March Madness: Down to 16

By Xavier Sanchez

The start of this year’s NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament brought few surprises for the viewers. After the first round of games, 14 of the 16 teams that advanced were seeded 1 through 4 in their regions. The two with a higher ranking are No. 5-seeded Auburn and No. 12-seeded Oregon.

There has been a handful of blowouts in what should have been competitive games. (Yes, this is about you, Villanova and Kansas). Games like the Duke-UCF nail-bitter and the near-Iowa comeback against Tennessee are the types fans want to witness.

Here are some teams and upcoming matchups to look out for this weekend.

#2 Tennessee vs. #3 Purdue

Defending champions Villanova turned out to be no-match for the Boilermakers. Carson Edwards put on a clinic as he had a career night. He scored 42 points, which included nine 3-point shots and a perfect showing from the free-throw line (9-9). Matt Harmes also had a strong game as well with a near double-double. Purdue will need similar efforts when it faces Tennessee on Thursday.

Tennessee has been at or near the top of the college basketball rankings all season long. A late-season slide prevented the team from gaining a No. 1 seed in the tournament. Last weekend, the Volunteers started strong against Iowa. They kept the Hawkeyes scoreless for more than five minutes while jumping to a 25-point lead late in the first half.

Iowa showed pride in the second half, coming all the way back to erase the huge deficit and force overtime. At the end of the day, though, Tennessee advanced with some clutch play in the second half. Star player Admiral Schofield took himself out of the game in the second half and did not touch the court in overtime. Tennessee will need a full game out of Schofield to move on in the tournament.

Illinois Influence

Among the 68 teams selected to the NCAA tournament, there are 54 Illinois-based players competing. Their impact has been felt early and often. Many players from Illinois remain even though the field has been cut to 16 teams.

A few of the big-name starting players still competing are Michigan’s Charles Matthews, Gonzaga’s Zach Norvell Jr., Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield and Oregon’s Paul White.

Apparently, having an Illinois-based player gives a team a better chance of winning the tournament. Eight of the past 10 national champs had an Illinois player.

#1 Duke

Once again, Duke receives their own portion because they are the best team in college basketball and are about to win their sixth National Title. They took care of North Dakota State with ease. R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson combined for 51 of Duke’s 85 points. The next game turned out to be an intense battle between Williamson and UCF’s Tacko Fall.

Can’t fault Duke for giving fans a enjoyable game for the viewers’ eyes. Next up is Virginia Tech. VT beat the Blue Devils in a Zionless game back on Feb. 26. Throw out the regular season, it’s March! Duke will reign supreme when it’s all said and done. Since Zion’s return, he is averaging 27.6 points and 8.8 rebounds while Barrett averages 19.4 points and 9 rebounds. This tag-team cannot be stopped and they don’t plan to anytime soon.