The Sweet 16, Explained...

The Sweet 16 officially wrapped up last night, and with 8 games spread out evenly between Thursday and Friday, it did not disappoint

Let's start with the first 4 games on the Thursday slate, beginning with one of my favorites, 2-seed Arizona vs 6-seed Clemson

If this is your first time on the channel, this won't mean much to you, but if you watched our Sweet 16 preview video

you know that I pretty boldly picked Clemson to win this game, and that's exactly what the Tigers did

defeating Arizona 77-72 and punching their ticket to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2018

It was pretty much all Clemson in this first half. They were up 39-31 at the end of the half

and I'll be honest, Clemson dictated this game. Arizona early on turned the ball over like four

times. They weren't taking very good shots. They weren't even utilizing Balo, who in my opinion was

their biggest mismatch, and on the defensive end, they let Clemson pretty much get whatever they

wanted early on in the half court offense but that's the beautiful thing about this clemson

team they are not going to let you control what they do on defense chase hunter absolutely clamped

caleb love he only had 13 points on 5 for 18 from the field including 0 for 9 from 3 which is by far

the worst three-point shooting night of the season for him he did go 1 for 7 against oregon in the

pac-12 tourney and 0 for 6 versus usc at the end of the regular season caleb took some bad shots

like he kind of always does, but I'm still giving a ton of credit to Chase Hunter

He's been incredible on the defensive end and potentially even better on the offensive end

in this tournament, finishing the game with a team high 18 points

seven boards and five assists. Arizona actually did a really good job

on Gerard in this game. And one thing I love about Joe Gerard is he was an absolute dog in high school

He's the New York State all time points leader, passing Lance Stevenson as a junior

and finishing with 4,763 all-time points, which according to the National Federation of High Schools

is 10th all-time. I'm so sorry for this tangent, guys. Skip ahead if you don't care

This is crazy. He averaged 50 points per game as a junior

and 48.6 as a senior. All right, sorry for the tangent. Back to this game

Joe Girard actually only scored four points in this game. The Wildcats did great on him

and he did miss two straight free throws followed on a three, which is crazy

because Joe is leading the nation in free throw percentage, and he had only missed six on the year out of 120

P.J. Hall stayed out of foul trouble in the beginning of this game, but in the second half to start it, he had three straight fouls

And it was at this point that I thought Clemson was in trouble. Arizona takes the lead 46-45 with 14.33 to go in the game

But huge props to Clemson's role players, Jack Clark and R.J. Godfrey

hit a three and two free throws, putting them back up four. And after that, Clemson never gave up the lead again the rest of the game, which means Clemson has held the lead in all but two moments in this tournament

The opening bucket of the opening round versus New Mexico and these 20 seconds early in the second half versus Arizona

Clemson's head coach, Brad Brownell, had what I thought was a brilliant defensive adjustment

Arizona was on a roll on offense, cutting through that Clemson man-to-man and getting to the rim frequently

So Brownell went to their 3-2 zone and challenged Arizona to shoot threes on a night where they

weren't making them. I think this was a missed opportunity from Arizona. Late in the game, Umar Balo had two easy layups when Clemson tried to front him

And I just thought they should have been doing that the whole game. Balo was the biggest mismatch on the court

And especially when you don't shoot it well from three, you have to be getting it inside

to your 7-foot, 260 big man. Balo finished 7-for-10 from the field, but only 1-for-7 from the free throw line

15 points and 15 rebounds. Jaden Bradley was fantastic for Arizona, a sophomore guard off the

bench. He only averaged 7 points on the season, but in this game he scored 18 points, including

8 for 9 from the free throw line. Pella Larson and Kylan Boswell were bad in this game too. Pella

went 2 for 9 from the field, including 1 for 6 from 3, and Kylan went 1 for 6 from the field

including 1 for 5 from 3. The Wildcats as a team went 5 for 28 from the 3 point line, and while I

give massive props to Clemson's defense. They have a lot of long athletic wings. Some of this

is just straight up three-point shooting luck. Clemson opponents are shooting 14 for 75 from

three in this tournament, which is good for 18.7%. And that's not me dissing them, but sometimes

you do get luck on your side with three-point shooting that helps you make an elite eight run

