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Saturday’s NCAA tournament recap: LSU’s Waters, Purdue’s Edwards and a send-off for Booth, Paschall

By Rob DausterMar 24, 2019, 1:57 AM EDT
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PLAYER OF THE DAY: Carsen Edwards, Purdue

Edwards absolutely went off on Saturday night.

He hit four threes in the first five minutes. He hit nine threes on the night. He scored 42 points — the most points anyone has scored in an NCAA tournament game since Gerry McNamara had 43 points for Syracuse against BYU in the first round of the 2004 NCAA tournament. He set the tone for the Boilermakers in a game where they utterly embarrassed Villanova, winning 87-61.

But that’s burying the lede.

Because the real story here is that Carsen Edwards had spent the last month of the season playing like he forgot how to shoot. He was 7-for-23 in the win over Old Dominion. He was 4-for-17 in the Big Ten tournament loss to Minnesota, which was better than the 7-for-31 he shot in a regular season loss to Minnesota. There was a 3-for-16 night, a 4-for-24 night, an 8-for-27 night.

The scary part is that it never really affected the way that Purdue was running their offense.

Which leads me to Saturday night.

Edwards exploded. He looks like he’s back, and despite the fact that he has spent the last third of the season playing a super-high usage, non-existent efficiency role, Purdue still is a top five offensive team, according to KenPom.

The Boilers are starting to look a little scary.

TEAM OF THE DAY: Auburn Tigers

Auburn jumped out to leads of 15-5, 25-9 and 40-20 en route to an 89-75 win over Kansas in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Bryce Brown led the way with 25 points, Jared Harper added 18 and the Tigers hit 13 threes in a win that should make everyone take notice. This was dominant.

GAME OF THE DAY: Kentucky 62, Wofford 56

While LSU-Maryland was a thriller with the best ending of the tournament, I actually enjoyed Kentucky’s battle with Wofford more than any other game that happened on Saturday. Here’s our Travis Hines on the game here.

ONIONS OF THE DAY: Tremont Waters, LSU

We had our first game-winner of the NCAA tournament!!!

WTF OF THE DAY: Fletcher Magee, Wofford

Fletcher Magee is the best shooter in the history of college basketball. I feel comfortable saying that because he entered Saturday have hit 43 percent of his threes while shooting more than 10 threes per game. On Saturday, the career-leader in made three-pointers went 0-for-12, becoming the first player in NCAA tournament history to go 0-for-12 from beyond the arc.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga

We’ve known just how good Clarke can be on the defensive end of the floor all season long, but he was the difference for the Zags offensively on a night where no one else was really able to get it going. He put up 36 points on Baylor, shooting 15-for-18 from the floor while added eight boards, five blocks, three assists and two steals.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Murray State

The Racers ran into a better team on Saturday, getting drubbed by 28 points and ending Ja Morant’s run in this tournament before it really got started. And that’s what is disappointing here. It’s not the way they played as much as it was Morant going out without much in the way of drama or excitement. He deserved better.

THREE MORE THINGS TO KNOW

THE END OF A SPECIAL VILLANOVA ERA

With Phil Booth and Eric Paschall seeing their college careers come to a close on Saturday night, we have officially reached the end of one of the most dominant eras in modern college basketball history. Starting in 2013-14, with Ryan Arcidiacono’s sophomore season on the Mainline, Villanova has posted a 191-31 record. In those six seasons, the Wildcats accounted for a total of nine Big East titles — five regular season and four of the tournament variety — to go along with a pair of runs to national titles.

Jay Wright built Villanova into a program that is now mentioned in the same breath as the bluebloods. He’s winning Big East regular season titles despite losing four of his six rotation players to the NBA, two of them unexpectedly. The continuity truly is incredible.

And Booth and Paschall were the end of that era.

