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Your bracket for the 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament was already busted going into the Sweet 16.
Keeping with the unpredictable nature of the Big Dance, the Oregon State Beavers moved one win away from the Final Four with their third straight upset in Indianapolis.
The Baylor Bears kept whatever chalk there is left in the bracket by fending off a challenge from the Villanova Wildcats. The pressure is now on the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Michigan Wolverines to put three No. 1 seeds in the Elite Eight.
Oral Roberts' Cinderella run came to an end when the No. 15 seed lost to third-seeded Arkansas in heartbreaking fashion. No. 11 Syracuse also met the end of the line against a tenacious Houston defense.
Now that Saturday's four games are all in the books, check out our recap of the results and analysis of each of Sunday's four remaining Sweet 16 contests.
Pregame analysis written by Kerry Miller.
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The Oregon State Beavers beat the Loyola Chicago Ramblers by outperforming their foe in its biggest strength.
Oregon State's zone defense stifled the Loyola offense, similar to how the Loyola defense frustrated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Illinois Fighting Illini in the first two rounds.
Loyola appeared to be in the driver's seat early, as it held Oregon State to three points in the first nine-plus minutes and 10 in the first 12:54.
The Ramblers were not able to match an offensive outburst with those defensive stops, though, and Oregon State took over when it began to make shots. The Pac-12 squad did not turn in a masterpiece to close the first half, but it did open up an eight-point advantage.
The combination of Loyola's shots not falling and Oregon State's tight defense kept the Beavers in front for the entire second half.
Loyola made a push for the lead in the second half, getting within three points on an Aher Uguak layup with 3:31 remaining. However, the open looks the Ramblers got down the stretch did not go down, and Oregon State finished the game at the free-throw line.
Wayne Tinkle's side shot 18-of-20 from the charity stripe and 41.2 percent from the field to the Ramblers' 33.3.
Oregon State is the second No. 12 seed to advance to the Elite Eight. The Missouri Tigers achieved that feat in 2002.
Top Performers
Ethan Thompson led all scorers with 22 points. The Oregon State senior guard has 48 points in the last two games. Warith Alatishe was the only other Beaver in double digits. He had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Cameron Krutwig also earned a double-double, but his 14 points and 10 rebounds were not enough to power the Ramblers into their second Elite Eight in four seasons.
Next Round
Oregon State will face the Houston Cougars on Monday night.
Updated by Joe Tansey.
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The Baylor Bears were pushed by the Villanova Wildcats for 30 minutes.
Then the No. 1 seed in the South Region began to enforce its will on both ends of the court.
Baylor turned a 41-41 tie at the midway point of the second half into a 54-45 advantage with 3:20 left on the clock.
Baylor's run occurred thanks to a few key adjustments to its first-half struggles. The Bears turned up their defensive pressure and made a larger impact in the paint offensively.
Baylor forced six turnovers in a span of three minutes, 30 seconds. That stretch showed how much Villanova missed point guard Collin Gillespie, who suffered a torn MCL right before the Big East tournament. The lack of a top ball-handler and Baylor's increased pressure made life difficult for the Wildcats.
Meanwhile, the Bears went away from the three-point shot and attacked the paint more. They made two three-pointers in the first half and just three in the entire game.
The shift in strategy resulted in Baylor outscoring Villanova by 18 points in the second half. The Wildcats managed just 21 points in the final 20 minutes.
Top Performers
Adam Flagler came off the bench to lead Baylor with 16 points. Davion Mitchell was the only other Baylor player in double figures with 14 points.
Jermaine Samuels (16) and Justin Moore (15) combined to score 31 of Villanova's 51 points.
Next Round
Baylor will take on Arkansas in the Elite Eight on Monday.
Updated by Joe Tansey.
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The clock struck midnight on Oral Roberts' Cinderella run, as Arkansas fought from behind to etch out a 72-70 triumph.
Davonte Davis drained a jumper with 3.1 points remaining to break a 70-70 stalemate. Given one last chance to become the first No. 15 seed to ever reach the Elite Eight, Max Abmas missed a potential go-ahead three at the buzzer.
For a while, the Golden Eagles looked poised to pull off another upset.
They came out firing, netting their first five buckets from three-point range. The Razorbacks, on the other hand, stayed cold behind the arc. After shooting nine of 33 from downtown in their two tournament triumphs, they drained just one of nine three-point attempts all game.
Early heat check aside, Oral Roberts pulled ahead to a seven-point advantage at halftime via superior interior scoring. The underdogs quickly extended that lead to 12, but Arkansas withstood the run and evened the scoreboard near the seven-minute mark.