Clemson star big man PJ Hall had his best game of the tournament, scoring 17 points

eight boards, but it was far from a dominant game. He went seven for 15 from the field

which is fine. We'll talk about the Elite Eight later, but I am expecting a big game from PJ Hall

in the Elite Eight. You'll find out who they are facing later in this video. This video is brought

to you by Underdog Fantasy. They're running a new customer special right now. De'Aaron Fox needs

just one point. Use code Hardwood to get a full deposit match up to $100. Underdog's my favorite

place to play daily fantasy sports. And with NBA playoffs coming and MLB season just beginning

it's as good of a time as ever. Use code Hardwood or the link in the description. Now let's get back

to the video game to number one overall seed Yukon versus five seed San Diego State we mentioned this

in our sweet 16 preview this is a rematch of the national title game from last year I got to give

my props to the Aztecs they fought early in this one and after a Micah Parrish jumper with 208 left in the first half they were only down four 35 to UConn Unfortunately for SDSU their offense failed them in the second half

scoring just 21 points in the second half. I really feel for Jaden Lede

I feel like he was one of the best players in this tournament

This team's identity is defense, and he just didn't have enough offensive help around him

Connecticut plays a pretty tight rotation. Only two bench players played significant minutes

Start point guard Tristan Newton had 17-7-4 in this one, but it was Stephon Castle, freshman

and top 10 projected NBA draft pick who had 16 points, 11 boards on 5-8 from the field

and 6-8 from the free throw line. I've said it before, I'll say it again, UConn has 5 lethal options in their starting lineup

UConn wins this one 82-52 in a 30 point blowout, making Connecticut 34-3 on the season, tying

their most ever wins in school history. The last time UConn lost in the NCAA tournament was in 2022

in the round of 64. They got upset by 12 seed New Mexico State, but since then they have won every

single game by more than 13 points. That's nine straight wins of 13 points or more, which is an

NCAA record. Don't worry, Husky fans. I've been brief with them in this tournament. There's just

not a lot to say. They've been dominant, but if they make the final four and honestly probably

when they make the final four. I plan on doing a deep dive on the journey to the final four for

each four of these teams, so hopefully we can dive deeper into them then. One more thing about the

Huskies, I was reading this AP article on them, and they had a great tidbit. UConn is the first

defending champion to make an Elite Eight since Florida won back-to-back titles in 2007. Game

three of the Thursday slate, number one seed North Carolina versus four seed Alabama. Going into this

one we said it was going to be a track meet and it absolutely was especially in the first half

north carolina led by 8 54 to 46 bama came out strong to start the second half cutting the lead

to three with 15 minutes to go unc star big man armando baycott would pick up three quick fouls

to start the half sending him to the bench offensively this second half was pretty ugly

for the Tar Heels. They only score 33 points. Bama would go up five with a Grant Nelson three-point

jumper, 82-77 with 3.46 to go. But after six straight RJ Davis points, including four free

throws, UNC would take the lead 85-82 with a minute 32 left. Mark Sears layup cuts it to a

one-point game. And then Jalen Withers takes one of the worst three-point attempts. One of the most

unaware shots I've seen in a given situation. All tournament, Bama comes down. Grant Nelson and one

layup foul on Jalen Withers. Bama's up 87-85. With their season on the line, R.J. Davis, in my

opinion, takes two terrible shots, getting blocked by Grant Nelson on the first one and badly missing

the second one. Grant Nelson would then make both free throws and Bama would win 89-87. North Dakota

state transfer grant nelson would have his best game of the season 24 points 12 boards 5 blocks

