Watch Chase Hunter ice the game as Clemson takes down Arizona in the Sweet 16

Watch Chase Hunter put the finishing touches on Clemson’s huge Sweet 16 win over Arizona.

Clemson basketball secured a spot in the Elite Eight in a thrilling matchup with a 77-72 win over No. 2 seed Arizona in the NCAA’s West Regional. This marks a significant achievement for Clemson, as it’s their first Elite Eight appearance since 1980, showcasing the team’s resilience and determination on the court.

Throughout the game, Clemson maintained a narrow lead, with key plays from players like Hall and Schieffelin contributing to their success. Despite facing pressure from Arizona, Clemson capitalized on turnovers and bench contributions, leading to a halftime advantage of 39-31. The team’s strong shooting performance, particularly from bench players like Wiggins and Godfrey, propelled them to a double-digit lead in the first half, setting the stage for their victory and advancement to the Elite Eight.

When the game was in crunch time and the Tigers held a 72-70 lead with 25 seconds left on the clock, Chase Hunter iced the game and continued his historic tournament run for the Tigers. Check out Hunter’s bucket below.

 

Iowa drew record TV ratings in NCAA Tournament win vs. West Virginia

Look at those record TV ratings for the Hawkeyes.

Once again, Iowa women’s basketball is money.

If you somehow doubted the drawing ability of Iowa and women’s basketball as a whole, let Monday’s matchup against West Virginia once again put you in your place.

The second-round matchup was the most viewed early round game in women’s NCAA Tournament history at 4.9 million viewers. The round of 32 contest peaked at 6.4 million viewers.

It represented the best viewership for a pre-semifinal women’s tournament game on record. It was a fantastic game with the eyes of the nation firmly glued to the action. This isn’t just Iowa and Caitlin-Mania though. Women’s basketball as a whole is hotter than ever this March.

The second round as a whole averaged 1.4 million viewers. That’s up 121% from last season, making it the most watched round of 32 in women’s tournament history.

The other top-rated games in the round of 32 featured UConn versus Syracuse at 2.1 million viewers, LSU versus Middle Tennessee at 2.0 million viewers and USC versus Kansas at 1.8 million viewers.

The latest numbers come after the women’s tournament posted their most-viewed opening round in its history, led by Iowa versus Holy Cross pulling in 3.2 million viewers. That was previously the record for a pre-semifinal tournament audience before Iowa’s latest clash against West Virginia.

LSU’s first-round battle against Rice pulled in 762,400 viewers, Tennessee versus Green Bay reeled in 819,000 viewers and UConn versus Jackson State had 1.1 million viewers.

You better believe it. Women’s college basketball is totally in right now and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

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Jared McCain has the highest NIL valuation of any player in the NCAA Men’s Tournament

Duke guard Jared McCain is one of only two men’s college basketball players in the tournament with an NIL value north of $1 million, per On3.

It shouldn’t come as a shock to hear that Jared McCain’s name, image, and likeness is worth quite a lot, but the actual amount is pretty staggering.

According to On3’s NILvaluations, the first-year Blue Devil is worth $1.1 million, the third-most of any men’s college basketball player and the highest among players in the NCAA Tournament.

McCain scored 30 points in the second round against James Madison, making a program tournament record eight 3-pointers in the process. He also tied a Duke freshman record with 35 points against Florida State in February.

On top of that, McCain’s social media presence, posting himself dancing and singing along to songs, has endeared him to Duke fans and others across the country. He has more than two million followers on TikTok and more than 750,000 followers on Instagram.

The only men’s college basketball players worth more than McCain in On3’s calculations are Bronny James of USC and Hansel Emmanuel from Austin Peay.

Kentucky freshman Rob Dillingham is the only other player in the men’s tournament with a seven-figure valuation, although three women’s players have also surpassed $1 million (Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson).

Where does Jay Bilas think Duke ranks among the Sweet 16 teams?

The former Blue Devil ranked the 16 teams left in the men’s tournament, but how does he think Duke stacks up against Houston? Or the field?

Jay Bilas might be a former Blue Devil, but he doesn’t let his alma mater drastically change what he expects in March.

