Cinderella advances to Elite 8; Another 1 seed goes down
Virginia Commonwealth vs Florida State
In Richmond, Virginia, 2 schools are carrying the pride and joy of the town; Richmond, and Virginia Commonwealth. While the former may not have done so well for themselves against top-seeded Kansas, the latter is still riding high.
Brandon Burgess scored 26 points and the winning basket with 7 seconds left as Virginia Commonwealth shocked Florida State 72-71 in overtime to move on to the Elite 8, where they will face top-seeded Kansas. Brandon Rozzell added 16 for the Rams.
Early on it looked to be a 3 point battle, with 3 triples finding their way through the hoop early, 1 for VCU (Jamie Skeen) and 2 for the Seminoles. It was a hard-fought battle all the way through and with just about 6 minutes left in the first half VCU led 22-21. Then came the run.
In that run, Bradford Burgess hit 2 3's from the corner and Darius Theus added 4 more for the Commies, giving them a 34-25 lead (the largest lead of the game). However, they couldn't add to that, and a 6-0 run cut the halftime score to 36-31.
Half 2 started out on a 7-0 Florida State run, giving the Seminoles the lead back. But another triple from Burgess gave VCU the lead back, and it went back-and forth, with 3 triples and a 3 point play from Brandon Rozzell being the only source of points for VCU in a span of 4:38. Then came another run from the Commies.
Burgess got wide open from the corner (again) and drained a triple, and another one from Rob Brandenberg gave VCU a 57-49 lead. 4 points for each team and a VCU foul shot gave the Commies a 62-53 lead, and it looked like another easy victory for VCU and a date with Kansas.
But Florida State finally got their game going and started a run of their own, with 4 free throws from Derwin Kitchen and a triple from Michael Snaer cutting the deficit to 3. With under a minute to go, VCU led 65-62 and Florida State had the ball.
With 47 seconds left on the clock, the ball was in the hands of Chris Singleton, Florida State's most clutch player. He decided to hurl up a 3, and it went in. A block by Bernard James and a nice defensive trap by VCU on the last possession of regulation sent the first ever 11 seed vs 10 seed into overtime.
In OT, Snaer got a layup and had a chance to turn that into a 3 point play, but he missed the free throw. It looked like Florida State's momentum would help them dominate the extra session, but another wide open 3 from the left corner by Burgess gave VCU the 68-67 edge. 2 free throws from Rozzell gave the Commies a 3 point lead.
Unfortunately for VCU though, that was all they'd get in a long time. Derwin Kitchen racked up 2 points, and after a 2:15 span of no points Singleton received a pass, did a pumpfake, went baseline and slammed the ball home. Florida State had the lead!
After a 20 second period where VCU could do nothing and Florida State knocked the ball out of bounds, the Rams called timeout. Coach Shaka Smart sent in VCU's favorite inbounds play, which had burned FSU all night, but FSU coach Leonard Hamilton recognized the setup and called timeout. VCU sent in another play.
Although it might not have worked quite as well, it was good enough. Joey Rodriguez's pass skidded past 2 defenders and into the hands of Bradford Burgess. His grip might not have been too firm, but he put the layup in, and a shot by Singleton was rejected at the buzzer.
VCU plays Kansas at 11:20 AM PT on Sunday, March 27.
Kentucky at Ohio State
This would normally be the game where we expect a blowout; a bunch of freshman against the overall number-one seed, who had just rolled over former Cinderella team George Mason. But as we all say, miracles can happen.
Well, maybe not Ohio State.
Brandon Knight's jumper with 5.4 seconds to go sent Kentucky into the Elite 8, where they will face North Carolina. Although Knight only scored 9, 2 of his baskets were huge. DeAndre Liggins added 15, and Josh Harrelson led the Wildcats with 17 points and 10 boards.
Ohio State took a 16-9 lead early and looked to be headed in the path of easy victory, and it looked like we would see a nice Ohio State-UNC Elite 8 match-up. But Kentucky recovered, they hardly allowed any good 3 point looks and they came back to take the lead, thanks to the aid of Darius Miller and co.
Another strength that Kentucky had that Ohio State didn't was the ability to drain foul shots. They made 85.7 percent of their shots, while Ohio State only made 72 percent. This would help them in the second half (mainly), but Kentucky did go 4 for 4 on free throws in the first half.
Many Kentucky players were involved racking up points in the first half, including Terrence Jones, who made a 3 pointer for his only points of the half. Both teams would play pretty evenly, and the score was tied at 30 when the break came around.
