Happy Friday, everyone! We have a loaded weekend ahead.
Let's get right to it.
THE TEAMS ADVANCING TO THE ELITE EIGHT
One of the greatest aspects of March Madness is that heroes come from anywhere. And on Thursday, one came from Devils Lake, North Dakota, (population 7,000-ish) and did not wilt under the bright lights in Los Angeles as millions watching from around the world.
Grant Nelson delivered the game of his life when (4) Alabama needed it most, scoring 24 points (and 19 in the second half) in a 89-87 win over (1) North Carolina.
Nelson went from relative unknown to hot commodity last offseason when he entered the transfer portal out of North Dakota State and highlights of a 6'11" guy who could handle, shoot and dunk emerged. He now joins the long list of March heroes, writes Cameron Salerno.
Alabama is into its first regional final since 2004, and the Crimson Tide will face a program that had an even longer wait: (6) Clemson is into the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980 after a 77-72 win over (2) Arizona. Chase Hunter scored a team-high 18 points, and his brother, Dillon Hunter, sealed the game late. Cameron spoke to both afterward.
In the East regional, if you thought (1) UConn would finally be challenged ... you're still waiting. The No. 1 overall seed overwhelmed (5) San Diego State, 82-52, in a rematch of last year's title game. The Huskies are the first reigning champion to reach the Elite Eight since Florida in 2007, who went on to defend said title. UConn is favored to do the same.
But can (3) Illinois change that? That's the question Matt Norlander tried to answer after the Illini held off (2) Iowa State, 72-69. Terrence Shannon Jr. continued his rampage through March with 29 points. His 246 points this month are the most in a single March since Kemba Walker (293) and Jimmer Fredette (275) in 2011.
THE ARIZONA WILDCATS AND THE NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
Unfortunately, this is what Arizona does.
It wasn't just Love, though. The Wildcats connected on just five of 28 from 3 (18%) and 13 for 26 on layups. They turned 17 offensive rebounds into just 15 second-chance points. They had too many defensive breakdowns to count.
A few hours later on the very same court, the No. 1 seed in the West regional said farewell to its season too. And, ironically, another conference player of the year struggled. RJ Davis -- who shared the UNC backcourt with Love for three years -- shot just four for 20, including nine misses on nine shots from 3, just like Love. Again, it's not all on him. Armando Bacot blew a crucial wide-open dunk, and North Carolina as a team went just 12 of 28 (43%) on layups. The Tar Heels' improved defense allowed its second-most points this season.
Missed opportunities, bad guard play and bad defense can end your season in the blink of an eye. Arizona and North Carolina are the latest to find out.
Four Sweet 16 games in the books, four to go. Here's the schedule:
NC State is the lone double-digit seed, and while "ACC Tournament champion" may not fit the traditional Cinderella description, a team that was 17-14 less than three weeks ago and nowhere near the bubble going 7-0 since is indeed a Cinderella, no matter the conference. Kyle Boone explains how Kevin Keatts saved his job.
Things were never quite that dire for Gonzaga, but Mark Few's bunch also needed a late surge. The Bulldogs were on the bubble as recently as early February. But now they're rolling, and David Cobb looked at why.
Few is the only coach left in the Midwest regional who has made a Final Four. The other three -- Matt Painter, Greg McDermott and Rick Barnes -- are looking for a long-awaited breakthrough in Detroit this weekend, David notes.
Here are our picks for tonight.
The women's Sweet 16 starts today with four games:
The best game of the day -- and third-best of the Sweet 16 -- according to Isabel Gonzalez's rankings is ...
When the Yankees acquired Juan Soto this offseason, they knew they were getting a generational bat. On Opening Day, Soto showed he can play some defense, too. The star right fielder threw out Mauricio Dubón at the plate in the ninth inning which helped to preserve the Yankees' 5-4 win over the Astros. He also started the Yankees' rally from a 4-0 deficit with an RBI single and walked twice. Pretty good!
He wasn't the only player making a strong first impression on his new team. A pitcher making his team debut landed among the "winners" of R.J. Anderson's Opening Day winners and losers.
🏀 (3) Oregon State vs. (2) Notre Dame (W), 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 (4) Indiana vs. (1) South Carolina (W), 5 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Lakers at Pacers, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 (11) NC State vs. (2) Marquette (M), 7:09 p.m. on CBS
🏀 (3) NC State vs. (2) Stanford (W), 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 (5) Gonzaga vs. (1) Purdue (M), 7:39 p.m. on TBS/truTV
🏀 (4) Gonzaga vs. (1) Texas (W), 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Mavericks at Kings, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 (4) Duke vs. (1) Houston (M), 30 min. after NC State-Marquette ends
🏀 (3) Creighton vs. (2) Tennessee (M), 30 min. after Gonzaga-Purdue ends
🏀 (3) LSU vs. (2) UCLA (W), 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 (5) Colorado vs. (1) Iowa (W), 3:30 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Braves at Phillies, 4:05 p.m. on FS1
🏀 (5) Baylor vs. (1) USC (W), 5:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Celtics at Pelicans, 5 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 (3) Illinois vs. (1) UConn (M), 6:09 p.m. on TBS/truTV
⚾ Yankees at Astros OR Giants at Padres, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Bucks at Hawks, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 (7) Duke vs. (3) UConn (W), 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 (6) Clemson vs. (4) Alabama (M), 8:39 p.m. on TBS/truTV
🏀 We'll be watching the men's (here) and women's (here) Elite Eight.
🏀 Cavaliers at Nuggets, 3:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Ducks at Canucks, 3:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Warriors at Spurs, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ Cardinals at Dodgers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
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