In his bracket at the start of the tournament, he had Duke losing to Wisconsin in the second round. On Wednesday of this week, he ranked the Sweet 16 teams and slotted Duke in as the eighth-best team left on the board.

Bilas praised the second-round win over James Madison, calling it Duke’s best game of the season after the Blue Devils shot 52% from the floor and 50% from three.

The Blue Devils play Houston on Friday for a spot in the Elite Eight, and while Bilas had the Cougars third in his power rankings, he acknowledged Duke might have more skill on paper.

“The game will hinge upon Duke’s physical and mental toughness, and its ability to absorb the physical challenge presented by Houston,” Bilas wrote. “Can Duke operate under that kind of physical stress?”

Bilas ranked Connecticut, his pre-tournament pick and the defending national champions, as the best team left. Purdue was second, followed by the Cougars. Arizona snuck in at fourth over North Carolina despite the Tar Heels being the No. 1 seed in their region.

Caleb Foster seen stretching with the team during practice

Freshman guard Caleb Foster was ruled out for the year after a stress fracture in his ankle, but Blue Devils fans got a silent but promising update on Thursday.

Caleb Foster’s 2023-24 season may be over, but Duke fans got a promising update on Thursday, albeit a silent one.

The freshman guard was ruled out for the postseason one week ago after he suffered a stress fracture against Wake Forest in February. On Thursday, however, he was seen stretching with the team during a practice session ahead of Friday’s game against Houston.

Devils Illustrated’s Conor O’Neill shared a photo of the first-year Blue Devil on social media. Foster wasn’t sporting the walking boot he wore on the bench after the injury, either.

Duke fans won’t see Foster on the court again until next fall, but the sight of him with the team in March means he’ll almost assuredly be 100% once next season rolls around.

Foster averaged 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in his first year with the team, and the North Carolina native made 40% of his 3-point attempts.

Alabama’s Mark Sears deserves to be in March Madness MVP conversation thus far

Alabama guard Mark Sears has been the Tide’s strongest player in March Madness and should enter the Sweet 16 in the Tournament MVP conversation.

Alabama basketball has made it to the Sweet 16, where they will face the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels. One player has led the team through two impressive tournament games and is being praised as a possible March Madness MVP candidate to this point.

Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears has been a team leader all season long and is now viewed as the team’s biggest impact player (subscription required), according to ESPN college basketball analyst John Gasaway.

“If you were picking a most valuable player of the tournament so far, Sears would definitely be in the conversation,” writes Gasaway. “Averaging 28 points over two games is partly a function of Alabama’s fast pace, but Sears has been valuable beyond scoring. When the Crimson Tide were in trouble against Grand Canyon, the senior responded with 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals.”

As a veteran, Sears’s performance on the court has been extremely valuable, but his leadership has also played a large role in the team’s success.

Heading into the 2023-2024 college basketball season, many fans were worried about Alabama’s ability to maintain the competitiveness that it held in recent seasons under Nate Oats. With high roster turnover and a completely new coaching staff, the odds were stacked against the Crimson Tide.

Led by Sears, the team was in contention to win the SEC up until the last few games and they have since been able to adapt to their opponents and be victorious through two rounds of the March Madness Tournament.

As the team prepares to take on North Carolina, it’s expected that the offense will, once again, run through Sears.

“Collectively, Alabama has attacked the paint often enough to post the healthiest tournament free throw rate of any Sweet 16 squad,” writes Gasaway. “The always formidable Crimson Tide offense is in full stride with Sears as the featured scorer.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama basketball as the NCAA Tournament rolls on.

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Three keys to a Duke win versus Houston in the Sweet 16

Duke’s methodical offense and ability to handle Houston’s air-tight ball-trapping defense defense is a major key to winning this game.

The time continues to dwindle as we get closer and closer to Duke tipping off in Dallas to take on the Houston Cougars for the right to move on to the Elite Eight.

Duke’s journey this year has been up and down, but after an unfortunate blip of back-to-back losses right before the NCAA Tournament started, the momentum did not seem to favor the Blue Devils.

