The Sportsletter - A Seat With The Elite 🏀

BY JEFF YODER

MAR. 25, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

1-seeds, beware. Two more No. 1s fell in Thursday's Sweet 16 action, meaning there are as many 15-seeds as there are 1-seeds remaining in the NCAA Tournament. And if that’s not madness, I’m not sure what is. Gonzaga and Arizona are gone. Coach K is still dancing. We march on…

Letter Rip!

NCAA TOURNAMENT

A Seat With the Elite 🏀

Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

#1 Gonzaga & #1 Arizona Upset While #2 Duke Sends Coach K Into Elite 8

The No. 1 overall seed has fallen! For the second straight season, Gonzaga entered the NCAA Tournament as the top dogs only to fall short of the ultimate goal. They weren’t the only 1-seed to tumble on Thursday, though. Arizona also went down while both 2-seeds in action advanced. And to top it off, Coach K is still dancing. Four of the Elite 8 are locked in with four more tickets punched tonight. Let’s recap all four games from last night’s Sweet 16 action before we look ahead.

#4 Arkansas def. #1 Gonzaga (74-68)

Score one for the SEC. After #2 Kentucky, #2 Auburn and #3 Tennessee all exited in the opening weekend, #4 Arkansas is the last SEC team still dancing. The Razorbacks fell behind 25-17, but a 15-4 run to close the half swung the scoreboard and they never trailed again. Gonzaga had an awful shooting night from deep (5-for-21) as Arkansas’ defensive presence made life miserable. Chet Holmgren’s foul trouble was also factor down the stretch for the Zags. J.D. Notae led the Razorbacks with 21 points, and Eric Musselman’s squad dances into the Elite 8 for the second straight season.

#2 Villanova def. #11 Michigan (63-55)

It was a valiant effort by 11-seed Michigan in a rematch of the 2018 National Championship, but Villanova’s experience was too much on Thursday night. The backcourt of Jermaine Samuels (22), Justin Moore (15) and Collin Gillespie (12) each played more than 35 minutes and combined for 49 of Villanova’s 63 points. Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson had a 15-point, 15-rebound performance, but it wasn’t enough to stop ‘Nova from reaching the Elite 8 for the fifth time in 17 seasons under Jay Wright.

Fun Fact: Both times Villanova previously reached the Elite 8 in the last decade (2016 & 2018), they played in the National Championship.

#2 Duke def. #3 Texas Tech (78-73)

The 100th career NCAA Tournament win for Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski was a memorable one. Texas Tech jumped out to a 10-2 run against a nervous Duke squad, but the Blue Devils quickly responded. All five Duke starters scored in double figures, including freshman phenom Paolo Banchero with a game-high 22 points. PG Jeremy Roach was also clutch (7-for-11, 15 points). Both players hit big shots down the stretch, and Coach K is still dancing into his 17th Elite 8. He'll have a shot at the record for Final Four appearances (13) on Saturday.

#5 Houston def. #1 Arizona (72-60)

The third No. 1 seed of the tournament — second of the night — went down in the nightcap at the hands of the Houston Cougars. Kelvin Sampson’s club led wire-to-wire in a tight game and finished off the upset bid with their largest lead of the game (12). Houston was hot all night, shooting 46 percent overall and 45 percent from deep (9-for-20). Jamal Shead (21) and Kyler Edwards (19) poured in 40 points with a combined 7-for-14 night from 3. It was an incredible season for 'Zona and first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd, but the Cougars are moving on.

Fun Fact: Despite being the 5-seed, Houston will have a significant home-court advantage in Saturday’s South Region final (San Antonio) against 2-seed Villanova.

Men’s NCAA Tournament Bracket

Additional Storylines

B/R: Sweet 16 Exit to Arkansas a New Low for No. 1 Gonzaga & Mark Few

CBS Sports: Houston Puts Away Arizona to Reach 2nd Straight Elite 8

USA Today: Duke Downs Texas Tech, Sends Coach K’s Farewell Tour to Elite 8

Upcoming March Madness Schedule

Men's Sweet 16 (Tonight)

#3 Purdue vs. #15 Saint Peter’s (7:09 pm ET, CBS)

#1 Kansas vs. #4 Providence (7:29 pm ET, TBS)

#4 UCLA vs. #8 North Carolina (9:39 pm ET, CBS)

#10 Miami vs. #11 Iowa State (9:59 pm ET, TBS)