Heading into next season, the Wildcats will have just three contributors on the roster that saw action in the 2018 national title game, and only Colin Gillespie, who played just 17 minutes, was really a factor. That’s not to say they won’t be good, because they will be. Jermaine Samuels will be one of college basketball’s breakout stars next year, while a pair of loaded recruiting classes back-to-back has re-upped the level of talent in the program.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Cole Swider, Jahvon Quinerly and Brandon Slater will be valued contributors next season, which is to say nothing of Saddiq Bey, who turned out to be their best freshman this year. Bryan Antoine has one-and-done potential while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Justin Moore and Eric Dixon are all talented kids that should thrive playing in Villanova’s program.

The future is very bright for Villanova

But it’s also very different.

Villanova is going to be incredibly young again next season. It may still be another year before Wright is back to being in the national title conversation again. It’s a new era with new players ready to write their own legacy.

And while the ending was anything but storybook, the final chapter has been written.

Phil Booth and Eric Paschall will be missed, and not just in the Philly suburbs.

Bryce Brown, Auburn blitz Kansas to advance to first Sweet 16 in 16 years

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By Scott PhillipsMar 24, 2019, 12:02 AM EDT
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Auburn advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 16 years as the No. 5 seed Tigers blitzed Kansas for an 89-75 victory on Saturday night in the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Region.

Jumping out to a 51-25 halftime advantage behind 9-for-17 three-point shooting in the first half, Auburn seemingly broke the will of the No. 4 seed Jayhawks before the second half even began. After nearly collapsing and blowing a big lead on Thursday in a harrowing one-point win over No. 12 seed New Mexico State, the Tigers made sure not to take their foot off the gas in the second half on Saturday.

One of the tournament’s hottest teams, Auburn (28-9) extended its winning streak to 10 games with a dominant effort on both ends of the floor. Known for its perimeter shooting prowess (13-for-30 on Saturday) and national-best turnover percentage on defense (15 Kansas turnovers), Auburn played to its strengths to cruise into the tournament’s second weekend.

Senior guard Bryce Brown had 17 first-half points as he finished with 25 total to lead the Tigers as he was a red-hot 7-for-11 from three-point territory. Brown also had plenty of help as lead guard Jared Harper (18 points), wing Chuma Okeke (12 points) and forward Anfernee McLemore (10 points) also finished in double-figures.

Following last season’s co-SEC regular-season title, the Tigers were blown out by Clemson in the Round of 32 to stop a promising season short. Things didn’t appear particularly promising at times this season as Auburn went from top-ten team to unranked thanks to a sluggish 2-4 start in the SEC.

But head coach Bruce Pearl and the Tigers have turned things around as a dangerous rotation of veteran players have figured things out during the final weeks of the season. With Auburn firmly entrenched in the middle of the FBI’s college basketball corruption scandal with former assistant coach Chuck Person pleading guilty earlier this month, the Tigers were able to stay focused and reach a level the program has seldom seen.

For Pearl to take a football school into the Sweet 16 shows how far Auburn has come as a basketball program during his five seasons as head coach. One of college basketball’s more underappreciated coaches, Pearl can be associated first-and-foremost for his loud-and-brash approach to generating publicity and gaining the attention of elite recruits. Never afraid of a publicity stunt, the ever-quotable Pearl is a regular when it comes to memorable sound bites and quirky gimmicks. As a coach, he’s now taken three different programs to the Sweet 16 — including a Horizon League team (Milwaukee) and a historically-weak SEC program that doesn’t have consistent basketball success.

Auburn could very well continue to advance this March as they try to make the Elite Eight for only the second time in program history (1986). If Auburn shoots like this, while continuing to force turnovers, they’re going to be a nightmare for any team to play.

The Tigers move on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003 as this is only the fifth Sweet 16 appearance in program history. The Tigers await the winner of No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 9 seed Washington as they advance to Friday’s Midwest Regional semifinal in Kansas City.

