Men’s & Women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Recaps (3-27-21)
By: Joe Dillard Jr.
Headline Photo Courtesy: IndyStar.com
Number 1 seed UConn versus Iowa had the buildup as the game of the weekend. It started out with two of the top freshmen and familiar foes as Paige Bueckers from UConn faces off against Caitlyn Clark from Iowa. The 1st quarter was filled with action with a close game. However, in the 2nd quarter UConn established their dominance led by Christyn Williams who let the game with 27 points, hit back-to-back 3’s in the second to send the Lady Huskies into the half with a 49 to 35 lead. From that point on the Lady Huskies had 2 ladies almost go for triples doubles as Evina Westbrook had 17 points, 10 assist, and 9 rebounds. Freshmen Sensation Paige Bueckers had 18 points, 8 assist, and 9 rebounds. Caitlyn, who can score it on all 3 levels had 21 but had to work for every bit going 7 for 21 from the field. The Huskies will advance to the Elite Eight cruising past Iowa 92 to 72 and will face Baylor who advanced past Michigan.
Number 2 seed Texas A&M faced elimination twice advancing to this sweet 16 game against a tough feisty Arizona team. With a couple of close calls, it seemed like the Lady Aggies did not pack their best version of themselves. It appeared as if the slipper came off Texas A&M as Arizona packed their defense and double-double machine Aari McDonald who led the game with 31 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the arc. Anytime the Lady Aggies made a run, there was Aari with a bucket. Arizona provided pressure all night on Texas A&M guards. Aaliyah Wilson led the way for the Lady Aggies with 17 points and 10 rebounds. However, there was no answer for the performance of Aari. Arizona will advance to the Elite Eight to face Indiana who beat N.C. State 72 to 70 in a nail bitter.
The battle of the day would come from the Arkansas versus Oral Roberts game as it was filled with runs back and forth. NCAA leading scorer Max Abmas came out with a nothing to lose mentality as Oral Roberts first 20 minutes were stress free and they took a 7-point advantage into the half 35 to 28. Arkansas played bad in the first half and looked to pick up the energy in the second half to get back into the game. Arkansas would pound the ball in the paint and controlled the boards 44 to 32 as Jalen Tate stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. The second half was led by Davontae “Deebo” Davis who had 14 of his 16 in the second half to go along with 8 rebounds. Not to mention his 15th and 16th point was the go ahead bucket as Arkansas advances to the Elite Eight with a 72 to 70 win over Oral Roberts. Arkansas will face a high-powered Baylor team to see who will punch a ticket to the Final Four.
In the final game of the night, Houston took on a hot Syracuse team that has been led by Buddy Boeheim. Tonight, was a showing for the return of Houston’s program as they jumped out early on Syracuse and made it hard for Buddy to get an easy look. Joe Girard and Boeheim combined for an awful 3 of 14 from the arc and totaled 7 made baskets on 23 shot attempts just to get 12 points apiece. The early run was fueled by defensive stops and great passing against the zone defense yet answered by Syracuse however they still trailed by 10 at the half. Dajon Jarreau was like a swiss army knife almost compiling a triple double with 9 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds. In the lowest scoring output by a Jim Boeheim team, Houston advances to the Elite Eight with a 62 to 46 win and will face Oregon State who is truly wearing that glass slipper as they become Houston’s fourth double digit opponent.
