It lasted until Sunday, but the NCAA tournament finally offered a classic (and controversial) Summer racket.
Here are the greatest stories when the Sweet 16 field of men came together and the women reached the middle of their second round on Sunday.
Uconn’s reign is done
Uconn’s reign is over after two consecutive national titles. As expected, the huskies went with a fight and some fire from head coach Dan Hurley.
Uconn took over a top seed team from Florida, which many have won for the national championship. Until the last moments of the game, Florida’s place on the second weekend of the tournament was in danger. The Huskies still led 3:03 and were only carried out by an outstanding performance by Florida All-American Walter Clayton Jr., who provided a suitable knockout strike to a worthy outgoing champion.
Then came postgame. Head coach Dan Hurley was almost the tears in his television interview and on the podium and rightly increased his team and explained: “There is honor in the way we went out.”
And of course the villain Dan Hurley made a last appearance for the season. Hurley, who leaned into an arrogant, brutal and sometimes profane heel application since he secured his second ring, released the beast one last time after the loss on Sunday.
While Hurley left the ground into the changing room, he called a Baylor team and waited for his own death by Duke: “I hope you don’t have it as if she damn us. I hope you do not do you, Baylor.”
“You”, apparently the officials were.
It added up for the good and bad for the full Uconn package of a proud program that was rebuilt and revived in Hurley’s image. And the question arises: what will Uconn look like under the leadership of his new malignant guide from the championship ramp light?
-Jason Owens
Miracle Maryland
For a short moment on Sunday, Colorado State was ready to write the history of the first weekend of the tournament, a real Cinderella that brought his place in Sweet 16 in a clutch, exciting fashion.
Then Derik Queen stole her thunder. Queen is now the story of the first two rounds with its breathtaking Summer racket, which thwarted the offer of the RAMs, as a 12-seed for the chalk-sweet 16 and the only mid major representative of the bunch.
Here the moment when the state of Colorado thought he crashed the sweet 16 with a 3 pointer from Jalen Lake.
Here the moment-6.1 basketball seconds is later-when Queen from Colorado State and his fans with the only summer building of the tournament got out of the hearts.
However, the shot was not without controversy, since many believes that Queen had committed a travel injury to the piece. But it was not called on the ground, and the CBS analyst Gene Steratore confirmed after the game that it was a correct no-call. So Maryland continues.
Queen’s Shot secured a 72-71 victory for Maryland and emphasized an outstanding season that brought him newcomer to the year and all-conference honors of the first team in the big ten.
Next week, the terps are faced with a significantly stiffer challenge against No. 1 Saatgut Florida. But at the moment Queen is the hero and the blow of the excitement that this tournament needs.
-Jason Owens
Hailey van Lith leads TCU women past her former team
Hailey van Lith did it again and brought the TCU to a place where the program has never been before.
Van Lith led the Horned Frogs to a 15-point victory against Louisville, her former team on Sunday afternoon in Fort Worth. This officially sent the horned frogs for the first time in history in the sweet 16.
In the second period alone, the TCU sat down by 27: 9 and limited the cardinals to only 3 von-19 shootout from the field. The Horned frogs also entered the changing room, which better than 70% of the field, which brought them to the later victory. Van Lith ended with a double double with 16 points and 10 templates.
Van Lith spent her first three seasons in Louisville before moving to the LSU for the last season. She was eight in the elite in all four seasons and once reached the final four with the cardinals. Next in Sweet 16 will appear against Notre Dame, where a victory van Lith would give a remarkable fifth elite -8 trip in her career.
While this is an unknown area for TCU and Notre Dame looked incredibly good in the tournament in the tournament despite a hard departure in the regular season, van Lith has proven what it takes to do a deep run at the NCAA tournament. If someone can pull this off for the horned frogs, it is.
-Ryan young
Kentucky men return to Sweet 16, help
For the first time since 2019, Kentucky is in the sweet 16.
John Calipari is over. In his place there is Kentucky Champion Mark Pope, who implements the stagnating blue blood on the second weekend of the NCAA tournament into its lawful place. The Wildcats drove in Illinois on Sunday to beat their ticket for Sweet 16.
They are accompanied there by six of their second colleagues. The Sec sent 14 teams with 14 teams for the NCAA tournament. Now half of them have been reached for the second weekend of the tournament. Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas will also continue for a record of seven teams from a conference in The Sweet 16.
The last team on this list offers the plot a little more intrigue. Calipari – now the head coach in Arkansas – is again in the sweet 16. Sometimes separations for both parties work. But for those who hope for dramatic reunification, it is a long shot. The only way to put Kentucky and Calipari this tournament is when both progress to the title.
-Jason Owens
Ucla, South Carolina survive fear to reach sweet 16
Neither Ucla nor South Carolina made it easy for itself. But both are late runs until the second weekend.
The Bruins survived a fear against Maggie Doogan and Richmond, who impair them early and entered the changing room in Pauley Pavilion on Sunday evening at half -time. But the UCLA, which brought in number 1 in the tournament, broke out in the third quarter to seal the 84-67 Blowout victory and achieve it in the sweet 16. Lauren Betts fell by 30 points and 14 rebounds.
The Gamecocks used to be in a similar boat against Indiana on Sunday. After only scoring nine points in the first quarter, they entered the half with a single point. After turning only 10 out of 29 in the first half, they also gathered in the third quarter with a fast 20-7 run. South Carolina still got a 64-53 victory to achieve it on an 11th time in a row.
No. 2 Duke also had to gather against Oregon against No. 10, but the Blue Devils made it. All three seeds No. 5 also pulled up angered victories, which sent 4 seeds Kentucky, Baylor and Ohio State early.
The only true blowout of the day came from Notre Dame No. 3, which made the tournament with many questions after he stumbled hard to end the season. The fighting Irish rolled into a wire-to-wire victory against No. 6 Michigan to make it sweet 16 in a row.
The last two seeds No. 1, Texas and USC will play their respective second round games on Monday to complete the second round. NC State, Uconn, LSU and Iowa will also play in a very entertaining day of basketball. But at least so far there has been no real shocking annoyance on the side of women. Richmond, who fell apart late, came closest.
-Ryan young
(Tagstotranslate) Uconn
