NCAA tournament: Sunday’s South Region review
It was a wild Sunday in the South Region — and there wasn’t even an upset. The wildness happened late, with No. 1 Arizona having to survive No. 9 TCU in overtime to move to the Sweet 16.
Arizona freshman Bennedict Mathurin, the Pac-12 player of the year, came up huge — beyond huge — down the stretch for the Wildcats. He scored 11 of their final 15 points as they prevailed 85-80. That sets up an enticing Sweet 16 matchup with defense-minded Houston, which moved on to the Sweet 16 as well with a victory Sunday.
Oh, yeah: No. 2 seed Villanova won, too.
Here’s a look at what happened Sunday in the South Region.
Most impressive performance, team: Houston. Houston lost four starters off last season’s Final Four team, then lost Tramon Mark 10 games into the season and star Marcus Sasser 12 games into the season. It hasn’t mattered, and the fifth-seeded Cougars have moved on to the Sweet 16 after ousting fourth-seeded Illinois 68-53. The Cougars’ defense was tremendous Sunday in shutting down Illinois, and an underrated offense again played well, too. Illinois shot 34 percent from the floor (17-of-50, including 6-of-25 from 3-point range). Houston forced 17 turnovers, and the Cougars dominated the final 10 minutes. The Cougars were focused on not letting Trent Frazier and Alfonso Plummer get good looks from the perimeter. Mission accomplished: Those two were 3-of-13 from beyond the arc, and Frazier’s lone 3-pointer came on a scramble play at the halftime buzzer.
Most impressive performance, individual: Arizona F Bennedict Mathurin. Mathurin finished with a career-high 30 points to help the Wildcats fend off the Horned Frogs. Arizona had a nine-point lead with 7:52 left before TCU rallied and took the lead. Mathurin hit a late 3-pointer to tie it and send it to overtime. Mathurin scored six points in the extra period to help Arizona advance.
Hard to understand: How could Illinois, a team that tied for the regular-season title in the rugged Big Ten, have been so offensively inept in the NCAA tournament? The Illini were 36-of-99 (36.4 percent) from the field in their two South Region games, including an unsightly 9-of-42 from 3-point range. Take away Kofi Cockburn, and the Illini shot 31.6 percent. In short, the Illini’s complementary players didn’t show up. The scary part of that: The defenses of Chattanooga and Houston were focused on Cockburn, and still no one else stepped up.
What we’ll be talking about from the South Region on Monday: If you watched it, you’ll be talking about the last six or so minutes plus overtime of Arizona-TCU. There was more action and intrigue in those 11 or so minutes than in most games. Guys made play after play after play, on both sides. And there also should be talk about whether a young Arizona team will be able to handle an experienced and physical Houston squad. TCU gave Arizona problems with its physicality. Well, Houston is just as physical, and is a better team overall, too.
Some key numbers: Arizona scored 85 points and had just two guys in double-figures: Mathurin with 30 and C Christian Kaloko with a career-high 28. Kaloko, who had an emphatic tip slam with 11 seconds left in OT for the final points, also had 12 rebounds and three blocks. … TCU C Eddie Lampkin also set a career-high, with 20 points and 14 rebounds. … Illinois committed 17 turnovers after committing 14 in its narrow first-round victory over Chattanooga. … Ohio State got 23 points from Malachi Branham and 17 from E.J. Liddell; the six other Buckeyes who played combined for 21. Branham, who figures to replace Liddell as the Buckeyes’ star next season, had 15 of his points in the second half. … Illinois got just 38 points from its starters — and exactly half of those were from Kofi Cockburn. Cockburn was 6-of-11 from the field but the other starters went 5-of-23. … Houston has made three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. … Sunday’s game was the sixth in a row in which Villanova didn’t allow 70 points and the 10th in the past 12. … Ohio State had 15 offensive rebounds, with seven coming from Zed Key. … Villanova got a huge game from F Curtis Samuels, who had 17 points. Samuels was 7-of-9 from the floor, including 6-of-7 on 2-point baskets, and 2-of-3 from the line. Samuels isn’t necessarily a big scorer — he came in averaging 10.5 points and he’s had only four higher-scoring outputs this season than the 17 he had Sunday. Villanova’s other big guys combined for just five baskets.
Game results
No. 1 Arizona 85, No. 9 TCU 80
Main takeaway: Arizona looked as if it had buried TCU, but the Horned Frogs fought back and actually had the ball in the final seconds with a chance to win in regulation. Then Mathurin took over in overtime. Arizona’s young guys eventually made the winning plays, but they also made a lot of questionable plays that enabled TCU to get back in the game.
Up next: Arizona vs. No. 5 Houston in Sweet 16, Thursday in San Antonio
No. 2 Villanova 71, No. 7 Ohio State 61
Main takeaway: Villanova never trailed. It led by 11 at halftime, increased the lead to 15 in the second half, then had to hold off the Buckeyes, who cut it to two down the stretch. After Ohio State cut it to 60-58 with 5:39 to play, the Buckeyes mixed six of their last seven shots
Up next: Villanova vs. No. 11 Michigan in Sweet 16, Thursday in San Antonio
No. 5 Houston 68, No. 4 Illinois 53
Main takeaway: The Cougars’ stifling defense, showing off both its athleticism and physicality, ate up the Illini and helped Houston move on to the Sweet 16. The Cougars turned up the defensive intensity in the final 10 minutes to pull away from a 40-40 tie.
Up next: Houston vs. No. 1 Arizona in Sweet 16, Thursday in San Antonio