March Madness

April 4

The 2016 Division 1 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament’s National Championship took place in Houston on Monday night. Just two teams were left after three weekends of unbelievable college basketball, Villanova and North Carolina, a match up for it all. North Carolina was favorited being the 1 seed to Villanova’s 2 seed, the Tar Heels looked to win the game on their strength inside led by star big men Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks. Villanova came in as the hottest team of the tournament blowing out everybody in their path with the exception of number one overall seeded Kansas who they beat by five. Villanova is built a little different than North Carolina they focus on grit and physicality and have been led by strong defense all year.

This game was figured to be a classic coming in and it looked the part as the game got going with a back and forth first fifteen minutes that a several lead changes. North Carolina was on fire from three hitting 7 of its first 9 from beyond the arc and they seized the momentum in the last five minutes of the first half. Carolina’s run took them into the half up 5 and the Tar Heels came out firing to start the second half but Villanova had no more, the Wildcats like they had all tournament just kept up that defensive pressure and kept knocking down shot after shot. Villanova stormed back into the game and took the lead midway through the second half and they would not slow down. The Cats kept hitting shots and would end up taking the game’s biggest lead of 10 points with just around five minutes left in the national championship.

Senior leader Marcus Paige took the game over scoring and assisting teammates, Along with Paige, Brice Johnson and Joel Berry brought North Carolina back into the fight. The Tar Heels went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 3 with just under four minutes left and at that moment it was clear the championship was up for grabs. The teams traded buckets and with 25 seconds to go Marcus Paige took the ball to the basket and missed a wide open layup but he did not give up on the play, he took the ball back out of Villanova’s hands and made a wild reverse shot to cut the lead to 1 point. Paige’s clutch play would not be any more evident than when after two made WIldcat free throws he got the ball and put up a double clutch three pointer with 5 seconds left after a scramble for the ball. Paige sank the three to tie up the game at 74 with 4.7 seconds in the championship. It looked like Paige and his teammates thought that the shot was going to send this game into overtime but VIllanova had the ball and they still had 4.7 seconds left. Coming out of a timeout the Wildcats had a play drawn up and were ready to take their shot at history. Senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono took the ball down court, it was his team and seemingly his shot to make but the unselfish nature of the Wildcat program took hold and Ryan pitched the ball back to trailing Kris Jenkins. Jenkins in perfect harmony caught and shot the ball and drained the game winner from deep as time expired to declare Nova the national champion winning 77-74.

Villanova shot a great 58 percent from the field and North Carolina shot an equally great 65 percent from the three point line. Marcus Paige scored 21 and Joel Berry scored 20 for the Tar Heels, The Wildcats got 16 points from Ryan Arcidiacono and 14 from Kris Jenkins but the Wildcats were led by 20 points off the bench from Phil Booth.

 
April 2

The 2016 Men’s NCAA Division 1 Basketball Tournament has reached its pinnacle, this Saturday four teams squared off in two games in Houston, Texas for the Final Four. After all the upsets and broken dreams four of the sixty four teams remain and set to battle for college basketballs ultimate prize: a national championship.

National Semi-Final number one matched up two teams that played earlier in the regular season the (2) Oklahoma Sooners against the (2) Villanova Wildcats, Oklahoma defeated Villanova by 23 back in December. Villanova is a team powered by defense and physical play and the exact opposite of that would be the Oklahoma Sooners who are a high flying offensive juggernaut lead by the nation’s best scorer Buddy Hield. This contrast in styles looked to make this game a classic contest but the underappreciated Villanova WIldcats had other ideas.

The game was tight through the first ten minutes and Oklahoma had a 17-16 lead but then Villanova went on a 12-0 run taking the lead 28-17 and would end up having a 42-28 lead over the Sooners at halftime. The deficit was the largest at the half for the Sooners all but Hield looked to bring his team back in the second half but neither him or Oklahoma could get it going. The Sooners got it to within nine but couldn’t get the deficit to anything less than that as the Wildcats kept pouring on a barrage of threes and forcing numerous Sooner turnovers. The Wildcats shot an unbelievable 71 percent from the field and forced a season high 17 Oklahoma turnovers but the main key to their victory was holding Hield to 9 points on the way to a 95-51 destruction of the Sooners.

