Tag: Sweet 16

Duke features eighth-best five-man lineup in the Sweet 16 by Net Rating

Duke’s starting lineup rankings eighth in net rating among the Sweet 16 teams through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Of the teams in the Sweet 16, the Duke Blue Devils’ lineup of Jeremy Roach, Jared McCain, Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell, and Kyle Filipowski has the eighth-best Net Rating through two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

The lineup posted a net rating of +35.1 through the first and second rounds, which ranks in the 91st percentile.

The Blue Devils’ offensive (126.6) and defensive (91.5) ratings were 85th and 83rd percentile, respectively. Only five of the other 15 teams (Marquette, Connecticut, Houston, Purdue, and San Diego State) were in the 80th percentile or higher on both ends of the floor.

Duke also brings a lot of consistency, as it was one of only two five-man lineups with more than 40 minutes played together through the two games.

The Blue Devils rolled over Vermont and James Madison in the first two rounds, beating the latter by 38 points, but will have their hands full against the 1-seed Houston Cougars on Friday night.

The Cougars’ main lineup posted the third-best net rating through the first two rounds, which is good for the 99th percentile in the field. Their offensive and defensive ratings sit in the 93rd and 97th percentile, respectively.

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.

Reaching the Sweet 16 used to be commonplace at USC; Trojans might be starting a new era of similar success

USC made the Sweet 16 nearly every year way back when. The Trojans are trying to re-establish that standard — and they just might do it.

The first Women’s NCAA Tournament was held in 1982. From 1982 through 1994, USC was a legitimate national powerhouse in women’s college basketball. Yes, the height of USC’s glory came in the mid-1980s, with two national championships and three runs to the national title game, running through 1986. Even though the Final Fours didn’t continue to flow through the late 1980s and early 1990s, USC still made the Sweet 16 more often than not.

Here’s how consistently strong USC was as a women’s college basketball program through 1994, the last year before this one that the Trojans reached the Sweet 16: From 1982 through 1994 — 13 seasons — USC reached the Sweet 16 in 10 of those seasons. The Trojans made seven straight Sweet 16s from 1982 through 1988, then three straight years from 1992 through 1994. It was very rare when this program wasn’t playing for very high stakes in the second weekend of March Madness. Cheryl Miller played in a Sweet 16 and coached USC in a Sweet 16 in this glowing 13-year run of excellence. Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson continued what Miller’s USC teams had started a decade earlier.

It is striking to note this level of elite consistency given that USC then fell off the map in women’s college basketball for multiple decades. It has taken USC 30 years to get back to a Sweet 16. Now, Lindsay Gottlieb, JuJu Watkins, and the new-age Women of Troy hope to create a fresh standard in which USC regularly makes the Sweet 16 and is actually disappointed if the Sweet 16 is as deep as it goes in March. USC faces Baylor in the 2024 Sweet 16 this Saturday afternoon in Portland. The game starts at 2:30 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN.

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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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Remembering USC women’s basketball’s last Sweet 16 game — and victory — against Dawn Staley’s mentor

There are a lot of amazing backstories attached to USC’s last Sweet 16 game, played 30 years ago against Virginia.

The workings of life and history are remarkable in their ability to create all sorts of connections and crosscurrents we marvel at decades later. Such is the case with USC women’s basketball’s last Sweet 16 game — and win — in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. Dawn Staley didn’t play in that game against USC, but her mentor, Debbie Ryan, coached against the Trojans.

Dawn Staley played at Virginia from 1988 through 1992, so she was gone by the time USC faced UVA in the 1994 Sweet 16. However, Staley’s coach — Debbie Ryan — was still there, leading Virginia through a very prosperous period. The apex of Ryan’s very successful tenure in Charlottesville came when Staley was the team’s unquestioned leader. Virginia made three straight Final Fours from 1990 through 1992, reaching the national championship game once. From 1990 through 1996, Virginia made the Elite Eight six out of seven times.

1994 is the one year UVA didn’t make the Elite Eight in that seven-season span. USC was the team which denied the Cavaliers, 85-66.

This was more than just a win over Dawn Staley’s coach, though. Tina Thompson, who helped USC win this game and move to the 1994 Elite Eight, became Virginia’s head coach over a decade later.

Debbie Ryan coached Virginia through 2011, when a woman named Joanne Boyle took over. Boyle left Cal, where she had been coaching the Golden Bears. The woman who succeeded her in Berkeley: Lindsay Gottlieb.

There’s quite a lot of women’s college basketball history attached to USC’s last Sweet 16 game and victory. Thirty years later, the Trojans finally return to the Sweet 16 with Gottlieb leading the way.

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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.

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.

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Alabama vs. UNC in Sweet 16 could be highest-scoring March Madness game

Two electric teams that can put up points? Sign us up! See why some experts believe Alabama and North Carolina could combine for a March Madness game to remember.

In a Sweet 16 matchup that many expect to be electric, No. 4 seed Alabama takes on No. 1 seed North Carolina. March Madness games are always very unpredictable, though some will still try to come up with some bold projections.

One prediction that is making the rounds now has to do with the scoring ability of both teams. Could it be possible that this game sets a new all-time March Madness record for the most points scored in a single game? Let’s break it all down.

USA TODAY college basketball experts Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus go as far as saying this contest “will require a second official scorer,” because of how many points there could be.

“OK, this may be a bit of exaggeration. But given the pace that the Crimson Tide love to play at and the ability of the Tar Heels to thrive in an open-court environment, we could be looking at one of the highest-scoring games of the tournament Thursday. Alabama has scored at least 90 points in eight games since the start of February. It has allowed at least 88 nine times in the same span. Don’t expect Alabama coach Nate Oats to go conservative now that the stakes of the tournament have gotten higher. Just sit back and watch the wildness unfold.”

The highest-scoring game in March Madness history was a 1990 round of 32 upset when No. 11 seed Loyola Marymount defeated No. 3 seed Michigan with a final score of 149-115, for a combined total of 264 points. It has the lead by a comfortable margin, with the second-highest-scoring game only having a total of 234 points.

Alabama’s first-round win over Charleston had enough total points to make it the thirteenth-highest-scoring game in March Madness history with a total of over 205.

Let’s face it, the Crimson Tide’s biggest weakness all season has been a lack of defense. In the team’s first two games, Alabama has played spectacular defense, but will that last? If not, it opens the door for the Tar Heels to put up some serious points.

This Sweet 16 contest features the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation (Alabama) and the No. 20 scoring offense (UNC), while also featuring two defenses that aren’t necessarily the strongest.

North Carolina has allowed an average of 70 points per game, which has the Tar Heels ranked No. 70 in the nation. Compared to the Crimson Tide’s rank of No. 345, North Carolina might as well be a brick wall in front of the hoop. Alabama has allowed a whopping 80.9 points per game this season.

Is it likely that a new record is set? Far from it. However, there’s a great chance we see the highest-scoring game of this year’s tournament and possibly have a new entry in the top 10 highest-scoring March Madness games of all time.

Neither team will have this in mind. All that matters is scoring more points than the other team, staying alive, and moving on to the Elite Eight.

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Buffaloes Wire predicts every Pac-12 game in Women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Buffaloes Wire predicted the outcomes for the five Pac-12 games in the Women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. What are your picks?

Our friends at Buffaloes Wire are going to leave the Pac-12 in a few months, but there’s still the Sweet 16 at the Women’s NCAA Tournament before Colorado and other schools exit for other conferences. Buffaloes Wire predicted the winners for each of the five Sweet 16 games involving Pac-12 teams. Colorado and USC are both part of the action in a star-studded Sweet 16 round with endless intrigue and drama.

Here is what Buffaloes Wire editor Jack Carlough said about USC’s Sweet 16 game against Baylor, which is this Saturday, March 30, in Portland:

“Although JuJu Watkins is navigating only her first NCAA Tournament run, USC’s star freshman hasn’t been fazed by the big lights this year. I’m taking the Trojans to win by at least 10 over the Bears.”

We all hope Jack is right about this game. Jack’s Colorado team goes up against Caitlin Clark and Iowa on Saturday in the Sweet 16. It’s the second straight year CU and Iowa will meet in the Sweet 16 round of March Madness. USC-Baylor immediately follows Colorado-Iowa on the Saturday schedule, which we have for you right here.

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