South Carolina Upsets Duke For First Sweet 16 Appearance
The Duke Blue Devils struggled hanging on to the ball on Sunday night, and because of that, their season came to an end in the Round of 32. South Carolina forced 18 turnovers from the Blue Devils, and is now heading to their first ever Sweet 16 with an 88-81 victory. Sindarius Thornwell had 24 points, while Chris Silva added 13 of his 17 points in the second half for the seventh-seeded Gamecocks. South Carolina's offense went off in the second half, compiling 65 points in the final 20 minutes. This came after a 20-percent shooting first half, as they rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final minutes.The Blue Devils were looking to reach the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in eight seasons. They were led by Grayson Allen's 20 points in the loss.
Michigan Continues Hot Streak, Knocks Out Louisville
The Michigan Wolverines are easily the hottest team in college basketball right now, and could be the favorites come the Sweet 16. Mo Wagner put up a career-high 26 points to lead the upset of the second-seeded Louisville Cardinals, 73-69. After a 19-11 start to the season, the Wolverines have won seven in a row, six of which have come following a plane accident before the Big Ten Tournament. They are heading to their first Sweet 16 since the 2014 Tournament. The Big Ten Tourney champs made a game out of it after trailing by nine with just over 16 minutes to play, as Wagner fueled a key 17-6 run. Louisville finished the season going 3-4 in their final seven games, and made the North Carolina Tar Heels the only ACC team in the Sweet 16. They struggled on both sides of the floor, forcing just six Michigan turnovers, while shooting just 5-of-20 from three-point range.
Oregon, Baylor Avoid Upset Losses as Three Seeds
Two three-seeds were involved in close games down the stretch against eleven-seeds, and survived for clutch Sweet 16 appearances. First, Tyler Dorsey hit the game-winning three with 38.4 seconds left to help Oregon rally past Rhode Island, 75-72. Dorsey also tied the game with 1:45 left, and finished with 27 points for the Ducks. E.C. Matthews missed a three at the buzzer to end the Rams' season, as they blew a 10-point second half lead, snapping a nine-game win streak, which included an upset win over Creighton in the first round. They were led by Stanford Robinson's career-high 21 points in the loss. Oregon moves on to face the red-hot Wolverines on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Baylor Bears got a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds from Jonathan Motley to help them hold off USC, 82-78. Manu Lecomte was huge down the stretch, scoring all 12 of his points in the final five minutes, including eight points in a span of 45 seconds. The Trojans were looking to make their first Sweet 16 since 2007, and got 28 points from Chimezie Metu. The Bears will battle South Carolina on Friday.
The Duke Blue Devils struggled hanging on to the ball on Sunday night, and because of that, their season came to an end in the Round of 32. South Carolina forced 18 turnovers from the Blue Devils, and is now heading to their first ever Sweet 16 with an 88-81 victory. Sindarius Thornwell had 24 points, while Chris Silva added 13 of his 17 points in the second half for the seventh-seeded Gamecocks. South Carolina's offense went off in the second half, compiling 65 points in the final 20 minutes. This came after a 20-percent shooting first half, as they rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final minutes.The Blue Devils were looking to reach the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in eight seasons. They were led by Grayson Allen's 20 points in the loss.
Michigan Continues Hot Streak, Knocks Out Louisville
The Michigan Wolverines are easily the hottest team in college basketball right now, and could be the favorites come the Sweet 16. Mo Wagner put up a career-high 26 points to lead the upset of the second-seeded Louisville Cardinals, 73-69. After a 19-11 start to the season, the Wolverines have won seven in a row, six of which have come following a plane accident before the Big Ten Tournament. They are heading to their first Sweet 16 since the 2014 Tournament. The Big Ten Tourney champs made a game out of it after trailing by nine with just over 16 minutes to play, as Wagner fueled a key 17-6 run. Louisville finished the season going 3-4 in their final seven games, and made the North Carolina Tar Heels the only ACC team in the Sweet 16. They struggled on both sides of the floor, forcing just six Michigan turnovers, while shooting just 5-of-20 from three-point range.
Oregon, Baylor Avoid Upset Losses as Three Seeds
Two three-seeds were involved in close games down the stretch against eleven-seeds, and survived for clutch Sweet 16 appearances. First, Tyler Dorsey hit the game-winning three with 38.4 seconds left to help Oregon rally past Rhode Island, 75-72. Dorsey also tied the game with 1:45 left, and finished with 27 points for the Ducks. E.C. Matthews missed a three at the buzzer to end the Rams' season, as they blew a 10-point second half lead, snapping a nine-game win streak, which included an upset win over Creighton in the first round. They were led by Stanford Robinson's career-high 21 points in the loss. Oregon moves on to face the red-hot Wolverines on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Baylor Bears got a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds from Jonathan Motley to help them hold off USC, 82-78. Manu Lecomte was huge down the stretch, scoring all 12 of his points in the final five minutes, including eight points in a span of 45 seconds. The Trojans were looking to make their first Sweet 16 since 2007, and got 28 points from Chimezie Metu. The Bears will battle South Carolina on Friday.
