March Madness: Who’s going dancing in Phoenix?
A trip to the Final Four is merely a dream for every college basketball player in the nation. Two teams accomplished their dream by advancing past the Elite Eight and into the Final four in Phoenix. One team won in easy fashion, while one was forced to fight for all 40 minutes. Both teams had to do whatever it took to survive and advance.
Gonzaga (1) rolls past Xavier (11)
Gonzaga had been dealing with a big monkey on their back. They’ve never been able to get past the Elite Eight and get to a Final Four. The team has said all year long that there goal is to get past this hurdle. They found their chance in this one and took advantage of it with an 83-59 win.
The Zags took control of this game early. They led for the majority of the first half and took a 49-39 lead into the locker room. Xavier just couldn’t stop the offense of Gonzaga as the Bulldogs shot 47.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. Anytime you allow a team to shot at this rate, most likely a loss in on the horizon. Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga guard, showed why he is an All-American in this game. He scored 23 points while dishing out four assists and grabbing eight rebounds. He has been the leader of the Gonzaga offense all season and he showed up today. Meanwhile on the other side of the floor, Trevon Blueitt, Xavier guard, did not play like the team’s leading scorer. He struggled shooting from the field as he made 3-14 from the field and 1-6 from three. The difference between Williams-Goss and Blueitt’s performances sums up this game.
Gonzaga fans will now get their chance to see their team in uncharted territory for the first time. The road only gets tougher from here but the sky is the limit for Gonzaga.
Oregon (3) shocks Kansas (1)
Kansas came into this game with high hopes after they destroyed Purdue in the round before. They played like the best team in the tournament that night and knew if they just played similarly, they’d be dancing into the Final Four. However, Oregon had other ideas for this matchup. The Ducks outworked and outfought all night long and came away with the 74-60 upset over the first-seeded Jayhawks. Oregon led the whole game but Kansas fought hard to make the Ducks work for it.
In Kansas’s last game against Purdue, Frank Mason III, Kansas guard, and Devonte Graham, Kansas guard, shot lights out all night. They both took over the game and looked like the best back court in the country. Oregon pushed their focus on these two guards and took them out of their element all game. Mason III is the favorite for NCAA player of the year coming into the tournament. However, Oregon found that letting him into the pain and using athletic shot blockers to send his shots in the stands is his weakness. Time after time, Mason III would drive tot he paint and try to finish over Oregon’s big man, but Jordan Bell, Oregon center, shut him down. Bell finished the game with eight blocks and sending Mason into an 8-20 shooting night from the field. Not only could Mason not get his interior scoring, but his other perimeter players were not making shots. Graham the shooting guard for Mason to kick a pass out too but he missed every shot from the floor. From three, he shot 0-6 and air balled a floater to finish his night 0-7 from the field. The entire team shot 20 percent from three which is a recipe for disaster for Kansas. In Oregon’s back court, Tyler Dorsey, Oregon guard, continued staying hot in the tournament. He’s led the Ducks in scoring, including hitting big shots, all tournament. Tonight he scored 27 points on 9-13 shooting from the field and 6-10 from deep.
Dorsey has now led Oregon to their first Final Four since 1939. This upset knocks out a juggernaut Kansas team and the Ducks have to be feeling great going into the next round. They will play the winner of the Kentucky-North Carolina game tomorrow night. Oregon will be the underdog again against either of their next two potential opponents. However, that could be a good thing for the upset minded Ducks.