There will be a quartet of traditional college basketball powers gathering next weekend in New Orleans for the men’s Final Four.
North Carolina and Kansas punched their tickets on Sunday in dominating fashion. The No. 8 seeded Tar Heels ended a Cinderella run by Saint Peter’s with a 65-42 thumping. They’ll face archrival Duke in one national semifinal next Saturday.
Meanwhile, No. 1 Kansas fell behind early on Sunday but turned on the jets to defeat No. 10 Miami 76-50. The Jayhawks will take on Villanova in the other Final Four matchup.
The women are taking over prime time as their Elite Eight gets underway. Dawn Staley’s No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks take on No.10-seed Creighton (7 p.m., ESPN) and No. 1 Stanford, the reigning national champions, battle it out against No. 2 Texas (9 p.m., ESPN).
DUKE: Coach K’s young Blue Devils growing up fast
NOT MIDNIGHT YET: 10 most surprising Cinderellas of NCAA Tournament include Saint Peter’s
ELITE EIGHT: Winners and losers from Saturday’s games
Saint Peter’s magical run ends at hands of dominant North Carolina
PHILADELPHIA — No. 8 North Carolina stormed out to an early lead and cruised past No. 15 Saint Peter’s 69-49, ending the most captivating run in men’s NCAA Tournament history and setting up a blueblood-only Final Four.
Any thought that the Peacocks’ unforgettable March would continue was put to the test from the opening tip. UNC took a 9-0 edge after four minutes and expanded that lead to 21-7 with 7:30 left in the first half and to 32-13 four minutes later. The Tar Heels were up 38-19 at halftime and by as many as 27 points in the second half.
UNC shot 41% from the field and scored 34 points in the paint. Junior forward Armando Bacot had 15 rebounds at halftime and finished with a whopping 22 boards, while the Tar Heels out-rebounded Saint Peter’s 49-35 overall.
After an unexpected postseason surge, UNC turns to what may be the most hyped Final Four pairing in the 64-team era.
It’ll be the Tar Heels and No. 2 Duke, which toppled No. 4 Arkansas in the Elite Eight to make one last Final Four trip under coach Mike Krzyzewski.
In addition to the game potentially being Krzyzewski’s last after more than four decades with the Blue Devils, the two longstanding rivals have never met in tournament play.
— Paul Myerberg
Villanova guard Justin Moore to miss Final Four with torn Achilles tendon
Villanova will be without starting guard Justin Moore for the remainder of its NCAA tournament run, the school confirmed Sunday in an expected but nevertheless disappointing announcement.
Moore went to the floor with a right leg injury late in the Wildcats’ Elite Eight win against Houston Saturday night in San Antonio. He was on crutches following the game during the team’s muted celebration. The school announced Sunday that an MRI confirmed a torn Achilles tendon that will require surgery, leaving the Wildcats without a key contributor as they prepare to take on Kansas next Saturday at the Final Four in New Orleans.
“This is a tough blow for all of us, not just because of the great player Justin is, but because of what he means to us as teammates and coaches,” said coach Jay Wright in a statement.
In addition to being considered the Wildcats’ best individual defender, Moore is also second on the team in points (14.8) and assists (2.3).
— Eddie Timanus
It looks like Saint Peter’s dream will stop here
Saint Peter’s started slowly, the Tar Heels jumped on the Peacocks early and North Carolina doubled up its underdog opponent at the half. The Tar Heels look as if they’re set to cruise into the Final Four — and a potential showdown against fierce rival Duke — after they opened a 38-19 lead through the first 20 minutes of play.
North Carolina had two players, guard Caleb Love (12 points) and forward Brady Manek (10) hit double figures. On the glass, forward Armando Bacot was a menace, collecting 15 rebounds.
The Peacocks struggled significantly from the floor, connecting on just 22.6% (7-of-31) of their attempts. Their leading scorer, forward Hassan Drame, had just 5 points. Perhaps most concerning for Saint Peter’s is that the team is looking to rely on something it hasn’t done well since a first-round stunner against Kentucky: shoot well from three-point range. The Peacocks went just 1-of-11 (9%) from beyond the arc against North Carolina, giving them a 22.2% clip (10-45) over their last three games.
One spot left in the men’s Final Four
The last chance for a double-digit-seeded underdog to clinch a berth to the men’s Final Four rests on the Cinderella darlings of the tournament, No. 15 Saint Peter’s. The Peacocks’ game against No. 8 North Carolina is underway, and the Tar Heels raced out to a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.
Saint Peter’s opened the game 0-of-3 from the floor with questionable shot selections, leading to an uncharacteristic early timeout from Peacocks coach Shaheen Holloway.
The seven-point deficit for Saint Peter’s, by the way, is the largest it has faced in the tournament.
