March Insanity: The most effective and worst of every little thing from Thursday’s Candy 16

Two absolute classics, a possible event favourite rising, and the highest play of March up to now.

Let’s get to all of it.

(3) Kansas State 98, (7) Michigan State 93 (OT) (East)

The sport of the event thus far, and I didn’t assume the runner-up was notably near being inside shouting distance … till just a few hours later.

As thrilling as Gonzaga-UCLA was down the stretch, it didn’t fairly ship as constantly from begin to end the best way the primary recreation of the night to tip-off did.

The biggest lead of the sport was seven. Michigan State shot 49.2 p.c from the sector and Kansas State shot 55.9 p.c, changing into simply the second crew this season to shoot higher than 50% from the sector towards the Spartans. Michigan State shot a scorching 52.0 p.c from three, whereas Ok-State countered with 45.8 p.c.

You additionally had two New York natives — Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell and Michigan State’s Tyson Walker — going big play for big play inside Madison Sq. Backyard.

For a second, Walker appeared to have made the most important play of the night time; a driving left-handed shot that tied the rating at 82 and compelled the primary additional time of the NCAA event thus far.

Nowell countered within the further interval with the very best and most-talked about play of March up to now, one we’ll speak slightly bit extra about beneath.

The diminutive Wildcat ground common would attain 19 assists throughout additional time, setting a brand new NCAA event file for assists in a single recreation. Nowell’s closing dime was an inbounds move to yet one more New York native, Ismael Massoud, who buried a baseline jumper to place Kansas State forward by 3 with 17 seconds to play.

Walker tried to play hero as soon as extra on the opposite finish, however he was stripped by Nowell, who then drove the size of the court docket for an exclamatory layup simply earlier than the ultimate buzzer sounded.

Oh, and Nowell did all this regardless of struggling an ankle harm within the second half that resulted in a fast 9-2 Michigan State run whereas he was sidelined.

“Right this moment was a particular one, man,” stated Nowell. “I’ve acquired to offer quite a bit to credit score to my teammates for battling, for combating by adversity once we was down. I can’t even clarify how I’m feeling proper now. I simply know that I’m blessed and I’m grateful.”

Narratives can change quick from one spherical to the subsequent, however that is shortly beginning to develop into “The Markquis Nowell Match.”

The electrifying Third Workforce All-American now has 42 assists by three video games, shattering the earlier file for many assists by any participant by the Candy 16. The outdated file of 33 had been shared by Joey Rodriguez of VCU in 2011 (who took 4 video games to do it) and UCLA’s Earl Watson in 2000. Oh, and Nowell’s additionally averaging 21.3 ppg within the Huge Dance.

A primary-year head coach in Jerome Tang versus a twenty eighth yr head coach in Tom Izzo who had pulled extra seed-line upsets than any coach within the historical past of the event. A Kansas State crew that was picked to complete final within the Huge 12 and which hasn’t been to a Closing 4 since 1964 versus a perennial powerhouse in Michigan State attempting to get to its ninth Closing 4 underneath Izzo alone. Unbelievable shot making and unimaginable effort on each ends of the ground for 45 full minutes.

This was an absolute March basic.

UConn

The Kansas State-Michigan State and Gonzaga-UCLA video games are all anybody’s going to be speaking about Friday morning, which is comprehensible. However misplaced within the shuffle goes to be the truth that UConn continues to maneuver like an amazing machine, and appears like it might now be the crew to beat by two and-a-half rounds of this event.

The Huskies have been extensively anticipated to face a stern take a look at from uber-talented Arkansas on Thursday night. Not so. UConn acquired no matter it need on offense from the sport’s opening tip to the ultimate horn, steamrolling its method to an 88-65 demolition of Eric Musselman’s crew.

For all its historic success within the event, the 23-point margin of victory was the biggest ever for a Connecticut crew within the Candy 16 spherical or past.

The efficiency was so full that it left Invoice Murray — whose son, Luke, is a UConn assistant — begging Dan Hurley to drag a Musselman and go topless after the sport.

