Posts Tagged ‘East Region’
Analysis: 3 Villanova def. 1 Pitt
3 Villanova 78
1 Pitt 76
East Region final • TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
By Jim Reedy
– Complain all you want that Cinderella went home early this year; thrilling, well-played games like this only happen when the best teams in the nation advance to the later rounds. Here, Scottie Reynolds was the last in a long line of heroes, saving Villanova from a last-minute collapse by driving from midcourt for a game-winning layup with 0.5 seconds left.
Analysis: 3 Villanova def. 2 Duke
3 Villanova 77
2 Duke 54
East Region semifinals • TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
By Corey DeMoss
– The quick, interchangeable Villanova defense rotated constantly and kept the Duke guards from getting any open looks. The Blue Devils were regularly unable to get any kind of penetration and on several occasions had to settle for long and difficult shots with the shot clock running down.
Analysis: 1 Pitt def. 4 Xavier
1 Pitt 60
4 Xavier 55
East Region semifinals • TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
By Corey DeMoss
– Levance Fields was quiet most of the game, but he made the two biggest plays of the night in the final minute. First, he drained a long 3-pointer with a defender in his face to give Pitt a one-point lead. He then grabbed a steal on Xavier’s ensuing possession, and converted it into an easy layup to seal the win.
Analysis: 1 Pitt def. 8 Oklahoma State
1 Pittsburgh 84
8 Oklahoma State 76
East Region second round • UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio
By Jeff Greer
– In the first round, Pitt struggled mightily with 16th-seeded East Tennessee State. The top seed in the East region overcame turnover and rebounding problems to stave off what would’ve been the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history. Today, the Panthers made sure to win the rebounding battle. And Pitt’s 14 turnovers didn’t cause as much trouble as their 18 did on Friday afternoon
Analysis: 4 Xavier def. 12 Wisconsin
4 Xavier 60
12 Wisconsin 49
East Region second round • Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho
By Doug Tifft
– Xavier came up with an elite defensive effort to get a second round win. They held the Badgers to 29 percent shooting, and did an exceptional job of contesting the three point shot, forcing the Badgers to shoot 8-of-20 from downtown. The key for the Musketeers was their interior defense, where Jason Love, Kenny Frease and Jamel McLean played position defense, forcing the Wisconsin post players to shoot off-balance and fade-away shots rather than anything toward the rim.
Analysis: 2 Duke def. 7 Texas
2 Duke 74
7 Texas 69
East Region second round • Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.
By Wyndam Makowsky
– Wacky ending to this one: Texas had a number of opportunities to tie the game or take the lead and due to a mistake and some simple bad luck, could not get it done. Damion James had a 3-pointer rim out that would have put Longhorns up one. On the next Texas possession, A.J. Abrams missed a shot and the ensuing rebound seemed destined to go out of bounds, but Jon Scheyer saved it for Duke, flipping the ball behind him about 30 feet in air and down toward the other end of the court.
Racing for the loose ball, Gary Johnson inexplicably fouled Elliot Williams as both players leaped for the sky-high bounce, blatantly and unnecessarily pushing Williams to the floor. Williams missed both free throws to keep the game at a one-possession contest, but with 11 seconds left, Texas could not grab a rebound-turned-loose ball, and the game was effectively over.
Analysis: 3 Villanova def. 6 UCLA
3 Villanova 89
6 UCLA 69
East Region second round • Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
By Jim Reedy
– Villanova is way, way more than Scottie Reynolds and UCLA isn’t nearly the same team that reached the Final Four the past three teams. As such, this one wasn’t close. The Wildcats were positively dominant, displaying a combination of skill, savvy, athletic ability and physical determination that will only be derailed in this tournament by foul trouble or an off shooting night.
Analysis: 12 Wisconsin def. 5 Florida State
12 Wisconsin 61
5 Florida State 59 (OT)
East Region first round • Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho
By Doug Tifft
– In a defensive battle in which neither team seemed able to get much going in the paint, Wisconsin sent the game into overtime on a Jason Bohannon 3-pointer and won it on a three-point play by Trevon Hughes with two seconds left in the extra session. Hughes drove through traffic in the lane for a bucket, something that he had not done at all until that point in the game.
Analysis: 4 Xavier def. 13 Portland State
4 Xavier 77
13 Portland State 59
East Region first round • Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho
By Doug Tifft & Jeff Greer
– Xavier was given a pretty easy 4-13 matchup. Portland State is good, but not 13-seed good. I think North Dakota State would’ve given the Musketeers a better game. Xavier rewarded the selection committee for having faith in the Musketeers as a top 16 team in the field.
– How is Sean Miller not coaching in a major conference? He’s taken Xavier to the NCAA second round three years in a row. If Jamie Dixon leaves Pitt for Arizona, Miller would be a shoo-in to replace Dixon. Virginia might go after him too.
Analysis: 1 Pitt def. 16 East Tennessee State
1 Pittsburgh 72
16 East Tennessee State 62
East Region first round • UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio
By Wyndam Makowsky
– I don’t like playing the “They didn’t deserve to win this game” card … but Pittsburgh didn’t deserve to win this game. The Panthers were perilously sloppy with the basketball in the first half—they had 13 turnovers before halftime—and showed no fluidity until very late, partly because of the Bucs’ full-court press. Their defense was also below average; they gave ETSU a number of open looks and were easily bumped off screens, though the Bucs had trouble hitting anything beyond 10 feet. Pitt’s style of play and wonderfully crafted schemes — i.e., Give it to DeJuan Blair and have him try and shoot over three defenders while running in the lane — was the worst I’ve seen from them this season.
