Tag: Sweet 16

Photos of Notre Dame transfer guard Matt Allocco from Princeton days

A look back at the new Irish guard’s days with his previous team.

Notre Dame has landed its first transfer of the offseason, and it’s a big one. After three years with Princeton that included a Sweet 16 berth in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, guard [autotag]Matt Allocco[/autotag] is heading to to South Bend. He already blows any transfer [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] got in his first season with the Irish out of the water. Granted, that isn’t a high bar to clear, but still.

Had Allocco played for the 2023-24 Irish, he would have been their top shooter from both the field (.508) and the free-throw line (.909). He also would have been second behind [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] in both scoring (12.7) and assists (3.3). The Irish definitely would have won a few more games with him.

Make no mistake. The Irish still have a long road to travel to where they want to go. But having a veteran like Allocco will help the younger players in ways we all will see soon enough. For now, those players can refer to their new teammate’s days with the Tigers like so:

How the NCAA says it fixed the women’s Portland court before UConn-USC Elite Eight game

The NCAA apologized for having unequal 3-point lines and said it was “human error”.

The NCAA’s history of slights and mismanagement during the women’s basketball tournament unfortunately continued in 2024 — with more than one example — but as far as unequal 3-point lines go, it says it fixed the issue.

During the women’s NCAA tournament Elite Eight on Sunday, before NC State and Texas tipped off at the Moda Center in Portland, both teams and officials noticed that the 3-point arcs on opposite sides of the court were different distances. At that point, it was too late to change, and the game carried on with the Wolfpack advancing to the Final Four.

The court that five total women’s games were played on between the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight had one 3-point line that was nine inches shorter at the apex than the other side, the NCAA said in a statement released Monday. That this even happened is an embarrassing and careless oversight, and the NCAA apologized, blaming “human error” and acknowledging it “should have caught the error sooner.”

Part of the NCAA’s statement read:

“The NCAA uses an official supplier, Connor Sports, to produce and install all men’s and women’s basketball predetermined site tournament courts.

For all NCAA courts, a small hole is punched in the floor at each end of the court that indicates ‘center-of-basket’ during the finishing process. A calibrated vinyl-tape device is then placed in the hole, which lays the 2-inch game line to be painted.

After the conclusion of the Elite 8 game and a subsequent team practice, the NCAA worked with a Connor Sports certified technician to inspect the court markings in Portland. Review of the Portland court found the center-hole was punched in the wrong position, which resulted in the incorrect arc measurement for the 3-point line. The center-hole was placed approximately 9 inches from the center of the basket, causing the arc of the 3-point line to be approximately 9 inches short at the apex of the arc. Connor Sports and the NCAA found the inaccurate line was the result of human error by the finisher contracted by Connor Sports. The review also found the sides of the 3-point line were accurately painted, as were all other court markings.”

So how was the court fixed? Per the NCAA’s statement:

“Overnight in Portland, the incorrect 3-point line was painted over with a color that matches as closely as possible with the wood grain of the floor, and the correct 3-point line was painted on in black. This change brings the court into full compliance with NCAA playing rules.”

The unequal 3-point distances was noticeable — and painfully obvious once you saw it — but the lines appear to be the same distance now. The court before Monday:

And the court after the adjustments:

The NCAA also determined that other measurements for the tournament were correct and described this as “an isolated incident.”

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Defense leads Longhorns past Gonzaga in women’s Sweet 16

A stifling defense propelled the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns past the No. 4 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs 69-47 in Sweet 16 action Friday.

Three Texas Longhorns women’s basketball players scored in double figures as a stifling defense propelled the No. 1 seed Longhorns past the No. 4 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs 69-47 in Sweet 16 action Friday at the Moda Center.

Aaliyah Moore led Texas with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while battling injury throughout the contest.

Shaylee Gonzales added 15 points while Shay Holle registered 12 points.

The Longhorns used a 10-0 run to take a 14-7 lead just past the halfway mark of the first quarter. Madison Booker picked up her second foul with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter and was held to two points in the first half. Moore picked up the slack, leading Texas with nine points in the half.