Hield had scored over 30 points in each of the previous four tournament games but his historic run was stifled by Villanova’s relentless defensive presence. Oklahoma had 7 losses this season all by a combined 40 points heading into Saturday’s game and in one game against the Wildcats they lost by 44. Villanova makes their first trip to the national championship game since 1985 when they upset Georgetown as the lowest seed ever to win a national championship, the Wildcats are overlooked once again as they look to win the nation title.

   In the final game before the NCAA National Championship, (10) Syracuse was put to the test against (1) North Carolina. The Orange were coming off an 68-62 upset victory against another number one seed, Virginia, and the Tar Heels were fresh off of a dominant 88-74 victory against Notre Dame, so both teams proved that they would be worthy competition for each other in this portion of the tournament.

North Carolina began the game shooting poorly from beyond the arc, making 0 out of their first 10 attempts, but they developed an inside game that became unstoppable, outscoring Syracuse from inside the paint 26 to 13 in the first half. North Carolina’s interior defense was a big reason for this, as they held Syracuse’s leading scorer, Michael Gbinije, to 12 points on 5-for-18 shooting.

The Tar Heels moved away from shots beyond the arc, and instead showed that they had the ability to break down Syracuse’s well-developed 2-3 zone defense. With quick passes into the paint and crashing the offensive glass against a Syracuse team that doesn’t put in much effort when a rebound opportunity presents itself, North Carolina became an offensive terror for the Orange. North Carolina’s leading scorers Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, and Justin Jackson shot for a combined total of 47 points, and played a big role in keeping the Tar Heels’ lead throughout the majority of the game.

Led by Trevor Cooney and Malachi Richardson, Syracuse went on a 10-0 run and pulled within 7 points of North Carolina, but they could never come any closer.

North Carolina finished off Syracuse with a score of 83-66. The Tar Heels will advance onto the National Championships for their 10th time, and they will be seeking their 6th title. North Carolina will find themselves facing (2) Villanova Monday night in the National Championship. In the four times that these teams have met in tournament play, Villanova has only won once, back in 1985. Be sure to check back here on the Eagle Angle for a recap following Monday night’s game.

March 27

Sunday marked the end of an intense Elite Eight portion of the NCAA March Madness Tournament. The upsets continued, as another number one seed found themselves out of the tournament, and now the Final Four begins. Sunday’s games included:

• (10) Syracuse with the upset against (1) Virginia 68-62. This game did not start off in favor of the Syracuse Orange, as they could not seem to find their shot nor defense, and Virginia took advantage of that weakness by getting multiple scores from inside the paint, thus taking the early lead. The Orange came back in the second half with much more momentum, as Virginia’s lead was cut to single digits in just a few minutes.Syracuse’s Malachi Richardson helped seal the major comeback, as his 21 second-half points pushed Syracuse above Virginia, and the Orange were able to pull off the victory, advancing them to the Final Four.
• (1) North Carolina with the victory against (6) Notre Dame 88-74.

This years final four contains two teams that weren’t a favorite on many brackets, (10) Syracuse and (2) Villanova. Only .3% of the brackets in the ESPN Tournament challenge had Syracuse and North Carolina playing in the final four. (2) Villanova will play (2) Oklahoma and (1) North Carolina plays (10) Syracuse in the next portion of the tournament on April 2nd.  Stay up to date with further tournament information here on the Eagle Angle.

March 26

Saturday was the start of the Elite Eight in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Eight teams are set to battle in four games over the next two days with the winners moving on to the Final Four, Saturday’s games featured a pair of 1 versus 2 matchups. Here are the results of the two games played on Saturday night:

• (2) Oklahoma 80 VS. (1) Oregon 68
• (2) Villanova 64 VS. (1) Kansas 59

The two number 2 seeds upset the 1 seeds that they were playing, with Villanova and Oklahoma moving on to matchup in the Final Four for a shot to go to the National Championship. Oklahoma was guided by star Buddy Hield who had a 37 point performance as he continues one of the greatest individual tournament runs of all time. Villanova was not expected to take down Kansas, the number one overall seeded Jayhawks were the majority favorite to win the National Title this year. The Wildcats came out victorious in a physical battle led by their senior duo of Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu. This is Villanova’s first Final Four since 2009 and Oklahoma’s first trip since 2002.
Tune in Sunday at 5:09 pm on TBS to see the Syracuse Orange take on the Virginia Cavaliers and then at 7:40 pm watch the Notre Dame Fighting Irish versus the North Carolina Tar Heels on TBS as well and check out the recap of the games here at The Eagle Angle.