UConn has received its first three video games of the event by 62 whole factors, and all of them have come by 15 factors or extra. That 20.7 ppg common margin of victory is well the biggest of any crew nonetheless standing.

Whereas they’ve made 30 three-pointers within the event thus far (9-of-20 from three on Thursday), the Huskies did it each inside and outdoors towards Arkansas. They shot 61.0 p.c from the sector within the first half and had almost as many factors within the paint (24) because the Razorbacks had whole factors (29).

Regardless of going through an Arkansas crew that Clark Kellogg would possibly check with as “spurtable,” Connecticut allowed the underdogs no hope after halftime. They saved up their breakneck tempo, they prolonged their lead from 17 factors to 29, and by no means let it dip beneath 19.

Adama Sanogo is taking part in as nicely on each ends of the ground as any huge man within the event, Jordan Hawkins is stepping as much as be that star guard on a March tear that each Closing 4 crew wants, and as a unit, the Huskies have been at their finest defensively over these final three video games.

It’s all there for Connecticut in the mean time.

Tennessee

It’s nights and days like these that you simply hope Rick Barnes isn’t Twitter identify searcher.

Regardless of all his common season success at Tennessee, Barnes nonetheless hasn’t been capable of get the Vols previous the Candy 16. The top coach hasn’t been to an Elite Eight, interval, since taking Texas there in 2008.

The most recent March disappointment got here Thursday night time towards Ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic, a crew towards whom Tennessee managed the motion for the primary 29 minutes or so. The Vols performed the sport at their most well-liked tempo and efficiently drug the Owls “into the mud” with them up till in regards to the halfway level of the second half. It was then that FAU began to attach on the skin pictures that had been discovering solely rim up till that time, and it was then that Tennessee misplaced management.

Michael Forrest went on a private 8-0 run that turned a 4-point FAU deficit right into a 4-point benefit. The Owls by no means trailed once more, as defensive minded Tennessee merely couldn’t discover any offense to ship a return blow. The Volunteers shot simply 33.0 p.c from the sector for the sport and went simply 6-of-23 from past the arc.

That is the fifth straight event the place UT has had its season ended by a worse-seeded crew. A optimistic? Not less than Florida Atlantic wasn’t a double-digit seed like Michigan (#11 in 2022), Oregon State (#12 in 2021) or Loyola-Chicago (#11 in 2018).

Child steps.

1. Gonzaga-UCLA

That is primarily for Thursday night time’s thriller, however we are able to additionally prolong this cheers to the general Gonzaga-UCLA March collection, which has now given us three absolute classics over the past 20 years.

The most recent installment felt prefer it was going to wind up being a story of two halves. After which it wound up being a story of like eight totally different closing minutes.

UCLA dominated the opening 20 minutes. Gonzaga had nobody who might preserve Bruin level guard Tyger Campbell in entrance of them, and solely the stellar offensive play of Drew Timme inside saved the Zags inside a decent distance. Mick Cronin’s crew led 46-33 on the break, however their lead would by no means develop bigger.

A renewed power and dedication on the defensive finish fueled Gonzaga within the second half. Timme continued to gentle up the wounded Bruins —who have been taking part in with out huge man Adem Bona — within the submit, and on the opposite finish, the Zags held UCLA and not using a discipline purpose for a whopping 11 minutes. This allowed Mark Few’s crew to construct a 10-point benefit with simply 2:40 to play.

Then, the ghosts of 2006 crept out from the shadows.

Pac-12 Participant of the 12 months Jaime Jacquez started to assault the basket successfully, some revved up UCLA stress pressured a key turnover, and Gonzaga instantly couldn’t discover its stroke on the free-throw line. The livid rally couldn’t assist however evoke reminiscences of “The Adam Morrison Sport,” one of the well-known — and painful in case you’re a Bulldog fan — Candy 16 contests within the historical past of March Insanity.

The episode of historical past repeating itself took full maintain after Timme missed badly on a pair of free-throws and UCLA’s Amari Bailey buried a 3 on the opposite finish to place the Bruins forward with 12.2 seconds to go.