Kansas (26-10) came out flat and never recovered after one of the first round’s most impressive wins over No. 13 seed Northeastern on Thursday. All-American forward Dedric Lawson had another double-double to close a memorable season as he finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds — notching the NCAA tournament’s first back-to-back 25-and-10 games since Blake Griffin did it for Oklahoma. Freshman guards Quentin Grimes (15 points) and Devon Dotson (13 points) along with freshman big man David McCormack (11 points) also finished in double-figures for the Jayhawks. A lackluster defensive effort and cold perimeter shooting hurt Kansas’ ability to rally in the second half as they were 6-for-19 (31 percent) from three-point range on the night.

After many predicted a repeat Final Four appearance for Kansas this preseason following last season’s deep tournament run, things didn’t go according to plan thanks to injuries and other issues. The loss of big man Udoka Azubuike to a season-ending injury was a devastating blow to the Jayhawks’ early hopes as he only played in nine games. Senior Lagerald Vick also left the team in early February and never returned. Without its starting center and best perimeter shooter, Kansas lost the Big 12 regular-season crown for the first time in 14 years as its season officially ends with a second-round exit.

The highly-touted freshman class also didn’t perform up to expectations. Although Dotson was a double-figure scorer and tough defender, Grimes, the team’s most celebrated incoming freshman, failed to meet lofty preseason standards. McCormack also wasn’t ready to replace Azubuike in the middle. Kansas even had to burn the redshirt of promising guard Ochai Agbaji to infuse more athleticism into the Jayhawk backcourt. Transfer rotation players like Charlie Moore and K.J. Lawson were inconsistent after the former top-100 recruits sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Entering into a fascinating offseason, for the first time in a long time, Kansas might have more questions than answers. The Jayhawks haven’t slipped too far — the program still has made a national-best 30 straight NCAA tournament appearances. Bill Self’s program is still a perennial top-25 program. A No. 4 seed during a season with so many issues is nothing to scoff at. College basketball’s best home-court advantage isn’t going away.

But the end of the Big 12 title streak means the program has to find a bit of a new identity heading into next season. Kansas will still be one of the Big 12’s hunted programs. The Jayhawks also have to prove they can win away from home. A number of returning players need to get better during the offseason — particularly if Dedric Lawson turns pro. And Kansas doesn’t have a five-star, blue-chip recruit at the current moment to rely on as recruiting has perhaps been slowed by Self’s alleged involvement the FBI’s corruption case.

The future of Self, and Kansas basketball in general, will be one of the subplots to watch this offseason as one of college basketball’s blueblood programs faces a fascinating and uncertain next few months.

Edwards’ 42 points sends Purdue past Villanova, into Sweet 16

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By Rob DausterMar 23, 2019, 10:40 PM EDT
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Villanova never had a chance.

Carsen Edwards hit four threes in the first five minutes, finished with nine for the game and poured in 42 points as No. 3-seed Purdue thoroughly embarrassed the No. 6-seed Wildcats, 87-61, on Saturday night in front of a pro-Villanova crowd in Hartford.

Villanova — the reigning national champions and the Big East regular season and tournament champions — trailed 59-24 at one point six minutes into the second half. To put the beatdown into perspective, chew on this: At halftime, Purdue had missed 17 shots, 10 offensive rebounds and nine three-pointers. Put another way, they made more threes in a half of basketball than Villanova grabbed defensive rebounds.

And that was before Purdue opened up the second half with a 16-0 run.

In hindsight, this result should not have come as much of a surprise. Purdue is the higher seeded team. They won a share of the Big Ten title, a league that entered Saturday 7-1 in the NCAA tournament, and their computer numbers told us all season long that this team was one of the nation’s elite even if they didn’t necessarily pass the eye test.

So my bad, KenPom.

I promise never to question you again.

The bigger story here, however, is just how miserable this year’s Big East actually turned out to be.

Villanova won the Big East, but it never felt like they actually were trying to win. They lost five of their last eight regular season games and only managed to take home the league title because Marquette, the only other team in the league that we thought was any good, lost their last four games. That same Marquette team was run out of the first round by Murray State, who looked every bit the part of a mid-major in their loss to Florida State on Saturday.