Texas ended the half on a 10-2 run to lead 37-18. The Longhorns held Gonzaga to 14% from the field with only three field goals made.

Gonzales made a three pointer to halt a 9-0 Zags run in the third to get Texas a 44-29 lead. The Longhorns stretched the lead out to 19, 54-35, at the end of the third.

Texas held Gonzaga to 26.5% from the field in the game.

The Longhorns will face No. 3 NC State in the Elite Eight on Sunday.

The best photos from Duke’s Sweet 16 victory over No. 1 Houston

Duke advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years with a Friday night win over Houston. Here are the best photos from the upset.

The Blue Devils did it.

Duke is back in the Elite Eight for the second time in three years, and the Blue Devils defeated a higher-ranked team for the first time in three decades to do it.

The Houston Cougars, the top-ranked team in the South region, scored the first eight points of Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup. However, the Blue Devils roared back to take a one-point lead into the halftime break.

Senior captain Jeremy Roach scored 14 points in the second half to lead the Blue Devils to a 54-51 victory in a low-scoring battle.

Here are the best photos from Duke’s historic victory over the Cougars.

Tennessee advances to Elite Eight for second time in program history

Tennessee advances to the Elite Eight for second time in program history.

No. 2 seed Tennessee (27-8, 14-4 SEC) defeated No. 3 seed Creighton (25-10, 14-6 Big East), 82-75, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

The Bluejays led, 35-34, at halftime.

Tennessee advances to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history.

Tennessee led by as many as 16 points in the second half before the Bluejays pulled to within three points.

Dalton Knecht totaled 24 points, five rebounds and five assists and was one of three Tennessee players to score 10-plus points in the contest.

Zakai Zeigler recorded 18 points, six assists and four rebounds, while Josiah-Jordan James finished with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists for Tennessee.

Santiago Vescovi did not play for the Vols due to illness..

Jahmai Mashack started for Tennessee and recorded four points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Baylor Scheirman scored a game-high 25 points for the Bluejays.

Photos of Notre Dame’s season-ending loss to Oregon State in Sweet 16

See how the 2023-24 Irish wrapped up play, even if they surely didn’t want to.

Three straight years, Notre Dame has made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Three straight years, it has been eliminated from the tournament in that round. [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] will have to wait at least one more season for her first Elite Eight berth as a head coach. But right now, she and the rest of the Irish are left to contemplate their 70-65 loss to Oregon State.

Many hoped this season would go at least one more game. The Irish had the personnel to do it, and they were in this loss until only seconds remained. But the depth and size issues even the biggest Irish fans couldn’t ignore finally caught up to them, and both of those issues were on display in this final contest of the season.

The hope now is that the Irish can get healthy and make a serious run at next year’s national title. Until then, here are some of images from the game that stopped the Irish from pursuing this year’s championship any further:

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Notre Dame’s season ends after falling to Oregon State in Sweet 16

Another year, another elimination in the regional semifinals.

With injuries stripping Notre Dame of its depth, it seemed like only a matter of time before that caught up. It didn’t happen during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, but Albany Regional 1 posed tougher competition and thus increased the likelihood of the issue being exposed. Oregon State was the team to do it, beating the Irish in the Sweet 16, 70-65.

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A game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes was destined to come down to the end. The Irish (27-7) were in front, 59-57, with less than three minutes to play when Donovyn Hunter hit a 3 to give the Beavers (28-7) the lead for good. One possession later, Lily Hansford made another 3 off an offensive rebound, putting the Beavers up four.

The teams continued to trade free throws and layups until the Irish called a timeout down, 67-63, with 26.1 seconds left. Their final hopes were snuffed when Talia von Oelhoffen blocked a [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] 3 and promptly made two free throws after being fouled. At that point, the deficit was too big with too little time left for the Irish.