In that recreation 17 years in the past to the day, Gonzaga didn’t have a timeout to make use of after UCLA scored the go-ahead bucket, and a frenetic sequence ended with Bulldog level guard Derek Raivio dropping the ball and Morrison winding up on the court docket in tears.

This time, Mark Few was prepared.

The person who probably holds the doubtful but additionally respect-demanding title of “finest coach to by no means win a title” dialed up the identical full-court motion that Villanova used to beat North Carolina on the buzzer of the 2016 nationwide championship recreation. The play resulted in Julian Strawther getting a shot at a game-winner from nearly the identical spot the place he hit one earlier within the season towards BYU.

The Las Vegas native delivered once more.

After a steal by Gonzaga’s Malachi Smith, who then made 1-of-2 free-throws, UCLA had one closing likelihood to ship the sport into additional time. Campbell acquired an excellent look from about 30-feet, however the potential game-extender sailed simply lengthy.

For Gonzaga, the thriller places them simply three wins away from placing to mattress the “can they really do it?” speak perpetually. For UCLA, the dialog about this season appears destined to encompass the questions of what if Jaylen Terry wasn’t misplaced for the yr and what if Adem Bona had been capable of play towards the Zags. The crew definitely appeared to be adequate to win a nationwide title at full energy, and was proper there even at about 75-80%.

For everybody else, we’ll simply hope that we see these two squaring off in each event from now till eternity.

2. The Markquis Nowell/Keyontae Johnson lob

You’ve seen the play by now, however to start out this dialog, let’s be sure that we watch it once more.

Now let’s take a look at the court-level view.

Fast abstract right here: That’s New York native Markquis Nowell showing to deliberately get into it along with his head coach to chill out the protection, then throwing a half-look alley-oop move from simply inside halfcourt to Keyontae Johnson — the participant who terrifyingly collapsed on the court docket in December of 2020 — for a reverse cram to interrupt a 92-92 tie within the closing minute of additional time in a Candy 16 recreation being performed at Madison Sq. Backyard.

Oh, and the help allowed Nowell to tie the file for assists in a single NCAA event recreation, a file he would break minutes later.

Merely put, this might need been the good shit I’ve ever seen in my whole life.

Need or not it’s even cooler? Simply earlier than it occurred, Nowell appeared up within the crowd at Isaiah Thomas and Michigan State legend Mateen Cleaves and stated “watch this.”

Now Jerome Tang advised Sports activities Illustrated’s Richard Johnson after the sport that this “wasn’t a dummy name” and that Nowell and Johnson simply have an incredible connection and made an incredible play. I’m selecting to fully ignore this info.

Ok-State is probably the most enjoyable crew within the event, Markquis Nowell is probably the most enjoyable participant within the event, Keyontae Johnson is the very best story of the event, they usually had been saving this swaggy as fuck play-call all yr lengthy, simply ready for the right second. That is my reality.

Pre-meditated or not, this was an all-time March second from a participant on an all-time March run.

3. Hometown youngsters

Thursday was a improbable night time for lots of issues, none extra so than star gamers returning to their hometowns, burying game-winners, after which letting everybody each in attendance and watching from residence know whose metropolis it’s.

First up, Markquis Nowell, the person whose Twitter deal with is @MrNewYorkCityy and who would love everybody to know that he calls the Huge Apple residence.

Subsequent up, Julian Strawther, who was born in Las Vegas and performed his highschool ball at Liberty in close by Henderson, NV. After burying the shot that will in the end sink UCLA’s season, Strawther additionally wished the basketball world to pay attention to the truth that the occasion which simply occurred had taken place within the metropolis which he calls residence.

If there’s a Louisville or a Kansas Metropolis native taking the ground of their residence metropolis on Friday night time, their crew might be the one it’s essential be wagering on.

1. Uros Plavsic’s flagrant foul

The dirtiest play of Thursday night time got here from Tennessee’s Uros Plavsic, who’s actually fortunate that he wasn’t ejected for this.