There’s more.

Villanova beat Seton Hall in the Big East tournament title game, and the Pirates got drubbed by 16 points by Wofford in the first round. The only other Big East team to get into the tournament was St. John’s, and they got smoked in a play-in game by an Arizona State team that proceeded to lose to Buffalo by 17.

I think we can safely say that no one in the Big East was actually all that good.

Big East fans will explain this away by saying that there were no nights off in the league, that anyone could beat anyone on any given night. And that’s true! DePaul, Butler and Providence finished tied for the basement, and they were all 7-11 in conference play. Butler, at 16-17 overall, was the only Big East team to finished the season under .500.

So yes, the league was balanced.

But is that because the teams at the bottom of the conference were that much better, or because Villanova, Marquette and everyone else that were thought were good … weren’t?

At the risk of playing both sides here, the answer is probably all of the above.

But none of that truly matters.

Because facts are facts, and the fact of the matter is that this Villanova blow-out puts to bed what was a disappointing season for the league that churned out two of the last three national champs.

Michigan State runs by Big Ten rival Minnesota to advance to Sweet 16

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By Scott PhillipsMar 23, 2019, 10:03 PM EDT
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Michigan State jumped out to a big early lead and maintained a comfortable cushion from there in dispatching Big Ten rival Minnesota, 70-50, in the NCAA tournament’s East Region on Saturday.

Winners of seven straight games, No. 2 seed Michigan State (30-6) started out 5-for-5 from the floor with five different players scoring as it was a precursor to how Saturday’s game would unfold. Dominating on the interior, the Spartans destroyed Minnesota on the glass (45 to 18) while getting balanced scoring from their veteran roster.

Big Ten Player of the Year Cassius Winston led the Spartans with 13 points and nine assists as his personal 7-0 run lifted the Spartans back into blowout territory after an early 8-0 Minnesota second-half run cut Michigan State’s lead to single digits.

Sophomore big man Xavier Tillman led Michigan State in scoring with 14 points while Kenny Goins, Matt McQuaid, Nick Ward and Aaron Henry all had nine points each.

Advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since a Final Four run in 2015, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo and his players deserve a tremendous amount of credit for reaching the NCAA tournament’s second weekend. For the past three seasons, the Spartans have fallen short of lofty expectations as rosters with NBA draft picks (Denzel Valentine, Deyonta Davis, Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr.) didn’t come to play in March. Remarkably, this was the longest stretch of Izzo’s Hall-of-Fame career at Michigan State without making it to the tournament’s second weekend.

With a roster gutted with injuries to veterans like Joshua Langford and Kyle Ahrens this season, Michigan State reverted back to classic Spartans basketball as they’re one of the most tough and cohesive teams in the country. Even without bonafide pro talent, Michigan State still has an All-American floor general in Winston and a bevy of great role players who know what to do on both ends of the floor.

Michigan State will need to clean up some turnover issues (22 against Minnesota) if they want to advance. But the Spartans look like they’re in strong shape in most other ways heading into next week as they advance to face No. 3 seed LSU in a Friday Sweet 16 clash in Washington D.C.

A matchup between Big Ten and SEC regular-season champions, that game should feature some fun individual matchups to look forward to. At point guard, Winston and the Tigers’ Tremont Waters (LSU’s hero against Maryland) are both All-American-caliber players. And the matchup of LSU’s Naz Reid and Kavell Bigby-Williams banging against the Spartans’ Ward and Tillman on the interior should be a fascinating frontcourt battle.

Minnesota (22-14) struggled to generate consistent offense without a healthy Jordan Murphy — reverting back to poor perimeter shooting (2-for-22 from three) after Thursday’s outlier shooting performance in a win over No. 7 seed Louisville. Murphy, a senior forward and double-double machine, played only four minutes in the first half and went scoreless before exiting until the game’s final moments with back spasms. In a touching March moment, Murphy returned to the floor for a possession with the game out of hand to receive one final curtain call as he never missed a practice or game during his four-year career at Minnesota.

