The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament continued over the weekend with the Elite 8. The men played their games on Saturday and Sunday, while the women got their field down to four teams with games on Sunday and Monday night.
MEN’S ELITE 8-
(Saturday) Connecticut 77, Illinois 52- At TD Garden in Boston, the defending national champion Huskies used a 30-0 run that stretched from late in the first half and into the second to advance to the Final Four for a second straight season by taking down the Illini in the East Regional Final. Donovan Clingan led all scorers with 22 points and 10 rebounds. UConn shot 51.7% from the field, holding Illinois to just 25.4%. The Huskies will be looking for their sixth title overall and also the first team to win back to back championships on the men’s side since 2006 and 2007 (Florida).
(Saturday) Alabama 89, Clemson 82- At Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Mark Sears led all scorers with 23 points in leading the Crimson Tide to their first Final Four in men’s basketball history by taking the West Regional Final over the Tigers. Nick Pringle (16 points), Rylan Griffen (13 points), and Aaron Estrada (10 points) also scored in double figures for Alabama.
(Sunday) Purdue 72, Tennessee 66- At Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit- Zach Edey put on a dominant performance by scoring 40 points in leading the Boilermakers to their first Final Four in 44 years by holding off the Volunteers in the Midwest Regional Final. Edey made 13-21 from the floor and hit 14-22 at the foul line, while also adding 16 rebounds. Dalton Knecht had 37 points in the losing cause for Tennessee. Purdue heads to Arizona looking for their first NCAA men’s basketball crown.
(Sunday) North Carolina State 76, Duke 64- At American Airlines Center in Dallas, the Wolfpack continued their amazing run as an 11 seed as they defeated the Blue Devils to win the South Regional Final. DJ Burns, Jr. led the way for NC State with 29 points, as they outscored Duke 55-37 in the second half to erase a six point halftime deficit. The Wolfpack, who got into the NCAA Tournament by winning five games in five days at the ACC Tournament, has now won nine straight games over the course of 19 days. The last time they were in the Final Four in 1983, legendary coach Jim Valvano and company shocked Houston in the national championship game.
WOMEN’S ELITE 8-
(Sunday) South Carolina 70, Oregon State 58- At MVP Arena in Albany, the Gamecocks held off the Beavers to improve to 37-0 on the season advancing to their fourth consecutive Final Four by taking the Albany 1 Regional Final. Tessa Johnson led the way for South Carolina with 15 points, and Ashlyn Watkins had 14 rebounds including six on the offensive glass. South Carolina had a 22-7 advantage on offensive rebounds. SC will look for their second championship in the last three seasons, after being beaten by Iowa in the Final Four last year.
(Sunday) North Carolina State 76, Texas 66- At the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, Aziaha James led all scorers with 27 points as the Wolfpack women’s team joined the men in the Final Four by defeating the Longhorns in the Portland 2 Regional Final. NC State hit 9-18 from three-point range, while Texas shot 1-6 from behind the arc. This will be the second appearance for the Wolfpack in the Final Four and first since 1998, and they are seeking their first national title.
(Monday) Iowa 94, LSU 87- At MVP Arena in Albany, Caitlin Clark put on a show by scoring 41 points and hitting nine 3-pointers as the Hawkeyes got some payback by defeating the Tigers in the Albany 2 Regional Final. The game was a rematch of the national title game won by LSU last season 102-85. Clark, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history, hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter to help her team get some separation and heads back to the Final Four for a second straight season looking for their first title.
(Monday) UConn 80, USC 73- At the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, Paige Bueckers had a team-high 28 points and added 10 rebounds and six assists in leading the Huskies back to the Final Four by taking down the Trojans in the Portland 3 Regional Final. Aaliyah Edwards had 24 points. It was an 11-0 fourth quarter run that helped UConn ice it, heading to the Final Four for a record 23rd time. The Huskies had won 14 straight regional titles, before falling to Ohio State in the Sweet 16 last season. Juju Watkins, the sensational freshman for the Trojans, had 29 points in the loss. Watkins and McKenzie Forbes combined for 53 of the 73 USC points. UConn with two wins in Ohio this coming weekend will win their 12th national championship.
This is the first time in NCAA Basketball history that two schools will have their men’s and women’s teams in the Final Four in the same season (NC State, UConn). Below is the Final Four schedule-
WOMEN’S FINAL FOUR- Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio
Friday, April 5 National Semifinals
Semifinal 1- #1 South Carolina (37-0) vs #3 North Carolina State (32-6)- 7 p.m.
Semifinal 2- #1 Iowa (33-4) vs #3 UConn (33-5)- 9 p.m.
Sunday, April 7 National Championship
Semifinal 1 winner vs Semifinal 2 winner- 3 p.m.
MEN’S FINAL FOUR- State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona
Saturday, April 6 National Semifinals
Semifinal 1- #1 Purdue (34-4) vs #11 North Carolina State (27-14)- 6:09 p.m.
Semifinal 2- #1 UConn (35-3) vs #4 Alabama (25-11)- 8:49 p.m.
Monday, April 8 National Championship
Semifinal 1 winner vs Semifinal 2 winner- Time TBA
Written by Chris Lessner