With 5:02 remaining, senior Jalen Tate gave the Razorbacks their first lead of the second half. Yet no edge was safe in a gripping back-and-forth affair over the closing minutes.
Tate continued to come up clutch, powering his way to another basket to give Arkansas a 70-69 advantage. Fouled on a putback attempt in the next possession, Francis Lacis made one of two free throws to even the score for Oral Roberts.
The Razorbacks feasted on second chances, grabbing 18 offensive rebounds to just six from the Golden Eagles. They also made the most of their free-throw opportunities, going 13-of-15 from the foul line.
Despite their start, the Golden Eagles made just 25.8 percent (8-of-31) of their three-pointers. Just like in their regular-season meeting, Arkansas escaped with a come-from-behind win.
Top Performers
Among the four Arkansas starters to offer at least a dozen points, Tate led the way with 22. Carlos Jurgens, who averaged 5.7 points per game for Oral Roberts during the regular season, posted 11 of his points in the opening half. The nation's leading scorer, Abmas, eventually took the reins and recorded a game-high 25 points.
Next Round
Arkansas will face the top-seeded Baylor Bears in the Elite Eight.
Updated by Andrew Gould.
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The Houston Cougars advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1984 by stifling the Syracuse Orange in a low-scoring win.
Syracuse's scorching offense came to a screeching halt Saturday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. After shooting their way to the Sweet 16 with 29 three-pointers in two wins, the Orange went 5-of-23 from deep in their lowest scoring output this season.
Although Houston opened to a 10-2 lead, Syracuse quickly bounced back with an 8-0 run. Yet the Cougars eventually capitalized on the Orange's cold start, cementing control with 10 straight points to close the first half.
A discrepancy in free throws extended Syracuse a lifeline. The No. 11 seed scored seven points at the foul line before Houston earned a single attempt.
Houston's suffocating defense, however, was too much to overcome. The Midwest Region's second seed amassed eight steals to just eight turnovers.
Despite never fully solving Syracuse's zone defense, Houston led throughout the entire second half, eventually running away with a decisive victory over the underdog.
Top Performers
Houston's Quentin Grimes continued his impressive tournament run by submitting a team-best 14 points. Justin Gorham delivered 13 points and 10 boards on just six field-goal attempts.
One of the biggest breakout stars of the NCAA tournament, Buddy Boeheim, scored 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting.
Next Round
Houston will go up against the Oregon State Beavers on Monday.
Updated by Andrew Gould.
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Matchup: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 5 Creighton (West Regional)
Details: Sunday at 2:10 p.m. ET (CBS)
One-Sentence Synopsis: After eliminating a pair of capable mid-majors, Creighton is tasked with trying to eliminate the greatest "mid-major" of them all.
Gonzaga Wins If: The offense does its thing. Gonzaga has shot at least 49.1 percent from the field in every game this season, averaging 92.1 points per game. Meanwhile, Creighton has only reached 80 points four times in its last 18 games and has averaged 60.5 in its past four contests. This will probably be one of Gonzaga's lower-scoring games, but we're talking about an offense that has scored at least 82 points in 89 percent of its games. As long as the Zags reach 80, they should be fine.
Creighton Wins If: It manages to frustrate Gonzaga. All due respect to Creighton, but Gonzaga is the much better team. However, the Bluejays are capable of making contested shots, and they do a fine job of slowing the game down on the defensive end of the floor—where Gonzaga prefers to score at a break-neck pace. If at any point the Zags start getting visibly irritated or committing turnovers by trying to force things too quickly, the upset watch is officially on.
Most Important Players Are: Drew Timme for Gonzaga and Marcus Zegarowski for Creighton. The Bluejays are a solid, perimeter-oriented team, but they aren't equipped to shut down a frontcourt force like Timme. He had 30 against Oklahoma, and he could go for even more in this one. And Zegarowski is the veteran leader most likely to get hot from three-point land.
Predictions
David Kenyon: Gonzaga
Kerry Miller: Gonzaga
Joel Reuter: Gonzaga
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Matchup: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Florida State (East Regional)
Details: Sunday at 5 p.m. ET (CBS)
One-Sentence Synopsis: Everyone loves a good Cinderella story, but Michigan vs. Florida State—the lone instance where both of the best-seeded teams survived the first weekend—should be the most entertaining game of the Sweet 16.
Michigan Wins If: Its frontcourt holds up against Florida State's. The Seminoles can bludgeon unsuspecting and undersized foes with their length and athleticism, but Michigan has a good deal of that, too. Granted, not quite as much without Isaiah Livers, but Hunter Dickinson is a 7'1" force at center, Franz Wagner is a sensational 6'9" stretch 4 and Brandon Johns Jr. has been an admirable 6'8" role player since joining the starting lineup three games ago. The Wolverines should hold their own in the paint, and then their three-point defense should fare better against FSU's 38.2 percent perimeter shooting than FSU's three-point defense will against Michigan's 38.5 percent perimeter shooting.
