Men’s Basketball: First Four Sweet Sixteen Games Full of Excitement

Thursday’s games gave us two 1-seeds being sent home, Texas Tech losing a nail-biter, Coach K’s retirement tour extended.

© Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Buckle up, folks. If the second half of the Sweet Sixteen is anything like last night, tonight’s games could get bumpy.

In the first four games of the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen round, we saw not one No. 1 seed go down, but two. And with one of those being Arizona, TCU fans everywhere could not help but just be a little excited that the Wildcats didn’t get to the Elite Eight or further. Surely the Houston fans in attendance in San Antonio blew some kisses to Kerr Kriisa some kisses for his outstanding performance (three points, exact total he got against the Frogs on Sunday; Kriisa, on numerous occasions, was blowing kisses to the TCU bench and fan throughout the Round Two game.).

Gonzaga, the overall number one seed, also got sent packing. Playing in the marquis game of the night, Texas Tech was involved in a back-and-forth affair with multiple lead changes. Tech gave it a gallant effort, but Duke pulled off the win, extending Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement tour.

Here’s a look at Thursday’s games:

(4) Arkansas (28-8) vs. (1) Gonzaga (28-4) – West Region

Arkansas wins 74-68

Woo Pig Sooie! In an upset no one outside of Fayetteville saw coming, Arkansas shut down the offensive juggernaut Gonzaga has been all year. They slowed the game down and made the Zags play at their pace. And it worked. Arkansas played a great game on both ends of the court. It was a flashback to Arkansas of years ago – “40 Minutes of Hell.”

JD Notae led the way for Arkansas with 21 points. He was joined by Trey Wade and Jaylin Williams, both of whom added 15 points. For the Zags, Drew Timme was the leading scorer with 25 points. Julian Strawther added 12, and Chet Holmgren had 11.

(11) Michigan (19-15) vs. (2) Villanova (29-7) – South Region

Villanova wins 63-55

This game did not get all of the attention as the other three games of the night. No. 2 seed Villanova, champs of the Big East, Nova tried to pull away in the second half, but Michigan kept matching 3-pointers and hung around way longer than the Wildcats wanted. In the end, they were able to pull away and advance to the Elite Eight.

Villanova had three starters score in double digits – Jermaine Samuels (22), Justin Moore (15), and Collin Gillespie (12). For Michigan, their turbulent rollercoaster season came to an end. Hunter Dickinson led the way with 15 points, and Eli Brooks added 14 more.

(3) Texas Tech (27-10) vs. (2) Duke (31-6) – West Region

Duke wins 78-73

This game was epic if you didn’t have a dog in the hunt. Tech went out for an early lead; then Duke came back. Tech had a four-point lead at the half. The second half was a tighter game and had multiple ties and lead changes. It came down to a couple of free throws at the end of the game to extend Duke’s lead and give them the victory. Coach K won his 100th NCAA tournament game, and his retirement tour got extended to at least one more game.

All five starters for the Blue Devils ended in double digits – Paolo Banchero (22), Mark Williams (16), Jeremy Roach (15), Wendell Moore Jr. (12), and AJ Griffin (11). Four of Texas Tech’s starters also ended in double digits – Bryson Williams (21), Kevin McCullar (17), Adonis Arms (13), and Kevin Obanor (10).

(5) Houston (32-5) vs. (1) Arizona (33-4) – South Region

Houston wins 72-60

Sweet Halleluiah! It was the battle of big cats – Cougars vs. Wildcats. TCU fans know this should have been their game. Miles was fouled at the end of regulation and had the call been made, Frogs fans would have been filling the banks of the Riverwalk in purple. But the refs blew it, sending Arizona to the Alamo City. Houston has had an incredible season and showed everyone they were not to be underestimated.

For the Cougars, they had three players in double digits – Jamal Shead (21), Kyler Edwards (19), and Josh Carlton (10). For the Wildcats, they also had three players in double digits – Dalen Terry (17), Bennedict Mathurin (15), and Christian Koloko (10) But again, let’s not forget Kriisa and his very underwhelming three points for the second consecutive game.

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Next up: Houston takes on Villanova in the South Region Final Saturday at 5:09 p.m. on TBS. The West Region Final will then follow that game with Arkansas and Duke at 7:49 p.m., also on TBS. 

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