March 25

Friday included the final games within the Sweet Sixteen portion of the March Madness Tournament. The excitement continued, as there were two close games, and the number one seeds continued to show why they deserved that number one spot.

Games Played:

• (1) North Carolina dominates (5) Indiana 101-86.
• (1) Virginia triumphs over (4) Iowa State 84-71.
• (10) Syracuse holds onto their spot in the tournament in a 63-60 win against (11) Gonzaga.
• (6) Notre Dame was victorious over (7) Wisconsin 61-56.

The Elite Eight begins tomorrow, and the desire for a championship becomes stronger as each team gets further into the tournament. The number one seeds have shown that they have the determination to make it this far and they will look to continue this streak, but the chance for an upset is still at large. Tomorrow, (1) Oregon will play (2) Oklahoma, and (1) Kansas will play (2) Villanova. Stay up to date with tournament information here on The Eagle Angle.

March 24

The NCAA Tournament started its 3rd round Thursday, the Sweet Sixteen, this is when the true race to the Final Four begins. The last 16 teams left from the original 64 set to battle to move one step closer to the ultimate prize. Here were the results from the four games played on Thursday:

• (2) Villanova 92 VS. (3) Miami 69
• (2) Oklahoma 77 VS. (3) Texas A&M 63
• (1) Kansas 79 VS. (5) Maryland 63
• (1) Oregon 82 VS. (4) Duke 68

The favorites all dominated, the two number 2 seeds and number 1 seeds moved on to the Elite Eight setting up the match ups of Villanova versus Kansas and Oklahoma versus Oregon on Saturday. In the year when upsets were prominent throughout the regular season and the first round of the tournament it is the top dogs who are taking over now as we get later and later into March.

The last four games of the Sweet Sixteen start on Friday the 25th at 6:10 pm check back into The Eagle Angle for the recap of the action

March 20

The end of the second round in the NCAA March Madness Tournament occured on Sunday. It was yet another day of close games and thrilling upsets. Of course this time around, these games showcased the team’s skilled enough to make it to the Sweet 16 portion of the tournament.

Most Notable games of the day:

• (1) Oregon edges off (8) Saint Joseph’s university 69-64.
• (6) Notre Dame wins a close game against (14) Stephen F. Austin University 76-75.
• (3) Texas A&M finds a way to win in a long, hard-fought double overtime battle against (11) Northern Iowa 92-88.
• (7) Wisconsin knocks (2) Xavier out of the tournament with a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game 66-63.

The remaining games include:

• (2) Villanova is victorious over (7) Iowa 87-68.
• (2) Oklahoma advances over (10) Virginia Commonwealth University 85-81.
• (10) Syracuse stomps over (15) MIddle Tennessee in a 75-47 win.
• (5) Maryland emerges successful in a win against (13) Hawaii 73-60

Brackets in the ESPN Tournament Challenge continue to struggle, as the upsets have been prominent this year, and there’s a chance of more to come. The first Sweet Sixteen game begins on the 24th at 6:10 P.M. when (3) University of Miami  plays (2) Villanova. Stayed tuned for coverage of the upcoming games from the tournament here on The Eagle Angle.