Yet, here we are after Duke dominated the tournament’s first two games and cruised to Dallas. Things won’t be nearly as easy on Friday night against Houston. The Cougars are tough, physical, and tested. Two-way guard Jamal Shead, Houston’s star player, will be playing in his 15th NCAA Tournament game on Friday evening. Kelvin Sampson has had a terrific tenure coaching this program, and he brings years of NCAA Tournament experience.

Duke will have its hands full. However, Houston can be beat. With that said, here are three keys to a Duke win.

Quick decisions are essential.

Houston runs a highly effective defense predicated on trapping the ball in the pick-and-roll. It blitzes ball-handlers and forces them to make lightning-quick decisions and passes that many teams at the college level can’t make or are too slow to make, thus leading to turnovers and rushed offensive sets.

When you look at the Cougars’ defense, they are No. 2 in effective field goal percentage (44%), block rate (16.1%), and steal rate (15.5%). They are also within the top five in turnover percentage (24.7%) and 2-point defense (43.4 %) and they hold teams under 30 percent from three.

In other words, they are stout defensively. However, opponents have a shot if they can swing the ball and break the trap down off the dribble. Jeremy Roach has dominated the ball in the tournament thus far, sliding into a more conventional PG role like he did in the last few NCAA Tournaments. He must be decisive, make the right reads, and get the ball out so Duke can swing it, attack open gaps, or use numbers to their advantage when applicable.

If the ball sticks, Duke will be in trouble, generating offense. Luckily, Duke has found its rhythm in sharing the ball in the tournament. 22 assists on 33 made field goals against James Madison in the second round certainly helps. They may not make nearly as many baskets, but a similar ratio would likely mean they’ve been able to break down Houston’s defense.

Shoot, shoot, shoot

There are going to be plenty of 3-point opportunities available come Friday night. Duke needs to be ready to hit them. They shot the cover off the ball against JMU in their last game. Jared McCain had eight threes. It’s unlikely Houston will allow the number of open looks that JMU did, but for the ones they do, Duke has to cash in on them.

Per Synergy Sports, Houston is in the 98th percentile in spot-up points allowed per possession at an incredibly high rate (27% of defensive possessions.) In other words, McCain and Tyrese Proctor have to have good days like they did Sunday shooting the ball. The issue is that Houston plays such a hellacious defense that they will contest everything. Duke needs an inspired shooting performance like they had in the second round, or at least 40% in comparison to the 50% they were at against the Dukes.

Toughness wins

You would be hard-pressed to find a tougher team than the Houston Cougars. They play hard physically; if you are mentally and physically unprepared, things can spiral quickly. Duke’s knock this year is that they are soft. That has been the narrative all season long. Both games against UNC showcased that, as did their early loss to Arkansas.

Duke will be run out of the gym if it is not mentally and physically ready to battle this Houston team. In the aftermath of the JMU game, players and coaches talked about how the message preached was to throw the first punch. Come out and attack them. Set the tone on both court ends and let them know you’re here. That same message applies here.

Houston may not be nearly as dynamic offensively as the Tar Heels, but they are even better defensively, and both games against North Carolina did no favors for Duke. Duke is 18th in effective field-goal percentage. They can score with the best of them, but this is different. Duke hasn’t beaten a higher-ranked seed in 30 years. To win this game, they must showcase what they have been missing all year.

CBS tabs Iowa Hawkeyes versus Colorado Buffaloes as the top game of the Sweet 16

CBS Sports has tabbed the Iowa Hawkeyes’ Sweet 16 date against the Colorado Buffaloes as the top game of the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

All eyes will be on the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Colorado Buffaloes when they tip off in the Sweet 16 this Saturday. In a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 battle, the two now meet again for a spot in the Elite 8.

Iowa survived a scare against West Virginia but nonetheless, they lived the NCAA tournament mantra of “survive and advance” and are right where they want to be. Colorado, the No. 5 seed in the Albany 2 Region, took care of one Iowa team already in No. 12 seed Drake in the first round and knocked off No. 4 Kansas State to get to the Sweet 16.