Florida State Wins If: It capitalizes on a defense that doesn't force many turnovers. Aside from inconsistent play, Florida State's biggest issue all season has been giving the ball away. In each of their six losses, the Seminoles committed at least 14 turnovers. However, Michigan has only forced 14 or more turnovers twice all season, one of which was an overtime game over Thanksgiving weekend. Florida State has good shooting percentages and a better offensive rebounding percentage, so that offense can be lethal when it isn't sabotaging itself.
Most Important Players Are: Franz Wagner for Michigan and Anthony Polite for Florida State. Wagner is the one Wolverine most likely to jump a passing lane or force a turnover, and his ability to defend multiple positions will be key against the Seminoles. And though Polite doesn't shoot a ton, he is FSU's most efficient scorer. He had 22 in the win over Colorado, and he could swing this game in the Seminoles' favor with a repeat performance.
Predictions
David Kenyon: Florida State
Kerry Miller: Michigan
Joel Reuter: Florida State
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Matchup: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 11 UCLA (East Regional)
Details: Sunday at 7:15 p.m. ET (TBS)
One-Sentence Synopsis: UCLA has more national championships than any other school while Alabama is trying to get to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history.
Alabama Wins If: It's an uptempo game where defense matters. Alabama allows more points per game (69.5) than UCLA does (67.9), but don't let that fool you into believing the Crimson Tide have the inferior defense. They are substantially better on that end of the floor, ranking third in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. (Even after three tournament wins, UCLA is 63rd.) Alabama simply prefers to play at a much faster pace, which will be the game within the game.
UCLA Wins If: It's a slow game where offensive efficiency reigns supreme. Let's do the same as above by noting that Alabama scores more (79.7 PPG) than UCLA (73.1), even though the Bruins have the more efficient offense. Alabama is more likely to hit 10 three-pointers, but UCLA is more likely to make 40 percent of its three-point attempts. Such an intriguing contrast in styles.
Most Important Players Are: Jahvon Quinerly for Alabama and Tyger Campbell for UCLA. In a game where establishing the tempo could determine the victor, the play of the respective point guards will be critical. If Quinerly can push the pace while staying under control, Alabama wins. If Campbell limits fast-break opportunities and intentionally drains clock before taking/setting up good shots on offense, advantage UCLA.
Predictions
David Kenyon: Alabama
Kerry Miller: Alabama
Joel Reuter: Alabama
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Matchup: No. 6 USC vs. No. 7 Oregon (West Regional)
Details: Sunday at 9:45 p.m. ET (TBS)
One-Sentence Synopsis: With so many Pac-12 teams in the Sweet 16, there was bound to be a head-to-head matchup somewhere (USC won 72-58 during the only meeting this season).
USC Wins If: Its size causes problems for Oregon. The tallest Ducks starter is 6'6". (There are four 6'6" starters, but still.) The second-shortest USC starter is 6'7". During the regular-season meeting, USC finished plus-13 in rebounding margin, shot 50 percent on two-point tries and limited Oregon to 40 percent on its two-point tries. Suffice it to say, USC's size caused a problem in that game. And Isaiah Mobley (6'10", 7.3 RPG, 1.0 BPG) wasn't even available for the Trojans on that night, so they're even bigger this time around.
Oregon Wins If: It shoots like it has been lately. When these teams played in late February, Oregon was still finding its full-strength groove on offense. The Ducks had been held below 70 points in each of their previous three games, and it was their third game in five days. They came out cold and never recovered. Oregon has now scored at least 80 in five of its last six games, though, shooting 47.7 percent from three-point range during that stretch. USC has a sensational interior defense, but it is at least a little susceptible to the deep ball. There was a Duke-Syracuse game back in 2014 in which the Blue Devils attempted 36 three-pointers and Syracuse attempted four. Not hard to see this one playing out similarly with Oregon hoping for the best from the perimeter.
Most Important Players Are: Evan Mobley for USC and Chris Duarte for Oregon. Nothing fancy here. Mobley and Duarte are the best players on their respective teams, and they'll each be critical in what figures to be a nail-biter. But if this is the game where Mobley finally decides to realize he's the most unstoppable force in the sport, USC will win this game and darn well might knock off Gonzaga on Tuesday, too.
Predictions
David Kenyon: Oregon
Kerry Miller: USC
Joel Reuter: USC
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