March 19

Saturday marked the beginning of the second round in this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The contenders start to separate themselves from the pretenders in this round as the winners will move on to the second weekend of the tournament and will compete as one of only 16 teams left. Here are the results of the eight games played on Saturday:

• (3) Miami 65 VS. (11) Wichita State 57
• (4) Duke 71 VS. (12) Yale 64
• (5) Indiana 73 VS. (4) Kentucky 67
• (4) Iowa State 78 VS. (12) Arkansas Little-Rock 61
• (1) Virginia 77 VS. (9) Butler 69
• (1) Kansas 73 VS. (9) UConn 61
• (11) Gonzaga 82 VS. (3) Utah 59
• (1) North Carolina 85 VS. (9) Providence 66

The games were not nearly as exciting as the first two days and the upsets were at a minimum after a first round packed with them. The clock struck midnight on Yale and Arkansas Little-Rock as the two cinderella teams ran into the 4 seeds in their regions. The slipper still fits for Gonzaga however, the Bulldogs continue their magical run with a blowout of 3 seed Utah and with a matchup against a lower seeded opponent in the sweet sixteen, the Zags could look to go deep in the tournament.

Day two of the second round begins tomorrow at 11:10 A.M. Tune in and get your recap of all the action here on The Eagle Angle.

March 18

Friday marked the second official day of the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Tournament. The remaining 16 games from the round of 64 are being played today. The winning teams will be moving onto the round of 32. Today’s games consisted of many unpredicted upsets, and there are no more perfect brackets that remain in the NCAA Tournament Challenge.

The most notable games include:

• (15) Middle Tennessee with the upset victory over (2) Michigan State University 90-81
• (13) University of Hawaii upsetting (4) University of California 77-66
• (14) Stephen F. Austin University with the upset against (3) West Virginia University 70-56
• (11) Northern Iowa University with a half-court buzzer beater to emerge victorious over the (6) University of Texas 75-72.
• (8) Saint Joseph’s university edging off (9) Cincinnati university 78-76 with milliseconds to spare. Cincinnati’s Jacob Evans attempted to tie the game at the buzzer with a dunk, but it was waved off after further review, as it was released too late.

The remaining games include:

• (10) University of Syracuse winning against (7) Dayton university 70-51.
• (2) Villanova University winning over (15) UNC Asheville 86-56.
• (10) VCU emerging victorious over (7) Oregon State 75-67.
• (7) Iowa University coming out victorious 72-70 against (10) Temple University.
• (2) Oklahoma University winning over (15) CSU Bakersfield 82-62.
• (3) Texas A&M University coming out on top against (14) Green Bay university 92-65.
• (1) Oregon University winning against (16) Holy Cross University 91-52.
• (2) Xavier University emerging victorious over (15) Weber State 71-53.
• (6) Notre Dame winning over (11) University of Michigan 70-63.
• (7) Wisconsin University winning over (10) University of Pittsburgh 47-43.

Tune into tomorrow’s games in the NCAA basketball tournament, as the first games of the second round begin at 11:10 A.M. Stayed tuned for a recap of tonight’s games coming out here on The Eagle Angle.

March 17

Thursday was the start of the round of 64 in this year’s NCAA Men’s  Division 1 Basketball Tournament, 32 teams squared off in the tournament’s first 16 games. This year’s tournament seems more unpredictable than ever with this year’s one seeds combined for a record 23 losses by one seeds heading into tournament play. Here is a breakdown of Thursday’s games

• (4) Duke 93 VS. (13) UNC Wilmington 85
• (9) Butler 71 VS. (8) Texas Tech 61
• (9) UConn 74 VS. (8) Colorado 67
• (4) Iowa State 94 VS. (13) Iona 81
• (12) Yale 79 VS. (5) Baylor 75
• (1) Virginia 81 VS. (16) Hampton 45
• (1) Kansas 105 VS. (16) Austin Peay 79
• (12) Arkansas Little-Rock 85 VS. (5) Purdue 83
• (3) Miami 79 VS. (14) Buffalo 72
• (1) North Carolina 83 VS. (16) Florida Gulf Coast 67
• (5) Indiana 99 VS. (12) Chattanooga 74
• (11) Wichita State 65 VS. (6) Arizona 55
• (4) Kentucky 85 VS. (13) Stony Brook 67
• (9) Providence 70 VS. (8) USC 69
• (11) Gonzaga 68 VS. (6) Seton Hall 52

March Madness has started off with a bang once again 12 seeds Arkansas Little-Rock and Yale were the two biggest shockers of the day as they immediately sent ripples throughout the college basketball world with their wins over the higher seed opponents they faced, Baylor and Purdue, the magic of March is back and the next three weeks look to be unforgettable.