NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Recap

Oregon State vs Loyola Chicago

The Oregon State Beavers (20-12) took on the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (26-5), and it was the 8th seed vs 12th seed matchup. It was the Beavers’ first regional final since 1982, and the Ramblers were trying to repeat their performance in 2018. The Beavers were also picked last in the Pac-12, finishing 6th in the conference.

Ethan Thompson had 20 points, which included a few key makes from the charity stripe with 35 seconds left. All-American forward Cameron Krutwig led the way for Loyola with 14 points. The Ramblers were able to keep it close but ultimately failed to hit some of the three-pointers towards the end of the game. The Beavers were able to win outright 65-58.

Villanova vs Baylor

The Villanova Wildcats (18-6) faced the Baylor Bears (25-2). It was the 5th seed vs 1st seed match. The Bears came in as the nation’s leading three-point shooting team 41.5 percent. However, they only made 3 of 19 attempts from behind the arc.

The Wildcats also struggled from the same range, going 3 out of 17. Jermaine Samuels led the way for Villanova with 16 points, and Adam Flager led with 16 points off the bench for Baylor. Baylor had outscored Villanova 40-32 in the paint and covered the spread.

Oral Roberts vs Arkansas

The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (18-11) were the most surprising team claiming the 15th seed against the 3rd seed Arkansas Razorbacks (25-6). Oral Roberts had the nation’s leading scorer lead the way with 25 points. Jalen Tate led the Razorbacks with 22 points.

Oral Roberts was very close to winning, but a series of turnovers and missed shots ended their chances to make history. Devonte Davis hit a closer jumper with 2.9 seconds in the game and won the game 72-70. The Golden Eagles covered the spread easily in the close game.

Syracuse vs Houston

The 11th seed Syracuse Orange (18-9) clashed with the 2nd seed Houston Cougars (27-3). Buddy Boeheim led the way for the Orange with 12 points but had an abysmal shooting performance going 3-13. Quentin Grimes had 14 points but only went 5-15 from the field.

It seemed like Houston contested every three Syracuse was taking in the game. The Cougars defense was spot on, limiting the Orange to 46 points and 28 percent from the field. Houston was able to cover, with their defense being their biggest strength all year.

Creighton vs Gonzaga

The Creighton Bluejays (22-9) faced the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs (29-0). It was the 5th seed vs the 1st seed. It’s hard to see any flaws for Gonzaga as they extended the school record to 33 straight wins and eight straight double-digit victories.

Marcus Zegarowski led the way for the Bluejays with 19 points, and Drew Timme led the way for the Bulldogs with 22 points. Jalen Suggs, who is a projected top 5 pick, did not need to have a crazy game as the Zags are a very balanced team. The Bulldogs covered as they steamrolled the Bluejays to advance to the Elite Eight.

Florida State vs Michigan

The Florida State Seminoles (18-6) claimed the 4th seed, while the Michigan Wolverines (22-4) had the 1st seed. The Seminoles had 14 turnovers which included 10 in the first half and led to 16 points for the Wolverines. They had no three-pointers made in the first 24 minutes.

Malik Osbourne led Florida State with 12 points off the bench, while Brandon Johns Jr. and Hunter Dickenson both had 14 points for Michigan. Michigan destroyed Florida State’s interior defense and easily covered the spread.

UCLA vs Alabama

The UCLA Bruins (20-9) had a tall task as the 11th seed vs the Alabama Crimson Tide (26-6), who were the 2nd seed. UCLA started out strong taking a 40-29 lead to the locker room, but the tale of the second half was completely different. Alabama outscored UCLA 36-25 to force overtime. Alabama was just 11-25 from the free-throw line and was outscored 23-13 in overtime.

Jules Bernard had 17 points for UCLA, and Jahvon Quinerly had 20 points off the bench for Alabama. UCLA has made it far as many critics believed that teams like the Memphis Tigers deserved to be in the tournament rather than the Bruins. The Bruins were able to win outright.

Oregon vs USC

This was a Pac-12 matchup featuring the 7th seed Oregon Ducks (21-7) against their rivals, the 6th seed USC Trojans(25-7). The Trojans led from the first half to the end of the game without any issues. USC was once an elite program, and it looks like they are making a statement on the biggest stage.

Eugene Omorunyi scored 28 points for the Ducks, while Isaiah White had 22 points for the Trojans. USC ended their 20-year Elite Eight wait with a decisive victory over Oregon. They easily covered the spread.

That’s all for our NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Recap. If you like our articles, make sure to check BettingMidwest.com for more sports news and betting previews!