One of the earliest impressions of this 2018-19 college basketball season was Michigan, in a rematch of the 2018 national championship game, going into Villanova and putting a licking on the defending champions, a 73-46 blowout that was every bit as dominant as the final score.
One of the latest impressions of the season is going to be the Wolverines on the other end of similar defensive dominance, after they were absolutely stoned by Texas Tech in the NCAA Touranment West Regional semifinals.
Two of the very best defensive teams in the country squared off Thursday night, engaging in what promised to be a battle of wills, an every-possession-counts measure of precision and which team could impose its style better on the other team’s offense, while also perhaps putting a few chinks in the others’ defensive armor.
Check and check for Texas Tech. Chris Beard’s team slowly (what other way was it going to be?) took control and eventually turned the game into a rout. A 63-44 win moved the Red Raiders into the Elite Eight for the second straight year
Michigan’s November win over Villanova saw the Wildcats still stuck at 30 points with 10 minutes left in the game. In this one, the Wolverines had just 31 points at the under 8 timeout in the second half. By then, Tech had turned its 24-16 halftime lead into a 25-point bulge, with superstar Jarrett Culver taking over (22 points) and Davide Moretti added 15, and the two helped Michigan’s D look almost ordinary by the end of the night.
Texas Tech has matched its deepest-ever run in the NCAA Tournament of last year, and now will try to break through for its first Final Four and against a team that recently broke through that wall itself. Gonzaga is in the Elite Eight for the fourth time ever and the third time in five years, and it is now a step from its second Final Four in three years following a 72-58 win over Florida State in Anaheim.
The Bulldogs and Red Raiders is going to match one of the country’s top offenses against one of its best defenses, but on Thursday it was Gonzaga winning with defense as much as offense. The Zags held FSU to 3-for-20 shooting from the three-point arc and also won on the boards against the notably long Seminoles, with a 45-36 rebounding advantage including 13 offensive rebounds.
Thursday night also featured a wild comeback and regulation finish, as a near-stinker suddenly turned into a classic late. Purdue dominated Tennessee for 30 minutes, saw the Volunteers come all the way back and even take the lead, but then recovered in overtime for a 99-94 win in the South Regional semis to advance to the regional final for the first time since 2000.
The Boilermakers-scorching-hot in blowing out Villanova in the second round-still were in top form in leading by as many as 17 in the second half. They still led by 14 with less than 11 minutes left before the veteran Volunteers-who themselves surrendered a huge lead their last time out against Iowa-scored 14 straight points to suddenly tie it, and then the teams traded haymakers down the stretch.
Purdue’s Ryan Cline and Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams seemed to be in a game of 1-on-2, with Cline raining four three-pointers in the final five minutes of regulation and Schofield and Williams answering.
The Vols may have finished this off in regulation were not for a debatable foul called on a three-point attempt by Carsen Edwards down two with just over two seconds left. Edwards made two of three to tie it, and Purdue controlled overtime to get Matt Painter to his first Elite Eight.
The Boilermakers now will have to recoup to face Virginia, which in steady-as-she-goes fashion held off Oregon 53-49 in the other South semi. In another defensive scrap, the Cavaliers shot 35.7% but did just enough offensively-including 12 big points from diminutive guard Kihei Clark.
One game at a time, the Cavaliers are putting previous NCAA Tournament disappointments and in particular last year’s stunning loss to UMBC behind them. For all the Wahoos’ style gets poked, Tony Bennett’s team is back in the Elite Eight and is now just a game from the Final Four. And like Texas Tech, UVA has shown that even in this offense-weighted era that a team still can go a long way with defense.
Side Dishes:
- There also were two games in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament Thursday night, and one of them may have been every bit the match of the NCAA tourney game that went to overtime. Texas Southern and Louisiana-Monroe went three overtimes before TSU completed a 108-102 win on the road in front of more than 6,000 at ULM’s Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Tyrik Armstrong scored 32 for the Tigers, who rallied from down 14 in the second half to give the Southwestern Athletic Conference a team in the CIT semifinals, certainly an achievement for that league. This one would’ve ended after the first overtime except for a have-to-see-it 35-footer by ULM’s Michael Ertel at the buzzer to send the game to a second extra session.
- The other winner also came on the road as Hampton won at NJIT 82-70 to give the Big South a team in the CIT semis as well. The Pirates had all five starters in double figures, including double-doubles from Greg Heckstall and Trevond Barnes. This is a Hampton team that was the No. 8 seed in the Big South tourney (the Pirates tied for fifth in the standings and came out on the low end of a four-way tiebreaker).
- All kinds of coaching vacancies were filled Thursday. Niagara will be a program to watch going forward after Patrick Beilein was hired from NCAA Division II LeMoyne (N.Y.). Beilein is of course the son of Michigan’s John Beilein, meaning the expectations will be high, but Patrick had success at his previous stop, leading the Dolphins to a 77-41 record and three NCAA D-II tourney trips.
- Saint Joseph’s hired Billy Lange as its new coach to replace Phil Martelli, going the ever-popular NBA assistant route. Lange was with the Philadelphia 76ers; he also has been a college head coach, posting a including seven years at Navy.
- Cal Poly hired John Smith as its new coach, staying in state and in the Big West Conference. Smith was the top assistant the past six years at Cal State Fullerton, helping turn around the Titans program which went from depths to a consistent contender in the league. He also has a number of years of experience as a junior college head coach.
- Appalachian State found its new coach, hiring Dustin Kerns from Presbyterian. Kerns put together one of the most impressive turnarounds in the country the last couple years, leading the Blue Hose from downtrodden status to their greatest successes so far at the Division I level.
- St. John’s guard Shamorie Ponds announced last night that he will be forgoing his final year of eligibility to declare for the NBA draft and signing with an agent. Ponds led the Johnnies back to the NCAA Tournament this year, averaging 19.7 points per game.
Tonight’s Menu:
- The NCAA Tournament East and Midwest regional semifinals are on tap. The first game is in the East with LSU against Michigan State (7:09 p.m. Eastern, CBS). Cassius Winston against Tremont Waters is just one of several terrific individual duels to watch. The second game in D.C. is an ACC bonus extra for this season, with Virginia Tech facing Duke (9:39 p.m., CBS). The Hokies certainly will play hard but will need to be on point from long range.
- The Midwest Regional in Kansas City leads with Auburn tipping against North Carolina (7:29 p.m., TBS). Many are expecting a shootout. The Tigers will need to drain a whole bunch of 3s or else get a massive effort inside to compete on the boards, as they were pounded on the glass by both New Mexico State (-15 rebound margin) and Kansas too (-11). The second game is maybe the best one of the eight regional semis, with Houston taking on Kentucky (9:59 p.m., TBS). Don’t expect the Cougars to back down against the Wildcats, who got some good practice for UH when they faced Fletcher Magee and Wofford. Houston’s Corey Davis can heat up quickly, and with a big game might finally start being recognized for just how good of a guard he is; otherwise, the Cougars’ unheralded big men are going to have to make some noise. For UK, of course a big story will be if P.J. Washington can provide anything after missing last weekend due to injury.
- There also is one game in the CIT, as Cal State Bakersfield travels a long way to face Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Roadrunners were just in the NIT semifinals two years ago and now try to make the CIT semis while playing over halfway across the country.
Have an awesome Friday.
Twitter: @HoopvilleAdam
