NCAA tournament: Saturday’s East Region review
The East Region is officially bonkers. The No. 1 seed and defending national champion is gone after almost rallying from 25 points down, and the No. 15 seed has advanced to the Sweet 16.
Here’s a look at what happened Saturday in the three games in the East Region.
Most impressive performance, team: Saint Peter’s. The 15th-seeded Peacocks led the whole way in dispatching No. 7 Murray State 70-60; the Racers came in on a 21-game winning streak. That means Saint Peter’s, which has an undergraduate enrollment of about 2,700 on its campus in Jersey City, N.J., is headed to the Sweet 16. Saturday’s performance wasn’t as mind-blowing as the one Thursday against No. 2 Kentucky, but it still was impressive. The Peacocks have ridden their defense all season and they rode it again Saturday: Murray State shot just 34.6 percent from the field, including an unsightly 10-of-28 on 2-point attempts. Saint Peter’s C K.C. Ndefo had six blocks. The Peacocks’ offense struggled at times, but it didn’t matter with that kind of defensive performance.
Most impressive performance, individual: North Carolina PG R.J. Davis. Davis, a second-year freshman, played the game of his life in helping the eighth-seeded Heels oust top-seeded Baylor 93-86 in overtime. He played all 45 minutes and had a career-high 30 points; he added six assists and five rebounds. Davis was 5-of-10 from 3-point range and 9-of-10 from the line. He also didn’t have much help in the ballhandling department, so his gutty performance down the stretch and in overtime (he had just three turnovers total) takes on extra meaning. He is the 13th Tar Heels player to score 30 points in an NCAA tournament game and just the second (joining Al Wood in 1981 against Virginia) to score that many against a No. 1 seed. (An aside: Davis was high school teammates with Duke G A.J. Griffin at Cardinal Stepinac High in White Plains, N.Y.)
Hard to understand: Given how surgical UCLA was in carving up Saint Mary’s — the Bruins won by 16 and, really, at no time in the second half did you think Saint Mary’s could win — you wonder why the Bruins struggled to beat Akron on Thursday. (And if not for Tyger Campbell coming up huge in the final two minutes, UCLA would’ve lost.) Whatever the issue Thursday, UCLA fixed it Saturday and looks like a team that could get to the Final Four again. (Maybe it was seeing top-seeded Baylor lose earlier in the day that fired up the Bruins.)
What we’ll be talking about from the East Region on Sunday: With top-seeded Baylor joining second-seeded Kentucky on the couch for the rest of the tournament, expect to hear a lot of “why not us?” from the rest of the East Region field. And if third-seeded Purdue beats Texas on Sunday, you have to think the high-powered Boilermakers — iffy defense and all — become the team to beat. For one, if it wins, Purdue would get Saint Peter’s next. And at some point, doesn’t Saint Peter’s revert to regular-season form, when the Peacocks were 16-11? Still, the other side of the bracket features two of the bluest of blue bloods: North Carolina and UCLA.
Some key numbers: Saint Peter’s is the third No. 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16. The others were Oral Roberts last season and Florida Gulf Coast in 2013. Both lost in the regional semifinals. … North Carolina led 67-42 with 10:40 left in the game. Baylor came all the way back to get the game to overtime, where UNC prevailed. The largest comeback in NCAA tourney history is BYU’s 25-point comeback against Iona in a 2012 First Four game. … UCLA torched the nets against Saint Mary’s: The Bruins shot 54.1 percent from the field, including 22-of-37 on 2-point attempts. … Saint Mary’s shot 40.8 percent. … This is Saint Peter’s fourth NCAA appearance and the first time Peacocks won a game. … Baylor attempted a season-high 37 3-pointers. … North Carolina scored 93 points, yet had just three players in double figures. … UNC outrebounded Baylor 47-38. … Baylor and UNC basically had the same amount of assists as turnovers. Baylor had 11 of both; UNC had 22 assists and 21 turnovers. … Saint Peter’s won the MAAC tourney as a No. 2 seed. The Peacocks finished three games behind Iona in the MAAC regular-season race. … Saint Mary’s got zero points from its bench.
Game results
No. 4 UCLA 72, No. 5 Saint Mary’s 56
Main takeaway: UCLA looked every bit the national title contender it was expected to be this season as they dominated the Gaels. The Bruins did not play well in the first round against Akron, but they turned it on midway through the first half and rolled to the win. Four UCLA starters scored between 14 and 16 points, and different players stepped up at different times. The Bruins also were locked in on defense.
Up next: UCLA vs. No. 8 North Carolina in the Sweet 16, Friday in Philadelphia
No. 8 North Carolina 93, No, 1 Baylor 86 (OT)
Main takeaway: The Tar Heels almost blew a 25-point lead, but regrouped in overtime to send the Bears home. The ejection of UNC F Brady Manek midway through the second half changed things. The Tar Heels became tentative without Manek, and even more so when G Caleb Love fouled out. Davis was huge in the win. Baylor had 10 steals and forced 21 turnovers with an effective press.
Up next: UNC vs. No. 4 UCLA in the Sweet 16, Friday in Philadelphia
No. 15 Saint Peter’s 70, No. 7 Murray State 60
Main takeaway: The Peacocks’ unbelievable run continues. They led the whole way against the Racers, thanks to another impressive defensive performance. Saint Peter’s only had two players in double figures, but as with UCLA, a few different guys stepped up at different times.
Up next: Saint Peter’s vs. Purdue or Texas in the Sweet 16, Friday in Philadelphia