama to 32.4% from the sphere and the Tide’s third-lowest scoring complete on the season.
Miami and Jim Larrañaga
Reaching one other Elite Eight lifts Miami into a brand new stratosphere of Division I packages. If as soon as is a fluke, twice represents a development that would proceed below coach Jim Larrañaga, particularly given the Hurricanes’ recruiting success throughout the brand new period of identify, picture and likeness. Transfers outplayed the Cougars’ proficient backcourt and lifted Miami previous Houston: Isaiah Wong scored 20 factors, Nijel Pack had a game-high 26 and Jordan Miller added 13 factors as all 5 Miami starters scored in double figures.
Rodney Terry
Terry continues to function because the interim coach at Texas regardless of the work he’s accomplished piloting the Longhorns by way of the dismissal of former coach Chris Beard in January and into the Elite Eight for the primary time since 2008. Sooner or later, it’s important to ask: Simply what, precisely, is the varsity ready for? The previous Fresno State and UTEP coach is now 22-7 since changing Beard and has the Longhorns rolling into the Midwest remaining after the 12-point win towards Xavier. Whereas Texas could really feel the necessity to roll out a nationwide seek for the full-time coach, Terry has earned the chance.
The Huge East and Huge 12
The Elite Eight consists of groups representing six conferences. Two may have a number of representatives: the Huge East, with No. 4 Connecticut and Creighton, and the Huge 12, with Texas and No. 3 Kansas State. Waiting for the Closing 4, the nationwide semifinals have featured two groups from the identical convention 5 instances since 2010, most not too long ago final season, when the ACC despatched North Carolina and Duke. It additionally occurred yearly from 2013-16, by the Huge East (2013), SEC (2014), Huge Ten (2015) and ACC (2016).
Elite Eight (and perhaps Closing 4) new blood
Three members of the Elite Eight lineup are in new territory: San Diego State and Florida Atlantic had by no means superior previous the Candy 16 — the Owls had by no means even gained a event sport earlier than this month, in truth — and Creighton hasn’t superior up to now since 1941, when the event had simply eight groups (making it just a little simpler to achieve the spherical of eight). A fourth member, Miami, has by no means made the Closing 4. Kansas State hasn’t reached the Closing 4 in 60 years and Texas has been there simply as soon as because the event expanded in 1951. That leaves Connecticut and Gonzaga because the Elite Eight’s established heavyweights; the Huskies have gained 4 nationwide championships since 1999 and the Bulldogs have performed for all of it twice since 2017.
Losers
Brandon Miller
The attainable future first-round draft decide had a depressing event after placing collectively one of many prime rookie seasons by a participant in SEC historical past. He battled foul hassle and was held scoreless within the first spherical towards No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He scored 19 factors on 5-of-17 taking pictures within the second spherical towards No. 8 Maryland. Miller then had 9 factors on 3 of 19 taking pictures towards SDSU, together with only one make in 10 makes an attempt from deep.
Houston
Every part was lining up completely: Houston had a dominant common season, spending seven weeks at No. 1 within the USA TODAY Sports activities Coaches Ballot; had among the best rosters within the nation, led by All-America guard Marcus Sasser; was prepared to interrupt by way of after reaching the Elite Eight final season and the Closing 4 in 2021; and, maybe most of all, was set to play the Closing 4 at house at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
It’s value asking if that is the very best shot the Cougars and coach Kelvin Sampson may have at capturing the primary nationwide championship in program historical past. This was a season when every little thing appeared to return collectively — if not this 12 months, then when for Houston?
No. 1 seeds
For the primary time in event historical past, the Elite Eight will function zero No. 1 seeds. Houston and Alabama misplaced Friday. Purdue misplaced within the opening spherical to Fairleigh Dickinson to turn into the second No. 1 to lose to a No. 16 seed. Enjoying with out coach Invoice Self, Kansas gained within the first spherical however misplaced 72-71 to No. 8 Arkansas within the second.
Observe schools reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg
