How all the Sweet 16 games were won Thursday — and the key to each winner in the Elite Eight
The first night of the Sweet 16 had something for every type of men’s college basketball fan: comebacks, winning shots, even superhuman plays.
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf and Kyle Bonagura were on site in Houston and San Jose, California to explain how each of Thursday’s games was won. Expert analyst Jeff Borzello also identifies the keys to each win to advance to the Final Four.
How Purdue won: Braden Smith’s potential go-ahead attempt in the closing seconds was missed, but Trey Kaufman-Renn was there to give Purdue a thrilling victory. The Boilermakers worked throughout the second half and had a tough time containing Tramon Mark, but a clutch layup from Smith with 38 seconds to play followed by two free throws by CJ Cox put the game away. They shot just 4 of 20 (20%) from 3 but all five starters scored in double figures, Kaufman-Renn’s 20 points leading the way. Fletcher Loyer was the only Boilermaker to make a 3, going 4-for-8 from the perimeter. — Bonagura
Purdue’s Elite Eight opponent: Arizona (8:49 p.m. ET Sunday)
How the Boilermakers can advance to the Final Four: The focus of their game plan should be to keep Arizona from completely questioning the paint on both ends of the court. The Wildcats are dominant on the offensive glass, around the rim and getting to the free throw line at a high rate. Purdue, which had the second-best defensive percentage in the Big Ten, will have to hold on to the backboards while getting out of foul trouble. With Daniel Jacobsen’s struggles down the season, there has been a lot of urgency for Oscar Cluff to stay on the field. If he is forced to stay longer, that will not bode well for the Boilermakers.
Offensively, Fletcher Loyer will be the key. Purdue must be hot from 3 to match Arizona’s 2-point performance, and Loyer has made four 3s in each of the Boilermakers’ three NCAA tournament games. — Borzello
How Iowa won: Iowa trailed Nebraska 81% of the game. The Cornhuskers were an offensive machine early, opening with a 12-2 run and holding a double-digit lead with more than five minutes left in the first half. With a heavy Nebraska crowd at the Toyota Center in Houston, the Cornhuskers appeared to have all the momentum … until a Tate Sage 3-pointer in the first half cut the deficit to three points and allowed the Hawkeyes to hit the reset button.
Iowa’s Bennett Strtz was the strongest player in the second half as Nebraska eased into a back-and-forth game. Stirtz hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:10 to play, then Alvaro Folgueiras came up big for the second straight game. With his team up by three points, he ran down the court, scored and fouled for a three-pointer. Nebraska, looking confused, only had four players on the field. Another late dunk from Folgueiras sealed the game for the Hawkeyes, who will be making their first Elite Eight appearance since 1987.
How did they get here? With the same intensity they have had all season. They never broke. They were tired, but with the game on the line, they made clutch plays to pull ahead. — Medcalf
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Alvaro Folgueiras punctuates Iowa’s trip to the Elite Eight
Alvaro Folgueiras deflects the ball with authority to help secure the win.
Iowa Elite Eight opponent: Illinois (6:09 p.m. ET Sunday)
How the Hawkeyes can advance to the Final Four: Iowa’s biggest strength in the NCAA tournament has been its ability to control the tempo. The Hawkeyes’ first-round game against Clemson featured 54 carries — the team’s fewest all season. Their second round win over Florida saw a few things the Gators had all season. And their Sweet 16 win over Nebraska was the slowest game the Cornhuskers have played all season. Can Iowa do the same to Illinois? The first meeting between the two Big Ten teams was close at the pace the Illini preferred, though the Hawkeyes fell behind early and weren’t primed for a major comeback.
Two more keys for Iowa: Stirtz must win the point guard battle against Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell, and the Hawkeyes must keep Illinois — the Big Ten’s best offensive team — from dominating second chances. — Borzello
How Arizona won: Arizona left no doubt about its intentions in the tournament with a complete win against Arkansas. The Wildcats dominated from start to finish, looking like they could win everything. Darius Acuff Jr. did his best to try and keep the Razorbacks to 28 points, but it was clear early on that there was a huge difference in talent between the two teams. Brayden Burries led the Wildcats with 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting — one of six Arizona players to score in double figures, each on at least one attempt better than 50% from the field.
This is the Wildcats’ deepest run since their last Elite Eight appearance in 2015.— Bonagura
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Arizona dropped 109 to Arkansas to advance
Arizona lights up the scoreboard to defeat Arkansas and advance to the Elite Eight.
Arizona Elite Eight opponent: Purdue (8:49 p.m. ET Sunday)
How the Wildcats can advance to the Final Four: Although Purdue is more interested in playing defense than Arkansas, Arizona will still have an advantage against the Boilermakers on the back end of the court. Purdue has given up about 1.27 points per possession to Texas in the Sweet 16, and the Boilermakers have given up at least 1.05 points per possession in 10 of their last 11 games. They were just 14th in the Big Ten in 2-point defense. In other words: Arizona just needs to stick to its possession and look to attack the paint at every opportunity.
Burries or Jaden Bradley should be able to get into the dribble lane regularly, and Motiejus Krivas, Tobe Awaka and Koa Peat should have opportunities in the goal. Arizona doesn’t shoot a lot of 3s, but it should be noted that Purdue has one of the worst 3 defenses in the Big Ten, so the Wildcats can get an extra open shot.
Defensively, it’s about Bradley and Burries not allowing Braden Smith to operate freely in the half court. Both are physical enough to make life difficult for him. — Borzello
How Illinois won: When Kingston Flemings hit a 3-pointer to end the first half, the crowd in Houston roared. Illinois, one of the best offenses in America for most of the season, couldn’t get away from Houston. The Illini only had a two-point lead at halftime — but the story of their season has been their ability to go on big runs. They did it against Penn in the first round, and again against VCU in the second.
Houston couldn’t hold off another Illinois, when a Keaton Wagler 3-pointer started a game-changing 20-4 rally in the second half. The Cougars spent the rest of the game trying to close the gap, trailing by seven points with less than two minutes to play, but that was too close.
Brad Underwood’s team has incredible playmaking skills. That would carry Illinois to the Final Four. — Medcalf
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Illinois went down in Houston to reach the Elite Eight
Illinois hosted Houston in the Sweet 16 to advance to the NCAA tournament.
Illinois’ Elite Eight opponent: Iowa (6:09 p.m. ET Sunday)
How the Fighting Illini can advance to the Final Four: If Illinois can continue its recent defensive style, it should beat Iowa and have a real chance to win the national championship. The Illini have held VCU and Houston to 55 points apiece in their last two games, and have now held five of their last 10 opponents to less than one point apiece. Kylan Boswell’s physicality on offense combined with their size and length on the wings, and rim protection, means they have enough to at least try to take Bennett Strtz out of his game. Stirtz had just 12 points on 17 shots in the first meeting between the two Big Ten teams.
Offensively, Illinois will have the edge on the offensive glass — the Illini rank in the top five nationally in second-chance points per game. Iowa also ranked last in the conference in defensive free throw rate. Another key could be whether Illinois succeeds in getting to the foul line. — Borzello