Without Murphy’s consistency, the Golden Gophers only had three players score in the first half as they had a difficult time figuring out Michigan State’s stingy defense. Amir Coffey led Minnesota with 27 points as he was the only members of the Gophers able to generate his own looks. After 24 points against the Cardinals on Thursday, freshman shooter Gabe Kalscheur didn’t register a field goal as he finished with two points. Point guard Isaiah Washington was Minnesota’s only other double-figure scorer with 11 points.

Following last season’s immensely disappointing 15-17 season, Minnesota and head coach Richard Pitino deserves a lot of credit for bouncing back with a Round of 32 appearance. Some preseason polls had Minnesota finishing near the bottom of the Big Ten, with Pitino on many “Hot Seat” lists, as the Golden Gophers defied critics with a strong comeback season.

The loss of Murphy and guard Dupree McBrayer will hurt, but if Coffey returns, Minnesota will have a go-to player and some intriguing guys around him. Freshmen Daniel Oturu and Kalscheur are both double-figure scorers and other role guys like Michael Hurt and Washington could also return. If Minnesota can add another impact recruit or grad transfer, they could be in the mix for another NCAA tournament appearance in 2020.

The rare inter-conference matchup in the second round of the NCAA tournament, the Spartans and Golden Gophers played because of the Big Ten’s high number of tourney bids coupled with the selection committee’s relaxed policy if conference foes only play once during the regular season. The Spartans handily beat the Gophers at home on Feb. 9 with a 79-55 win earlier this season.

Clarke’s 36 points leads Gonzaga past Baylor

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By Rob DausterMar 23, 2019, 9:30 PM EDT
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The debate over who Gonzaga’s best player is has raged throughout the season.

Some will say that it is Rui Hachimura, the team’s leading scorer and the biggest star on the roster. Others will tell you that it is point guard Josh Perkins, the maestro of the program’s ball-screen heavy offense.

The truth, however, has probably always been that Mark Few’s best player is the best defender in all of college basketball: Brandon Clarke.

What’s inarguable is that Clarke was the best player on the floor for the Zags in their 83-71 second round win over No. 9-seed Baylor. The 6-foot-9 forward went for 36 points on a ridiculous 15-for-18 shooting performance, adding seven boards, three assists, two steals and five blocks to his stat line for good measure. He became the first player to post 30 points and five blocks in a game since former No. 1 pick Joe Smith did it for Maryland nearly a quarter century ago.

Clarke’s story should be celebrated.

A no-name recruit coming out of high school, he had one offer: San Jose State, which is one of the worst programs in all of college basketball. That’s in part because he didn’t grow into his 6-foot-7 frame until he was a senior in high school. He is one of the twitchiest athletes that you’ll find in college basketball this side of Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, but he told reporters that he couldn’t dunk until he was 16 years old and a junior in high school.

He spent two seasons there, putting up numbers and developing his body — he added 30 pounds and five inches to his vertical — before transferring to Gonzaga, where he improved his shooting stroke to the point that he is now a guy that is going to end up being a top 20 pick in the NBA draft this season.

While the 36 points on Saturday will be the talking point, Clarke’s value is on the defensive end of the floor, where he is a rim-protector and a switchable defender for a team that doesn’t have a ton of great individual defenders on it.

He’s the difference-maker for Gonzaga.

And he proved as much on Saturday night.

Florida State ends Murray State, Ja Morant’s season to advance back to Sweet 16

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By Scott PhillipsMar 23, 2019, 8:09 PM EDT
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Florida State ended the potential Cinderella run of No. 12 seed Murray State and star point guard Ja Morant on Saturday as the No. 4 seed Seminoles ran away with a 90-62 victory in a second-round NCAA tournament matchup in the West Region.

Although Morant had the nation buzzing, again, thanks to a 5-for-5 start from three-point range to put the Racers ahead early in the first half, the depth, length and athleticism of Florida State quickly proved to be problematic for the Ohio Valley Conference champions. Settling in after Morant’s hot start, the Seminoles opened the game with a blistering 50-point first-half thanks to balanced scoring and 8-for-14 (61 percent) three-point shooting.