Ohio State took a 4 point lead to start the second half and their long-awaited run seemed just about ready to launch. However, the aid of free throws and a 3 pointer from Doron Lamb put those used-to-be optimistic Buckeyes fans back in their chairs, slumping again as their team fell behind.
But the Bucks weren't done yet. Jon Diebler knocked down a 3, only the 3rd of 4 in the game from Ohio State. But the 'Cats answered the call with a DeAndre Liggins 3 point play. Then Kentucky started draining their 3's, as triples from Jones and Lamb gave Kentucky a 50-49 lead. David Lighty gave Ohio State the lead back, but a great 3 point play from Harrelson powered Kentucky on top.
After a pair of free throws by Aaron Craft tied the game, Brandon Knight finally got his clutch self back together. Knight got an open 3 point look from the corner, and he took a shot...and made it. Kentucky had a 56-53 lead.
Unfortunately for Kentucky, it would take 3:44 for them to score again, which was plenty of time for Ohio State to take the lead. A dunk from Jared Sullinger and a great drive and finish by David Lighty gave Ohio State a 1 point advantage.
Everyone thought the game belonged to the Buckeyes now, but DeAndre Liggins got the edge back for Kentucky with 2 free throws. On Kentucky's next possession, he got down low, pivoted and nailed a shot off the backboard. Kentucky enjoyed the lead for less than 15 seconds; a Jon Diebler 3 tied the game.
Once that 3 fell into the hoop, everyone watching the game who actually knew what was happening knew that someone would have to come up with a clutch play. And who better to do it then Brandon Knight, whose layup saved Kentucky from overtime against Princeton, and whose 30 points saved the Wildcats from a second-round exit against West Virginia.
Knight took the ball up, dribbled to the right side. He hesitated for a moment, then launched up a jumper. The shot fell through the hoop with 5.4 seconds left, which was plenty of time for Ohio State. William Buford got the ball and shot a 3, which was...no good! It clanged off the rim! John Calipari and Kentucky had pulled off the shocker!
Kentucky plays North Carolina Sunday at 2:05 PM PT.
Other Headlines
Tyler Zeller's 27 helps UNC dominate Marquette 81-63, advance to Elite 8.
18 from Brady Morningstar powers Kansas to berth in the Elite 8.
Elite 8 Predictions
8 Butler 68
2 Florida 65
5 Arizona 76
3 Connecticut 72
4 Kentucky 62
2 UNC 75
11 VCU 65
1 Kansas 70
In Richmond, Virginia, 2 schools are carrying the pride and joy of the town; Richmond, and Virginia Commonwealth. While the former may not have done so well for themselves against top-seeded Kansas, the latter is still riding high.
Brandon Burgess scored 26 points and the winning basket with 7 seconds left as Virginia Commonwealth shocked Florida State 72-71 in overtime to move on to the Elite 8, where they will face top-seeded Kansas. Brandon Rozzell added 16 for the Rams.
Early on it looked to be a 3 point battle, with 3 triples finding their way through the hoop early, 1 for VCU (Jamie Skeen) and 2 for the Seminoles. It was a hard-fought battle all the way through and with just about 6 minutes left in the first half VCU led 22-21. Then came the run.
In that run, Bradford Burgess hit 2 3's from the corner and Darius Theus added 4 more for the Commies, giving them a 34-25 lead (the largest lead of the game). However, they couldn't add to that, and a 6-0 run cut the halftime score to 36-31.
Half 2 started out on a 7-0 Florida State run, giving the Seminoles the lead back. But another triple from Burgess gave VCU the lead back, and it went back-and forth, with 3 triples and a 3 point play from Brandon Rozzell being the only source of points for VCU in a span of 4:38. Then came another run from the Commies.
Burgess got wide open from the corner (again) and drained a triple, and another one from Rob Brandenberg gave VCU a 57-49 lead. 4 points for each team and a VCU foul shot gave the Commies a 62-53 lead, and it looked like another easy victory for VCU and a date with Kansas.
But Florida State finally got their game going and started a run of their own, with 4 free throws from Derwin Kitchen and a triple from Michael Snaer cutting the deficit to 3. With under a minute to go, VCU led 65-62 and Florida State had the ball.
With 47 seconds left on the clock, the ball was in the hands of Chris Singleton, Florida State's most clutch player. He decided to hurl up a 3, and it went in. A block by Bernard James and a nice defensive trap by VCU on the last possession of regulation sent the first ever 11 seed vs 10 seed into overtime.
In OT, Snaer got a layup and had a chance to turn that into a 3 point play, but he missed the free throw. It looked like Florida State's momentum would help them dominate the extra session, but another wide open 3 from the left corner by Burgess gave VCU the 68-67 edge. 2 free throws from Rozzell gave the Commies a 3 point lead.
