NCAA Elite Eight: First Four teams are in!
Notre Dame, Kentucky, Arizona, and Wisconsin are the first four schools to book their seats to the 2015 NCAA Elite Eight. All four teams that are moving on were matched up against teams that were lower seeded in the Sweet 16. The number one seed from the Midwest Region, the University of Kentucky destroyed West Virginia with extreme prejudice. They will face the Notre Dame Irish which dispatched with Wichita State. In the West Region, the top two seeds Wisconsin and Arizona will face off after defeating North Carolina and Xavier, respectively.
West Virginia vs. Kentucky, 39-78
The still-perfect and hands-down favorite to win the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky Wildcats showed the world once again why they are “the team to beat.” They put on display the excellent defense they’ve been noted for throughout the season and also showed flashes of their offensive spark. Kentucky outmatched West Virginia, plain and simple. They had the size, the talent, the depth, and almost every other advantage you could imagine over their opponents.
“They were what I thought they were,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. “That’s the best defensive team I think that I’ve ever coached against. And when they’re making shots, there’s nobody going to beat them.”
Kentucky surged to a massive 18-44 lead after the first half and they just kept on piling it on from there, completely shutting down notion West Virginia had at a comeback attempt. And thusly, the Wildcats ended the game doubling up on their opposition.
Trey Lyles led Kentucky with 14 points and seven rebounds. Andrew and Aaron Harrison chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively. Juwan Staten was the only West Virginia Mountaineer to score in double figures with 14 points.
Wichita State vs. Notre Dame, 70-81
You can tell when a legacy of winning runs through the veins of an institution like that of the Notre Dame Irish. They came up big in the second half, cranking up their offense up a level (or two) to take down Wichita State. A 38-18 run completely altered the complexion of the game and Notre Dame’s offense, now in overdrive, overwhelmed the Shockers into submission.
Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton paced his team with a double-double performance, recording 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jerian Grant kept the offense flowing with his nine points and 11 assists.
Wichita State’s two-man game of Fred VanFleet and Darius Carter could only take them so far. The duo lacked ample support when it came to catching up with Notre Dame’s burst on the offensive end. VanFleet finished 25 points and Carter added 22.
North Carolina vs. Wisconsin, 72-79
The Wisconsin Badgers overcame a rough start in the game and had to grind this win out in the final minutes. A superb team effort by Wisconsin allowed them pull through this one. Frank Kaminsky, who had been one of the Badgers’ main offensive weapons throughout the season was slow to get into his groove, but he carried his team with his agressiveness free-throw shooting down the stretch. He finished the night with 19 points and eight rebounds. Teammate Sam Dekker took up the slack and was impressive with his 23-point, 10-rebound performance.
“Everyone knows that once we get to free throw time at the end of the game, we’ve got to make our free throws or they’re going to come down and score,” Kaminsky said. “We’ve been through that a lot this season with situations like that. So it’s just nice to be able to go out there and do it.”
Justin Jackson and Brice Johnson each scored 15 points for the fourth seeded Tar Heels. Marcus Paige scored 12 points and his back-to-back treys were what kept his team within striking distance in dying minutes of the game. His heroics however, were outmatched by Kaminsky’s in the end.
Xavier vs. Arizona, 60-68
This is Arizona’s third Elite Eight appearance in five seasons. Wildcats’ T.J. McConnell came up with a huge second half for his team, scoring 13 of his 17 points to carry them to victory. He also added seven rebounds and five assists in his wake-up call game. The contest was an even 28-28 at the end of the first half and it was do-or-die for either team after that. McConnell went on a tear and Xavier could not find an answer. Defense played a key role as Arizona stifled Xavier’s top scorer Matt Stainbrook in the second half. Stainbrook did finish with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but he did not get enough support from his teammates when Arizona went on their rally.
Credit also goes to Wildcat Kaleb Tarczewski who was active on both ends of the floor. He ended the game with a double-double, notching 12 points and 12 boards. He however, credits McConnell as being the key to this victory.
“Over this season, T.J. has really developed into the rock on our team, the leader,” Tarczewski said. “He’s someone that in clutch situations, everybody on our team is confident with the ball in his hands. He always makes the right play.”