Florida State (29-7) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season thanks to a 10-deep effort with contributions from numerous guys. Even without seniors Phil Cofer and David Nichols, the Seminoles were incredibly impressive as they threw five or six different defenders at Morant to slow him down while most of the roster hunted dunks and lobs on the offensive end.

Sophomore forward Mfiondu Kabengele (22 points, seven rebounds, three blocks) was a menace on both ends of the floor for the Seminoles, giving the team an early boost off the bench offensively and providing rebounding and rim protection at the other end.  Senior wing Terance Mann helped the Florida State attack with an efficient 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists as he got pretty much any look he wanted attacking the rack. Making only his third college start in place of the injured Cofer, freshman forward Raiquan Gray had a career-high 11 points and five steals as he gave Florida State a solid boost with his first-half perimeter shooting and unique playmaking. And Florida State had 47 bench points on Saturday as they never stopped coming at Murray State.

The Seminoles don’t feature eye-popping NBA Draft prospects or a household name. Yet they continue to show well in the NCAA tournament the past few years thanks to their unique collection of athletes. With its deep-and-athletic positionless rotation, Florida State has only lost twice since Jan. 5  — to No. 1 seeds Duke and North Carolina. The Seminoles look like one of the most dangerous teams heading into the second weekend of the NCAA tournament because they can win in a lot of different ways.

The Seminoles survived the hot shooting of Vermont in the first half while closing the game out with great free-throw shooting. On Saturday, Florida State stopped a supernova talent at lead guard from carving them up by throwing body-after-body at Morant. If Florida State is shooting well from the perimeter (a credible future concern given their 33.4 percent three-point shooting entering Saturday) then they can compete with any team in the country.

Murray State (28-5) looked like they could be up for another potential upset following Thursday’s win over No. 5 seed Marquette. But after the hot-shooting start from Morant, the Racers didn’t have enough help from his overwhelmed teammates. After the memorable triple-double against the Golden Eagles, Morant finished with 28 points, five rebounds and four assists as the sophomore had to do much more as a scorer against Florida State. While Morant had the hot start from deep, Florida State’s defense gave Morant some problems inside the arc as he was 8-for-21 from the field — 3-for-15 from two-point range.

Limiting looks for the rest of Murray State’s roster, only guard Shaq Buchanan (12 points) and big man Darnell Cowart (10 points) finished in double-figures as the Racers struggled to get clean looks outside of Morant.

The NCAA tournament run for Murray State ends in disappointing fashion thanks to Florida State’s onslaught. But we were also fortunate to see a superstar like Morant get to play two games against high-major competition on the national stage. Entering the NCAA tournament, many casual basketball fans had seen Morant’s name in the top three of NBA mock drafts and seemed skeptical about Morant’s lofty status given his mid-major pedigree. With the tournament’s first triple-double in years, the tournament’s best first-round dunk and a hot three-point shooting game, Morant captivated the nation for two rounds before his exit.

If this is the final send-off for Morant at the college level before June’s NBA Draft (and it probably is given his top-three status), then what a way to go out. Considering that Murray State would have likely missed the NCAA tournament had they lost to Belmont in the OVC tournament title game, we’re fortunate that the Racers (and also Belmont) got into the Field of 68 and gave us some great games. When critics ask for more quality mid-major teams to earn at-large bids over near-.500 power-conference teams this OVC stretch in 2019 is precisely the reason why.

Florida State advances to face either No. 1 seed Gonzaga in next Thursday’s Sweet 16 in Anaheim. The Seminoles facing Bulldogs will be a rematch of last season’s NCAA tournament Sweet 16 matchup that saw No. 9 seed Florida State upset the No. 4 seed ‘Zags. Since both teams bring back similar rosters from last season, that rematch will be one of the most highly-anticipated games in the Round of 16.