10 for 13 from the free throw line 6 for 9 from the field and alabama's scoring output was

concentrated to just four players mark sears had 18 aaron estrada had 19 and sophomore guard rylan

griffin had 19 as well which was massive for them nelson would have 17 points in that second half

including seven straight points when it mattered the most. According to ESPN stats and info, Grant Nelson is the first player to have 20 points, 10 boards

and four plus blocks in a Sweet 16 game or later since Kevin Love in 2008

I'm super happy for Grant. There was huge hopes for him when he transferred from North Dakota State to Bama this offseason

and he's had a fine year, but it hasn't been anything crazy. So to have his best game of the year when it matters most

sending Alabama to their first Sweet 16 since 2004 and their second ever in school history

They have never made it to a Final Four. I have to say this. I apologize to every Alabama fan

who's watched these videos. I have been a very outspoken non-believer in this Alabama team

strictly due to their horrendous defense. They're ranked outside the top 100 on Ken Palm. And

normally we just don't see teams with elite offenses and horrible defenses go far in March

but I gotta give this Alabama team props. They'll face six seed Clemson in the Elite Eight

and again, I know you guys are going to be pissed at me for doubting Alabama, but I'm picking Clemson in this one

Clemson has fared very well versus fast-paced teams this season, and they're going to execute in the half-court offense

in a way that North Carolina wouldn't. Plus, I think Arizona was a tougher matchup for Clemson

than this Alabama team. However, again, if I am proven wrong, I will give Alabama their flowers once more

They deserve tons of credit for making it to this point. RJ Davis did have an absolutely horrendous game in this one

going 4-for-20 from the field, including 0-for-9 from 3. These two teams have played earlier in the season

It was in late November. Clemson would win 85-77. Obviously, both teams have changed so much since then

but I'm taking the Clemson Tigers in this one. Alabama will not be able to sag off of wings like they were versus North Carolina

allowing the paint to open up more to drives. Either way it should be a fun game that tips off later today at 5 p All right boys we got to move quicker or I going to be editing this video all morning Game four Illinois Iowa State I thought this was going to be the game of the day

And while it was still a fun one, I just felt like Illinois was in control of this game from start to finish

I said this in the preview video, but if Iowa State goes five minutes without scoring, this game is probably over

And what do the Cyclones do to start the game? They wait until the 626 mark to score their first points

Illinois gets out to an 11-2 lead, leading at halftime 36-26. Iowa State's leading scorer, Keyshawn Gilbert, would have nine quick points to start the second half

After being held scoreless in the first, cutting the Illini lead down to four

Illinois would lengthen their lead once more, but the Cyclones would again cut the deficit to 2-53-51 with seven minutes to go

Iowa State had two different opportunities to take the lead. they would fail and from then on, Illinois would continue to hold anywhere from a 3-6 point lead

defeating the Cyclones 72-69. Terrence Shannon Jr. was marvelous, scoring 29 points on 10-for-19

from the field. Coleman Hawkins had a great game, 12 points, and I felt like he was everywhere on

the floor making plays. I have to shout out Curtis Jones for Iowa State, a guard off the bench. He

gave it everything he could, scoring 26 points on 7-for-18 from the field and 8-for-8 from the

free throw line. Honestly, almost everyone else on Iowa State disappointed me. Meanwhile, Illinois

will try to do the impossible, defeat Connecticut in an Elite 8 matchup tomorrow night. I didn't feel

like doing the stats myself, so I'll credit Rob Douser from Field of 68 with this tweet. Here's

Terrence Shannon's averages in his six postseason games, including the Big Ten tournament. He also

joins Blake Griffin as the second player in the last 30 years to score 25 plus points on 50% from

the field in each of his first three tourney games while still bringing his team to the elite eight

we shall see if him and illinois can do the impossible versus uconn later tonight i mean

it's pretty easy i have to pick uconn in this one but i won't be mad if illinois pulls it off

game one of the friday slate marquette a two seed versus nc state and 11 i'll be honest guys i don't

have much to say here because marquette shot it so badly from three as a team they went four for

31 from three. That's 13%. Sam Fedrin went and tracked all 27 of Marquette's missed three

pointers in this game. If you want to watch that thread, I linked it below on X and Marquette

missed a bunch of wide open threes guys. But at the end of the day, that takes nothing away from