The Irish scored 26 points off 27 Beavers turnovers, but that was canceled out by losing the rebounding battle, 42-24. The Beavers also exploited the Irish’s lack of available size by winning the battle for points in the paint, 40-28. Also, three Beavers scored 14 points off the bench while [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag], the Irish’s lone reserve in this game, was kept out of the scoring column.

As expected, Raegan Beers was a problem as she scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Beavers. Also a problem was Timea Gardiner, who also achieved a double-double with 21 points and 11 boards. Hunter scored 11 points, and van Oelhoffen dished out a game-high nine assists in addition to her clutch block of Citron.

Citron led all scorers with 22 points and also had the most rebounds for the Irish with seven. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] scored 19 points but picked up three of her four fouls in the first half, possibly affecting what the Irish could do on defense in the middle. [autotag]Anna DeWolfe[/autotag] had 12 points in her final college game.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] tied her season low with 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting. She might have become disconcerted when she was ordered to have her nose ring removed before the start of the second quarter and missed the first four minutes of that quarter while having the issue taken care of.

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Alabama basketball’s Grant Nelson made basketball history against North Carolina in Sweet 16

Alabama basketball star Grant Nelson’s performance in the Sweet 16 was not just impressive, it was generational. A March Madness legend has been formed.

Alabama basketball standout Grant Nelson is only in his first year with the Crimson Tide after transferring in from North Dakota State. After an impressive March Madness performance in the Sweet 16 win over North Carolina, Nelson has become a household name and a tournament hero.

While records are broken all the time and history is constantly being made, what Nelson did against the Tarheels is unprecedented in the last 25 years. Not just in college basketball. In every major league (NBA, WNBA, Division I college basketball men and women).

In a post to social media by OptaSTATS, Nelson is the only basketball player to have recorded over 20 points, over 10 rebounds, over five blocks, over 10 made free throws, a field goal percentage of over 60% and a three-point percentage of 100%.

Nelson’s performance against the Tar Heels was not just impressive, it was generational and deserves to be remembered for years to come.

Nelson and the Crimson Tide will now look to build off of this win as the team takes on Clemson on Saturday in the Elite Eight, where the winner, no matter which team it is, will be advancing to its first-ever Final Four.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Images from Clemson’s win over Arizona in the Sweet 16

Some of the best images from Clemon’s Sweet 16 victory over No. 2 Arizona.

Their ticket to the Elite 8 has been punched. The Clemson Tigers were able to fend off a blue blood program to return to the Elite 8 round for the first time since 1980.

Head coach Brad Brownell came into the season on the proverbial hot seat but this showing has certainly removed any thought of replacing him as the man in charge of the Tigers basketball program.

Guard Chase Hunter led the way for Clemson wth 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Forward PJ Hall was once again key for the team’s success with 17 points and eight rebounds. The other forward, Ian Scheffelin added another 14 points as the Tigers earned the improbable victory.

On Arizona’s side, Caleb Love, Oumar Ballo, and Jaden Bradley combined to pour in 46 of the Wildcats’ 72 points. Bradley did so coming off the bench.It wasn’t enough as the University of Arizona missed out on the Elite 8 once again but this time they made it past the opening weekend unlike last season.

Check out these images from the Clemson game ahead of their matchup with Alabama on Saturday.

Photos tell the story of Alabama’s upset win over North Carolina in the Sweet 16

Check out the top photos from Alabama basketball’s win over North Carolina in the Sweet 16 of March Madness.

Alabama basketball stays alive and advances to the second Elite Eight in program history after defeating the West Region’s No. 1 seed, North Carolina, with a final score of 89-87. The Crimson Tide’s March Madness run will now collide with Clemson‘s.

Grant Nelson was a force to be reckoned with in the SEC vs. ACC matchup. The North Dakota State transfer put his name on the map and raised some eyebrows with a performance that lifted the Tide over the Tar Heels.

On both ends of the court, Nelson was dominant. He put up 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.

While Nate Oats and Alabama must now quickly prepare to take on Clemson on Saturday evening, relive the excitement from the upset win that sent North Carolina home and the Tide to the Elite Eight.