NCAA Tournament: Four Teams Advance to Elite Eight

 Half of the remaining field in the 2018 NCAA Tournament took to the hardwood to see who would advance to the Elite Eight. At this point, it should no longer come as no surprise that we would be surprised as to which teams managed to move on. Yes, more upsets greeted us on March 22nd.

LCHI 69 – 68 NEV

This was the closest game of the night. Loyola Chicago got a huge lift from Marques Townes, who woke up to deliver a team-high 18-point performance and spearhead his team’s run further into the playoffs. He totaled just 15 points in the tournament coming into this game, but he chose the right timing to step up his game. His key 3-pointer in the dying seconds of the game lifted Loyola to victory.

TAMU 72 – 99 Michigan

This was the only non-upset of the night. The third-seed Michigan Wolverines were able to deliver the expected result and in convincing fashion. They utilized their 3-point shooting with surgical precision and sliced and diced Texas A&M into submission. They came into this matchup via a buzzer beater but this game was all Wolverines, all the way.

KSU 61 – 58 KU

Xavier Sneed and Barry Brown Jr. provided the right amount of firepower at the right time to upset Kentucky in this one. Brown provided the late-game push with some aggressive cutting into the lane, while Sneed was a pillar of reliability throughout the game. K-State silenced many naysayers who widely considered them as one of the weaker teams left in the field with this stunner. Again, another example of March Madness at it’s finest.

FSU 75 – 60 GONZ

Gonzaga was the latest giant to get slain out of the NCAA Tournament, thanks to the impressive game by Florida State junior Terrance Mann who delivered 18 points in this game. It was a concerted team effort by the Seminoles, with Mann being the only player who scored in double figures. Gonzaga picked the wrong day to get a bout of the shooting woes (33.9%). They struggled to mount offensive run when FSU slowed down. Consistency wound up being the key to FSU’s success, but will they have enough to punch a ticket into the Final Four? That remains to be seen.