NC State because this is March Madness. And while I believe shooting luck is 100% real, especially

from three, you have to make shots if you want to win the game. NC State made shots, Marquette didn't

It's just that simple at the end of the day. NC State wins 67-58 in a game that really didn't ever feel like they weren't in control

of it. Marquette would get it to as close as six with 339 to go, 58-52, but that was it

Tyler Kolek finishes a fantastic career. In my opinion, he's going to be a fantastic backup point guard in the NBA

He finishes with 17 points, 10 boards, only three assists, but let's be honest, he probably

should have had seven or eight. Kim Jones finishes with 20, three for 12 from three

David Joplin 0 for 7 from 3. Just absolutely brutal, man. But I'm happy for NC State, the Wolf Pack

DJ Horn had 19 points, 5 boards on 6 for 15 from the field

DJ Burns only scored 4 points, but he also only took 4 shots

and they didn't really need him to score. He had 7 assists. His ability to pass from the post is next level

Orsell was fantastic with 15. Diara had 11 and 15 boards. I love this North Carolina State team

They started this year 17-14 and have been 7-0 since in the ACC tournament and NCAA tournament

On Sunday, they'll have the opportunity to become just the 6th 11 seed of all time

and the first since 2021 UCLA to make a Final Four and the first one to ever advance to a national championship game

We'll discuss their opponent and my prediction later in the video. Game 2, number 1 seed Purdue vs 5 seed Gonzaga

The Zags made Purdue work in this one. It was a back and forth first half with Purdue leading 40-36 at the end

Gonzaga would cut it to 2-53-51 on a Nolan Hickman 3 with 12-34 left

But the Boilermakers would go on a 16-2 run leading 69-53 with 7-36 left

Gonzaga never really recovered from there, but I was super impressed with Graham Eke in this game

We all knew Zach Eadie was going to be a very tough matchup, and while Eke would foul out and so would Watson

In that first half, it looked like Gonzaga had a blueprint for beating Purdue

EK would hit two threes, 18 points, 10 boards. Unfortunately, it's just too tough for Gonzaga when Purdue shooting 57% from the field and 45% from three

ED finishes with 27 and 14, 7 of 10 from the free throw line

Braden Smith, 14 points, 15 assists, 8 boards, 2 boards away from being the 11th ever player to have a triple-double in the tournament

Purdue's in the Elite Eight for the 6th time ever in school history. The first since 2019 Carson Edwards legendary run with an opportunity to make the final four for the first time since 1980

I know there's this huge discourse with Zach Eadie and follow calls. I just don't feel like getting into it in this video

All I'll say is this game in particular, I would be pretty upset as a Gonzaga fan

Game six of the Sweet 16 third on Friday Houston versus Duke one seed versus four seed My prediction was for Duke to win and while they did win I going to tell you why I not happy about it Houston was winning 16 to 10 when Jamal Shedd turned his ankle

I feel awful for Shedd. He is one of the best players in this tournament, the leader of this Houston team

And while he tried to give it a go, he just couldn't. Duke ends up winning this one in a tight one, 54 to 51

Outside of Cryer and Roberts, Houston just could not score. This really felt like a Manuel Sharpe's opportunity

especially after having 30 versus A&M, to pick up in Shed's absence and will his team to a win

Unfortunately for Houston, they just came up a tad bit short. Sharpe did miss a potentially game-tying three

And the reason I say I'm not that excited about this win for Duke is I don't feel like they deserve to win

Obviously, there's nothing they can do about Shed getting hurt, but they just didn't really play that good of a game

and I was expecting a lot more from them. If Jamal Shedd is on that court

I believe Houston wins by 12 to 14 points. But at the end of the day, this is March Madness

Duke has a chance to prove themselves in the Elite Eight on Sunday to me

in their matchup versus North Carolina State. I'll tell you right now

I'm taking the Wolfpack in this one. Duke just doesn't have that toughness that Houston does