Kansas scorches Miami to punch Final Four ticket
CHICAGO — Kansas is headed back to the Final Four, finding another gear in the second half to embarrass No. 10-seeded Miami (Fla.) 76-50 Sunday in the Elite Eight to claim the Midwest Regional title.
It wasn’t easy for the final No. 1 seed in the men’s NCAA Tournament, as the Hurricanes came out firing on all cylinders with hopes of pulling off the upset as a double-digit seed. Kansas didn’t do itself any favors by playing poorly in the first half – trailing 35-29, going 0-for-5 from beyond the arc and 3-for-9 from the free-throw line.
But four minutes into the second half, veteran Christian Braun (12 points) helped spark the Jayhawks (32-6) with a thundering dunk and three-pointer to give Kansas a decisive lead that it wouldn’t relinquish. Big man David McCormack (15 points) was a steadying force for Kansas throughout the contest, while reserve guard Remy Martin (nine points) – having scored 43 points in the past two games – cooled off in this round.
— Scott Gleeson
Kansas roars back to take lead midway through second half
Give the Jayhawks credit.
After a sluggish first half, they came out with energy and pace and exploited Miami in transition to open up a lead that’s approaching double digits midway through the second half, up 49-42 with a little more than 11 to play.
One big issue for the Hurricanes that led to those Kansas fast breaks was poor ball handling that led to turnovers. Kansas had battled back to knot the game at 38 with 16:55 to play. After a Miami bucket, the Jayhawks ripped off an 8-0 run to build their lead.
Forward David McCormack has been instrumental in Kansas’ turnaround and now has 15 points and 4 rebounds. Two other Jayhawks have reached double figures, with guards Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun each chipping in 10.
Kameron McGusty helps ‘Canes open lead at the half
Don’t look now, but after spurts of shaky play throughout the tournament, No. 1 Kansas may be on upset alert. And that’s in large part because of Miami guard Kameron McGusty, who was the team’s lone player in double figures with 14 points.
The Hurricanes went into the locker room with a 35-29 lead at the half after ending it on a 9-2 run.
McGusty flashed confidence in his jump shot and knocked down five of 10 attempts in the half. Guard Isaiah Wong added eight points, and between the two of them, they combined for 62.9% of Miami’s offense.
One area where the Jayhawks could make up significant ground in the second half, however, is beyond the arc. Kansas tied for 74th in the country this season in 3-point shooting percentage, and that showed against the Hurricanes. The Jayhawks failed to convert any of their five attempts from 3-point range.
Forward David McCormack led all Kansas scorers with seven points, while guards Ochai Agbaji and Remy Martin each chipped in six.
And we’re live …
The first game of the day is officially live as No. 10 Miami takes on the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks. The Hurricanes are the first of two double-digit seeds to play Sunday in the Elite Eight in the men’s bracket, with the No. 15 Saint Peter’s team being the other.
The good thing Miami has going is that its head coach already has underdog experience.
Jim Larrañaga became an instant celebrity when he piloted a lovable George Mason team to the Final Four and stayed for five seasons afterwards before leaving for his current job in 2011. But the last decade never fueled similar success at a more competitive level.
The 72-year-old coach took the Hurricanes to the Sweet 16 in 2013 and 2016 but he didn’t achieve the same type of breakthrough, as Miami suffered three consecutive losing seasons before reaching this NCAA Tournament as an at-large team that played its way off the bubble. It’s the deepest March Madness run in the history of the football-rich school.
“I think my guys realize, this is not something that happens every day,” Larrañaga said. “For Kansas it does, but not for Miami.”
— Scott Gleeson
Saint Peter’s embodies wackiness and uncertainty of this NCAA Tournament
The Peacocks will be the underdog once again come Sunday, when they’ll match against a deeper and more talented opponent with decades of history to more than overshadow the Peacocks’ three-game run.
But beating another college basketball giant will simply take what we already know the Peacocks can bring to the table: Saint Peter’s reached the Elite Eight with energy, aggressiveness and composure, following the model set by unflappable coach Shaheen Holloway, and that same combination will give the Peacocks a chance at etching themselves into an even more permanent place in NCAA Tournament history.
“We’re happy but don’t mistake, we’re not satisfied, we’re not satisfied at all,” said guard Doug Edert. “The job is not finished. We feel like we belong and the more games we win the more confidence we build.”
— Paul Myerberg
Viewer’s guide for today’s action
Before the men’s Final Four can be set, there are two more tickets to New Orleans that must be handed out in Sunday’s Elite Eight matchups.
No. 10 Miami against No. 1 Kansas … and … No. 15 Saint Peter’s against No. 8 UNC. Who ya got?
Here’s a breakdown of why you should watch both games today.
Duke looks like a national champion
The Blue Devils’ fans want a sixth national championship for legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski before his farewell tour ends.
“I’ll be shocked if Duke is not national champions,’’ Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said after watching the Blue Devils dismantle his team at the Chase Center in the Elite Eight at the West Regional.
— Josh Peter