Men's Elite 8 (Saturday-Sunday)

#2 Villanova vs. #5 Houston (Sat. 6:09 pm ET, TBS)

#2 Duke vs. #4 Arkansas (Sat. 8:49 pm ET, TBS)

Elite Eight (Sunday, TBD)

Elite Eight (Sunday, TBD)

Women’s Sweet 16 (Tonight)

#1 South Carolina vs. #5 North Carolina (7:00 pm ET, ESPN)

#2 Texas vs. #6 Ohio State (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2)

#1 Sanford vs. #4 Maryland (9:30 pm ET, ESPN)

#3 Iowa State vs. #10 Creighton (9:30 pm ET, ESPN2)

Women’s Sweet 16 (Saturday)

#1 NC State vs. #5 Notre Dame (11:30 am ET, ESPN)

#2 UConn vs. #3 Indiana (2:00 pm ET, ESPN)

#1 Louisville vs. #4 Tennessee (4:00 pm ET, ESPN2)

#3 Michigan vs. #10 South Dakota (6:30 pm ET, ESPN2)

Women's Elite 8 (Sunday-Monday)

Schedule TBD

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

⚽️ WCQ: USMNT Gets Crucial Point vs. Mexico

A 0-0 draw made for uneventful television in the USMNT-Mexico draw on Thursday at Estadio Azteca, but a point is a point. The nil-nil draw kept the U.S. and Mexico deadlocked at 22 points apiece in the FIFA World Cup Qualifying standings. Canada (25 points) leads CONCACAF with the USA (22 pts) and Mexico (22 pts) in 2nd and 3rd. Only two qualifying matches remain.

🏀 NBA: D-Book Flirts With 50-Piece

The Suns paced the Nuggets (140-130) for their seventh straight win thanks to 49 points and 10 assists from Devin Booker. D-Book is averaging 32.7 ppg over the win streak. Chris Paul also returned to the court with 17 points and 13 assists, and the Suns officially locked up the No. 1 seed in the NBA Playoffs.

🏒 NHL: Pastrnak’s Hatty Lifts Boston

The dogfight in the NHL’s Atlantic Division just got tighter. The Bruins beat the Lightning (3-2) with all three goals off the stick of David Pastrnak. His 12th career hat trick gave Boston their seventh win in ten games. Just seven points separate the four teams atop the Atlantic: Florida (90 pts), Toronto (85 pts), Tampa Bay (84 pts) and Boston (83 pts).

⛳️ PGA: Top Shots of Day 2 at WGC-Dell Match Play

The third and final day of the group stage is about to tee off in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play tournament. You can check out all the scenarios for today’s matches to see who can advance, or click the link above to watch yesterday’s highlights.

📰 THE HEADLINES

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Accused of Interference in Sexual Assault Investigation

(SI)

Blue Jays & Rockies Swap Outfielders Raimel Tapia and Randal Grichuk

(CBS Sports)

Colin Kaepernick Says He’s ‘Hopeful’ for Chance to Work Out for Seahawks

(Bleacher Report)

Ray Allen Fined for Skipping Jury Duty for Kevin Garnett’s Jersey Retirement

(Yahoo! Sports)

Second Grand Jury Mulls Another Charge Against Browns QB Deshaun Watson

(ESPN)

Italy Fails to Qualify for World Cup Again After Loss to North Macedonia

(SportsNet)

🗓️ WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

Men’s NCAA Tournament

Sweet 16 (Tonight)

Elite 8 (Saturday-Sunday)

Women’s NCAA Tournament

Sweet 16 (Friday-Saturday)

Elite 8 (Sunday-Monday)

NBA

Bulls at Cavaliers (Sat. 8:00 pm)

Nets at Heat (Sat. 8:00 pm)

Bucks at Grizzlies (Sat. 8:00 pm)

76ers at Suns (Sun. 6:00 pm)

Jazz at Mavericks (Sun. 7:30 pm)

Full NBA Schedule

NHL

Penguins at Rangers (Fri. 7:00 pm)

Hurricanes at Blues (Sat. 8:00 pm)

Oilers at Flames (Sat. 10:00 pm)

Avalanche at Wild (Sun. 6:00 pm)

Panthers at Maple Leafs (Sun. 7:00 pm)

Full NHL Schedule

PGA Tour

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play (All Weekend)

Soccer

WC Qualifying: USMNT vs. Panama (Sun. 7:00 pm)

NWSL Challenge Cup Schedule

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