Iowa did take down Colorado last year in the Sweet 16 87-77. The Buffaloes enter this one with a record of 24-9 and with all of the circumstance surrounding this game, it sits atop CBS Sports’ rankings of the best Sweet 16 games.

Iowa survived an upset scare against a very disruptive West Virginia defense in the Round of 32, but the Hawkeyes showed their resilience and earned their second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16. Iowa has the top scoring offense in the nation, but West Virginia was able to hold the Hawkeyes to their lowest scoring half of the season. If Colorado was taking notes, we could have another nail-biter. – Isabel Gonzalez, CBS Sports

Colorado has big wins under the belt this season. They have wins against LSU, Utah, Stanford, and USC. This team knows how to handle some of the top teams in the country and are not going to be afraid of Iowa.

The Buffaloes are also not a team that should be overlooked. They made a huge statement in November by upsetting LSU in the season-opener. Colorado was one of the hottest teams in the nation until Pac-12 conference play — which might actually say more about the conference than Colorado itself. The Buffs are led by junior center Aaronette Vonleh’s 14 points per game, but this is a very balanced team that can be hard to guard. Against Kansas State, six players scored at least nine points. – Gonzalez, CBS Sports

The Hawkeyes will have their work cut out for them in the paint and Hannah Stuelke, who wasn’t 100% in the first round of the tournament, should be ready to go as she has been all season.

Come Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC, the college basketball world will be tuning in to see the Hawkeyes square off against a tough Colorado team.

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Hubert Davis compliments the job done by Nate Oats at Alabama

Hubert Davis compliments Nate Oats, Alabama!

When Alabama and North Carolina tipoff on Thursday night in Los Angeles in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, it will be the second meeting between [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and Hubert Davis in as many seasons.

Last season, Coach Oats and the Tide got the best of Davis and the Tar Heels with a 103-101 win in quadruple overtime on Nov. 27, 2022, in the Phil Knight Invitational.

The stakes will be higher on Thursday night with a spot in the Elite Eight up for grabs as each team sets its aim for the Final Four in Glendale.

On Wednesday, Coach Davis spoke with the media ahead of the matchup and would offer up a tremendous compliment for the job done by Coach Oats in Tuscaloosa.

Coach Oats has done a terrific job at Alabama. He’s a great coach. His teams have been consistent every year, from a defensive standpoint, tremendous athleticism. They can get steals and deflections, great rebounding team. They pressure you. They try to dictate and decide how you play on the offensive end.

Then from an offensive standpoint, it’s straightforward and clear. They’re trying to get 3s, layups, and dunks and free throws. And they’ve got the personnel to be able to do it. Great guard play, size at the 4 and the 5 positions that can shoot 3s and can finish around the basket.

They propose a lot of problems and challenges for you, but we’re really excited about the challenge of playing them tomorrow night.

Coach Davis is more than familiar with what it takes to make a deep run in the tournament having made the national championship game in his first season as the Tar Heels’ head coach in 2021-22.

Tipoff between the Tide and Tar Heels is scheduled for 8:39 p.m. CT and will be televised on CBS.

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Latrell Wrightsell ruled day-to-day ahead of Sweet 16

Will Alabama have its sharp-shooting senior back for the Sweet 16?

On Thursday night from Los Angeles, [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] will lead the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team in a Sweet 16 matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The winner will earn a spot in the Elite Eight, a feat the Alabama program has only accomplished once in its history.

Tide fans have been curious since Sunday night if Alabama would have starting guard Latrell Wrightsell in the lineup against the Tar Heels and Coach Oats provided the latest on Wednesday afternoon following the team’s practice.

In short, Wrightsell’s status remains uncertain for tomorrow night’s matchup as Coach Oats ruled the sharp-shooting senior as “day-to-day”.

“Latrell is being reevaluated by the medical staff every day”, Oats told reporters. “He’s basically on a day-to-day basis now. I’m not sure if he’ll be available or not.”

Wrightsell’s availability will be critical for Alabama’s success against the top-seeded Tar Heels.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor the status of Wrightsell leading up to tipoff tomorrow night.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.