And even though I love Jeremy Roach's play as an experienced guard, I think NC State's a tougher team

I think NC State is going to dictate the game. Filipowski will not be able to handle DJ Burns on the defensive end and bottom line this seems to be

a year of destiny for NC State meanwhile Duke has beaten Vermont a 13 seed James Madison a 12 seed

and now Houston without their best player and now they face an 11 seed for a chance to go to the

final four that is probably the easiest run to a final four in NCAA tournament history I don't

know maybe I'm being too hard on Duke but that was an ugly game and I don't think they deserve to win

at all we'll see if they prove me wrong in the elite eight lastly has any dominant team in recent

years had as bad of injury luck in the NCAA tournament as the Houston Cougars 2022 you have

Marcus Sasser and Tremont Mark missing the NCAA tournament last year Shed and Sasser are injured

throughout the tournament and then Roberts was injured in the big 12 tournament is clearly playing

through it and they lose Shed in the first half of the sweet 16 game eight of the sweet 16 was

probably my favorite of the Friday slate. Two seed Tennessee versus three seed Creighton. This game

was always going to come down to one question. Would Creighton's offense prevail or would Tennessee's

defense prevail? Creighton took a one point lead going into the first half 35-34. Tennessee would

then go on a 15-0 run led almost entirely by Dalton Connect going from being down 39-37 with

19 minutes to go to being up 55 39 with 14 minutes to go Dalton connect scored or assisted on 13 of

those 15 points Creighton would make a strong push cutting the lead to 3.6259 Creighton would then go

scoreless for three minutes from the four minute mark to about the minute mark and that was about

all she wrote Tennessee would win 82 to 75 and oddly enough while I give a ton of credit to

Tennessee's defense. It was their offense that won this for them, scoring 48 points in the second

half. Dalton Connect would finish with 24, 6, and 5. He did struggle from the field, however

going 8 for 21. I thought Jonas Ady was going to be an X-factor in this game, but he was bad. He

only played 17 minutes. Tennessee needs him to figure it out in the Elite 8. Zakai Ziegler had

18, 6, and 4, and Josiah Jordan-James had a massive 17 points on only 6 shots and going 6 for 6

from the free throw line. Trey Alexander had a rough game when it mattered most. He did have 13

points, but he went three for 12 from the field. Baylor Shireman did what he could to keep his team

in this one. 25 points, six boards on eight for 19 from the field. But Tennessee denies Creighton

back-to-back Elite Eight appearances and gives them their first Elite Eight appearance since 2010

with Bruce Pearl at the helm. Tennessee has never made a Final Four. They'll face off against Purdue

tomorrow in a game between two teams that have either never made it there in Tennessee or haven't

been there in a long time in Purdue. I love Tennessee. I love Dalton Connect, but I do not

see them being able to defeat Purdue. Adie was bad against Kalkbrenner tonight. I cannot imagine

what he will be against Edie. Dalton Connect's going to do everything he can, and while I think

Sakai Ziegler could do pretty well in his matchup versus Braden Smith, Braden is such a savvy player

that I don't know if he'll be able to slow him down. So to recap my predictions

if you're still watching this video, I have Clemson defeating Alabama to make it to their first Final Four in school history

UConn over Illinois, but here's my prediction. Illinois is going to lose by less than 10 points

breaking UConn's streak, Duke versus NC State. I got North Carolina State making the Final Four

and Purdue versus Tennessee with Purdue advancing to the Final Four. So my final four is Connecticut, Clemson, NC State, and Purdue

Guys, thank you so much for watching this video. This past week has been super memorable for me

If you're still watching, I'm so grateful for you. Every view, every subscription, every notification bell

You guys are truly the best, and it motivates me to continue making better and better videos

If you enjoyed this one, you can check out my How Far Each Seed Has Advanced in NCAA Tournament History video

Or if you haven't seen my daily recaps from earlier in the tournament, you can start right here

Thanks for watching and as always we'll see you on the hardwood