Not solely was the forearm an inexpensive transfer, it was dumb. Tennessee trailed by simply 4 on the time (though the three-point shot that was within the air would in the end rip by the web), and there was solely 7:33 to play. The offensively-inept Volunteers might ill-afford to only give factors away to the Owls at this juncture, and Plavsic did simply that.

2. The Huge Ten

Whereas we nonetheless have a shot at our first West Coast champion since 1997, Michigan State’s loss to Kansas State signifies that the Huge Ten’s streak of title futility will prolong into at the least its twenty fourth yr subsequent season.

But it surely’s extra than simply the dearth of nationwide championships for the league at this level.

The Huge Ten has acquired extra bids than another convention in every of the final three NCAA tournaments. With these 26 whole bids, the convention has produced zero Closing 4 groups and only one regional finalist. The convention has put 17 groups within the discipline the final two seasons and hasn’t had a single crew play within the Elite Eight.

The metrics will probably proceed to inform us that the Huge Ten is likely one of the two finest conferences in faculty basketball subsequent season, however it’s getting tougher and tougher to belief any of the league’s prime performers on the game’s greatest stage.

3. UConn’s Vegas resort

No crew within the NCAA event is taking part in in addition to the UConn Huskies proper now, however that doesn’t imply that Danny Hurley’s crew hasn’t been met with some adversity in Las Vegas.

The crew was set to test into the Luxor resort on Tuesday, the resort booked for the crew by the NCAA, however gamers shortly complained that their rooms have been riddled with “dust, vomit, and worse.”

The crew bailed on the resort and was fortunately capable of finding new lodging. Whereas athletic director David Benedict stated the varsity “didn’t need to make an enormous deal” out of the scenario, UConn followers shortly started to accuse the NCAA of attempting to sabotage the Huskies.

Fortunately, the scenario didn’t seem to have any type of adverse have an effect on on the Huskies’ play Thursday night time.

Drew Timme, Gonzaga

UCLA had no reply for the Gonzaga huge man, who went nuts to the tune of 36 factors (probably the most for any participant on this event thus far) and 13 rebounds. With the efficiency, Timme went from twenty fourth to tied with Austin Carr for eleventh on the all-time NCAA event scoring checklist.

Markquis Nowell, Kansas State

The person who has taken this event by storm put forth yet one more murals, scoring 20 factors, handing out a event file 19 assists, and recording 5 steals in Kansas State’s additional time win over Michigan State.

Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA

In what was probably his closing efficiency as a Bruin, the Pac-12 Participant of the 12 months almost willed UCLA into the Elite Eight, scoring 29 factors, grabbing 11 rebounds, recording three steals and shelling out three assists.

Jordan Hawkins, UConn

He solely needed to play 28 minutes due to his crew’s whole effort towards Arkansas, however Hawkins buried three triples and all 9 of his free-throw makes an attempt on his method to a game-high 24 factors.

A.J. Hoggard, Michigan State

Hoggard did every little thing he might to maintain Sparty’s season alive, scoring a game-high 25 factors and recording a team-high six assists.

Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State

Certain, let’s see it once more.

1. The Markquis Nowell event

Typically this event may be so magical that it could actually get the entire nation speaking a couple of man they didn’t know existed three weeks earlier. The entire nation is speaking about Markquis Nowell.

Photograph by Elsa/Getty Photos

2. Owl energy

Florida Atlantic, which had been to only one NCAA event earlier than this yr and by no means received an NCAA event recreation, is only one win away from the Closing 4.

Photograph by Elsa/Getty Photos

3. Timme time

The person you both love or hate isn’t achieved but.

Photograph by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Photos

1. “I’m simply actually, actually grateful I get to yell at them in apply another day. We simply get to spend one other day and dap one another up, all little issues that actually matter. I’m simply so grateful for that.” —Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang

2. “If folks have an issue with that, they will go … go some other place.” —Drew Timme resisting the urge to swear on stay TV for the second time in per week.

3. “My opening assertion is it took 33 minutes to get me in right here, which is ridiculous.” —UCLA head coach Mick Cronin

Let’s do that once more. Carry snacks. Perhaps a sizzling dip or one thing.