Unfortunately for VCU though, that was all they'd get in a long time. Derwin Kitchen racked up 2 points, and after a 2:15 span of no points Singleton received a pass, did a pumpfake, went baseline and slammed the ball home. Florida State had the lead!
After a 20 second period where VCU could do nothing and Florida State knocked the ball out of bounds, the Rams called timeout. Coach Shaka Smart sent in VCU's favorite inbounds play, which had burned FSU all night, but FSU coach Leonard Hamilton recognized the setup and called timeout. VCU sent in another play.
Although it might not have worked quite as well, it was good enough. Joey Rodriguez's pass skidded past 2 defenders and into the hands of Bradford Burgess. His grip might not have been too firm, but he put the layup in, and a shot by Singleton was rejected at the buzzer.
VCU plays Kansas at 11:20 AM PT on Sunday, March 27.
Kentucky at Ohio State
This would normally be the game where we expect a blowout; a bunch of freshman against the overall number-one seed, who had just rolled over former Cinderella team George Mason. But as we all say, miracles can happen.
Well, maybe not Ohio State.
Brandon Knight's jumper with 5.4 seconds to go sent Kentucky into the Elite 8, where they will face North Carolina. Although Knight only scored 9, 2 of his baskets were huge. DeAndre Liggins added 15, and Josh Harrelson led the Wildcats with 17 points and 10 boards.
Ohio State took a 16-9 lead early and looked to be headed in the path of easy victory, and it looked like we would see a nice Ohio State-UNC Elite 8 match-up. But Kentucky recovered, they hardly allowed any good 3 point looks and they came back to take the lead, thanks to the aid of Darius Miller and co.
Another strength that Kentucky had that Ohio State didn't was the ability to drain foul shots. They made 85.7 percent of their shots, while Ohio State only made 72 percent. This would help them in the second half (mainly), but Kentucky did go 4 for 4 on free throws in the first half.
Many Kentucky players were involved racking up points in the first half, including Terrence Jones, who made a 3 pointer for his only points of the half. Both teams would play pretty evenly, and the score was tied at 30 when the break came around.
Ohio State took a 4 point lead to start the second half and their long-awaited run seemed just about ready to launch. However, the aid of free throws and a 3 pointer from Doron Lamb put those used-to-be optimistic Buckeyes fans back in their chairs, slumping again as their team fell behind.
But the Bucks weren't done yet. Jon Diebler knocked down a 3, only the 3rd of 4 in the game from Ohio State. But the 'Cats answered the call with a DeAndre Liggins 3 point play. Then Kentucky started draining their 3's, as triples from Jones and Lamb gave Kentucky a 50-49 lead. David Lighty gave Ohio State the lead back, but a great 3 point play from Harrelson powered Kentucky on top.
After a pair of free throws by Aaron Craft tied the game, Brandon Knight finally got his clutch self back together. Knight got an open 3 point look from the corner, and he took a shot...and made it. Kentucky had a 56-53 lead.
Unfortunately for Kentucky, it would take 3:44 for them to score again, which was plenty of time for Ohio State to take the lead. A dunk from Jared Sullinger and a great drive and finish by David Lighty gave Ohio State a 1 point advantage.
Everyone thought the game belonged to the Buckeyes now, but DeAndre Liggins got the edge back for Kentucky with 2 free throws. On Kentucky's next possession, he got down low, pivoted and nailed a shot off the backboard. Kentucky enjoyed the lead for less than 15 seconds; a Jon Diebler 3 tied the game.
Once that 3 fell into the hoop, everyone watching the game who actually knew what was happening knew that someone would have to come up with a clutch play. And who better to do it then Brandon Knight, whose layup saved Kentucky from overtime against Princeton, and whose 30 points saved the Wildcats from a second-round exit against West Virginia.
Knight took the ball up, dribbled to the right side. He hesitated for a moment, then launched up a jumper. The shot fell through the hoop with 5.4 seconds left, which was plenty of time for Ohio State. William Buford got the ball and shot a 3, which was...no good! It clanged off the rim! John Calipari and Kentucky had pulled off the shocker!
Kentucky plays North Carolina Sunday at 2:05 PM PT.
Other Headlines
Tyler Zeller's 27 helps UNC dominate Marquette 81-63, advance to Elite 8.
18 from Brady Morningstar powers Kansas to berth in the Elite 8.
Elite 8 Predictions
8 Butler 68
2 Florida 65
5 Arizona 76
3 Connecticut 72
4 Kentucky 62
2 UNC 75
11 VCU 65
1 Kansas 70
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