Final Four-leans
A sampling of highlights from the previous five times the Sweet Sixteen fed into the Louisiana Superdome:
1982 — UAB 68, #3 Virginia 66. The Blazers, playing in just their fourth season of basketball, had already knocked out defending champion Indiana in the second round before neutralizing the Cavaliers and their 7’4” center, Ralph Sampson in the regional semifinals. UAB would fall in the Elite Eight to Louisville, 75–68.
1987 — Providence 103, Alabama 82. The Friars, led by coaching vagabond Rick Pitino and fueled on court by current Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, demonstrated the potential of the three-point basket in its first season of use, connecting on 14 of 22 attempts to slash the Tide. Providence stalled in the Final Four, losing to Syracuse, 77–63.
1993 — Temple 67, Vanderbilt 59. The seventh-seeded Owls, who had started the season at 10–10, roared back in the postseason, defeating Missouri, then Steve Nash-led Santa Clara to secure the Sweet Sixteen berth against the SEC champion Commodores. TU’s victory next sent them crashing into Fab Five Michigan, who dismantled the Owls, 77–72.
2003 — Syracuse 79, Auburn 78. The Orange’s toughest test en-route to its first and only national championship likely came in their Sweet Sixteen clash with the Tigers. SU built a 17-point lead during the first half, then held on as Auburn connected on four three-pointers in the game’s final 1:18. ‘Cuse advanced to the finals, taking out Kansas, 81–78.
2012 — North Carolina 73, Ohio 65 (OT). The upstart Bobcats’ attempt to become the first 13th-seed to advance to the Elite Eight fell short against a powerhouse just three years removed from a national title. Carolina outscored OU 10–2 in the extra period to secure the win. National runner-up Kansas upended the Heels in the next round, 80–67.
Now, for the halving of the 2022 Sweet Sixteen into the Elite Eight:
WEST
ARKANSAS — Successive single-digit wins over 13th-seeded Vermont and 12th-seeded New Mexico State have left the Razorbacks battle-tested. UA will have to maintain the transition game that forced 19 turnovers and created a 15–0 advantage in fast-break points in its second-round victory over the Aggies.
TEXAS TECH — The Red Raiders’ fourth-rated field-goal percentage defense was on full throttle in its second-round matchup against Notre Dame. Tech held the Irish to just 33% from the field, five points better than its Power Five-leading average, in the squad’s six-point win to advance.
EAST
UCLA — The Bruins have been an object lesson in scoring balance, with four of their five starters averaging double-figures over the first two rounds of the tournament. Tyger Campbell leads the way with a 16-point postseason average, while Jaime Jaquez is just behind with 15 per tourney outing.
PURDUE — The Boilermakers’ multifaceted attack can dominate opponents both inside the paint and outside the arc. Purdue ranks second in the nation with a rebounding margin of nearly 10 per game, and connect on a fourth-rated 39% of its three-point attempts. The Boilers’ board margin is at +12 over their first two tournament contests.
SOUTH
ARIZONA — All of the U of A’s statistical accolades did little to intimidate TCU in round two. The Horned Frogs fought the top-seeded ‘Cats to OT before falling 85–80. Center Christian Koloko shot 12 of 13 from the field for 28 points to bolster the rest of the squad’s paltry 19–55 clip from the floor.
VILLANOVA — Should the South Regional winnow down to a Wildcat fight in the Elite Eight, the matchup could hinge on success from the free-throw stripe. ‘Nova leads the country with a success rate of almost 83 percent. ‘Zona, conversely, ranked only fifth in the Pac-12 at just 74 percent.
MIDWEST
KANSAS — The Jayhawks pushed ahead to the Sweet Sixteen with an unexpected assist from Arizona State. Sun Devil transfer Remy Martin led KU with 20 points off the bench in the team’s 79–72 second-round win over Creighton. The victory tied Kansas with recently-ousted Kentucky for all-time wins at 2,353.
IOWA STATE — A double-digit seed is guaranteed a spot in the Elite Eight with the confluence of #10 Miami and the #11 Cyclones in the regional semifinal. ISU displayed characteristic engineering symmetry in its path to Chicago, ceding 54 points in its five-point win over LSU, then scoring 54 in a five-point victory over Wisconsin.
and the Final Four:
ARKANSAS
UCLA
ARIZONA
KANSAS
