The first night of the Sweet 16 had something for every type of men’s college basketball fan: comebacks, winning shots, even superhuman performances.
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf and Kyle Bonagura were on-site in Houston and San Jose, California to break down how each of Thursday’s games was won. Expert analyst Jeff Borzello also identifies keys for each winner to advance to the Final Four.
How Purdue won: Braden Smith‘s potential go-ahead attempt in the closing seconds was off the mark, but Trey Kaufman-Renn was there for a tip-in to give Purdue a thrilling win. The Boilermakers labored throughout the second half and had a difficult time containing Tramon Mark, but a clutch layup from Smith with 38 seconds to play followed by a couple of made free throws by C.J. Cox put them in position to win. They shot just 4-for-20 (20%) from 3 but all five starters scored in double figures, with Kaufman-Renn’s 20 points leading the way. Fletcher Loyer was the only Boilermaker to make a 3, going 4-for-8 from the perimeter. — Bonagura
Purdue’s Elite Eight opponent: Arizona (8:49 p.m. ET on Sunday)
How the Boilermakers can advance to the Final Four: The focal point of their game plan has to be keeping Arizona from completely dominating the paint at both ends of the court. The Wildcats are dominant on the offensive glass, around the rim and get to the free throw line at an incredibly high rate. Purdue, which had the second-best defensive rebounding percentage in the Big Ten, will have to hold its own on the backboards while staying out of foul trouble. With Daniel Jacobsen‘s struggles down the stretch of the season, it has put much more urgency on Oscar Cluff to stay on the court. If he is forced to sit for long stretches, that won’t bode well for the Boilermakers.
Offensively, Fletcher Loyer will be the key. Purdue has to get hot from 3 to keep up with Arizona’s 2-point efficiency, and Loyer has made four 3s in each of the Boilermakers’ three NCAA tournament games. — Borzello
How Iowa won: Iowa trailed Nebraska for 81% of this game. The Cornhuskers were an offensive machine early, opening with a 12-2 run and holding a double-digit lead with just over five minutes left in the first half. With a Nebraska-heavy crowd at the Toyota Center in Houston, the Cornhuskers appeared to have all of the momentum … until a Tate Sage 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer cut that deficit to three points and allowed the Hawkeyes to hit the reset button.
Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz was the most influential player in the second half as Nebraska cooled off in a back-and-forth game. Stirtz hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:10 to play, then Alvaro Folgueiras came up big for the second game in a row. With his team up three points late, he ran down the court, scored and drew a foul for a three-point play. Nebraska, seemingly confused, had only four players on the court. Another late dunk from Folgueiras sealed the game for the Hawkeyes, who will make their first Elite Eight appearance since 1987.
How’d they get here? With the same resilience they’ve had all season. They never broke. They were exhausted, but with the game on the line, they made clutch plays to advance. — Medcalf
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Alvaro Folgueiras punctuates Iowa’s trip to Elite Eight
Alvaro Folgueiras dunks the ball with authority to help secure a victory.
Iowa’s Elite Eight opponent: Illinois (6:09 p.m. ET on Sunday)
How the Hawkeyes can advance to the Final Four: Iowa’s biggest strength in the NCAA tournament has been its ability to control the tempo. The Hawkeyes’ first-round game against Clemson featured 54 possessions — the slowest game either team played all season. Their second-round win over Florida saw the fewest possessions the Gators have had all season. And their Sweet 16 win over Nebraska was the slowest game the Cornhuskers have played all season. Can Iowa do the same to Illinois? The first meeting between the two Big Ten teams was closer to the Illini’s preferred pace, although the Hawkeyes falling behind early and not being built for comebacks was the bigger factor.
Two more keys for Iowa: Stirtz has to win the point guard battle against Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell, and the Hawkeyes have to keep Illinois — the Big Ten’s best offensive rebounding team — from dominating second-chance opportunities. — Borzello
How Arizona won: Arizona left no doubt about its intentions in this tournament with a comprehensive win against Arkansas. The Wildcats were in control from start to finish, looking capable of winning the whole thing. Darius Acuff Jr. did his best to try to keep the Razorbacks competitive with 28 points, but it was clear early that there was a sizable talent discrepancy between the two teams. Brayden Burries led the Wildcats with 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting — one of six Arizona players to score in double figures, each at least one attempt better than 50% from the field.
This is the Wildcats’ deepest run since their last Elite Eight appearance in 2015.— Bonagura
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Arizona drops 109 on Arkansas to advance
Arizona lights up the scoreboard to defeat Arkansas and move on to the Elite Eight.
Arizona’s Elite Eight opponent: Purdue (8:49 p.m. ET on Sunday)
How the Wildcats can advance to the Final Four: Though Purdue has more interest in playing defense than Arkansas, Arizona will still have an advantageous matchup against the Boilermakers at that end of the court. Purdue gave up nearly 1.27 points per possession to Texas in the Sweet 16, and the Boilermakers have given up at least 1.05 points per possession in 10 of their past 11 games. They were only 14th in the Big Ten in 2-point defense. In other words: Arizona just needs to stick to its identity and look to attack the paint at every opportunity.
Burries or Jaden Bradley should be able to get into the lane off the dribble consistently, and Motiejus Krivas, Tobe Awaka and Koa Peat should have chances in the post. Arizona doesn’t shoot many 3s, but it’s worth noting that Purdue was one of the worst 3-point defenses in the Big Ten, so the Wildcats could get a couple of extra open shots.
Defensively, it’s about Bradley and Burries not letting Braden Smith operate with freedom in the half court. They’re both physical enough to make life difficult for him. — Borzello
How Illinois won: When Kingston Flemings hit a 3-pointer to end the first half, the crowd in Houston roared. Illinois, one of the best offenses in America for the bulk of the season, couldn’t pull away from Houston. The Illini had only a two-point lead at the break — but the story of their season has been their ability to go on big runs. They did it against Penn in the first round, then again against VCU in the second.
Houston couldn’t hold off another Illinois barrage, with a Keaton Wagler 3-pointer kicking off a 20-4 rally that changed the game in the second half. The Cougars spent the rest of the matchup trying to close the gap, trailing by seven points with less than two minutes to play, but that was as close as they would get.
Brad Underwood’s team has a knack for incredible offensive performances. That could carry Illinois to the Final Four. — Medcalf
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Illinois takes down Houston to reach Elite Eight
Illinois handles Houston in the Sweet 16 to advance in the NCAA tournament.
Illinois’ Elite Eight opponent: Iowa (6:09 p.m. ET on Sunday)
How the Fighting Illini can advance to the Final Four: If Illinois can continue its recent defensive form, it should beat Iowa and have a real chance at winning a national championship. The Illini held VCU and Houston to 55 points apiece in their past two games, and have now held five of their past 10 opponents to fewer than one point per possession. The physicality of Kylan Boswell at the point of attack combined with their size and length on the wings, and their rim protection, means they have enough to at least attempt to take Bennett Stirtz out of his game. Stirtz had only 12 points on 17 shots in the first meeting between the two Big Ten teams.
Offensively, Illinois will have the edge on the offensive glass — the Illini rank in the top five nationally in second-chance points per game. Iowa also ranked last in the conference in defensive free throw rate. Another key could be whether Illinois has success getting to the foul line. — Borzello
