The 2021 men’s college basketball championships continued on Sunday with the regional semifinal round coming to a close. A couple of No. 1 seeds moved on with relative ease, a double digit-seeded team advanced in an overtime thriller, and the nightcap featured a matchup of conference rivals.
With the tournament field down to eight teams, the regional finals are officially set.
No. 2 – Alabama vs. No. 11 – UCLA
FINAL: 88-78 – UCLA (OT)
No. 11 seed UCLA’s exciting, and unexpected run reached new heights Sunday night, as it shocked No. 2 seed Alabama, 88-78, in overtime, becoming just the second team in tournament history to reach the regional finals after participating in the play-in round the same year (Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011).
Alabama’s Alex Reese hit a game-tying three-pointer as the buzzer sounded at the end of regulation, knotting the score at 65-65, and forcing overtime. However, UCLA took momentum back with a 7-0 scoring run to start the extra period. Alabama was able to pull back within four points, but UCLA finished strong, stretching its lead to as much as 12 in the final minute.
Both sides traded runs throughout almost the entire 45-minute contest. UCLA closed the first half on a 20-6 run to take an 11-point lead into halftime. Alabama tied the score, 40-40, with an 11-0 run of its own over the first five minutes of the second half. UCLA went back up by as much as seven points over the next few minutes, but Alabama, again, tied things up.
Over the final nine minutes of regulation, the largest lead for either team was three points - UCLA’s in the final seconds, before Reese’s game-tying buzzer-beater.
What may be the most impressive part of UCLA’s win is that it held Alabama off without one of its top players, Johnny Juzang, who fouled out with 2:26 left in regulation. While he had a bit of an off-night shooting, going 5-for-18 from the field, Juzang played a big part in helping his team keep pace with Alabama’s offense, and finished with 13 points. Defensively, UCLA held Alabama to 25% from three-point range (7-for-28), despite long-range shooting being one of the latter’s specialties this season.
UCLA had pretty balanced scoring. Including Juzang, six UCLA players finished in double figures. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Jules Bernard scored 17 points apiece to lead UCLA. David Singleton added 15 points, while Tyger Campbell and Cody Riley finished with 13 and 10, respectively.
UCLA will face No. 1 seed Michigan in the East Regional finals on Tuesday, March 30; it’ll be UCLA’s 22nd regional final appearance (not including the vacated trip in 1980), and first since 2008. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 9:57 p.m. ET.
No. 1 – Michigan vs. No. 4 – Florida State
FINAL: 76-58 – Michigan
No. 1 seed Michigan coasted past No. 4 seed Florida State en route to an 18-point victory. Michigan used its prowess in the paint to best Florida State, out-scoring its lower-seeded opposition, 50-28, in the aforementioned area.
Right from the opening tip, Michigan looked like the better team, and by a wide margin. Michigan already had a double-digit lead less than 10 minutes in and held an 11-point advantage at halftime.
Michigan’s offense played even better in the second half, scoring 44 points over the final 20 minutes and leaving no chance for Florida State to make a true comeback. Michigan shot just under 50% as a team, despite going 27.3% from three-point range (3-for-11).
Defensively, Michigan completely shut Florida State down. Michigan set the tone early, limiting Florida State to just 21 points in the first half. Michigan also forced 14 turnovers (10 in the first half), which led to 16 points. Overall, Florida State shot 40% (24-for-60), but was held to just 5-of-20 from three-point range (25%).
Hunter Dickinson and Brandon Johns Jr. each scored 14 points to lead Michigan in scoring. Dickinson, the 7-foot-1 freshman, also had six rebounds and added a pair of blocks. Franz Wagner finished with a doubled-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.
Michigan’s matchup with No. 11 seed UCLA on Tuesday, March 30, will be the former’s second regional final appearance in the last three tournaments, and fourth since 2013.
No. 1 – Gonzaga vs. No. 5 – Creighton
FINAL: 83-65 – Gonzaga
No. 1 seed Gonzaga continued its dominant run through this year’s tournament, cruising past No. 5 seed Creighton, 83-65, and improving its overall record to 29-0.
Gonzaga jumped out to a seven-point lead in the first 2:15 and never looked back. Creighton pulled within two points midway through the opening half, but Gonzaga went on a 10-2 run to go back up double digits, and took a 43-33 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Gonzaga continued to build its lead early in the second half and then blew the game open in the final 12 minutes. The No. 1 overall seed’s advantaged got as large as 27 points in the second half; and it was largely due to an incredible shooting performance.
As a team, Gonzaga shot nearly 60% from the field, finishing 34-for-57. Drew Timme scored 22 points to lead Gonzaga, while also adding six rebounds and four assists. Andrew Nembhard finished with 17 points and a game-high eight assists. Joel Ayayi grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and scored 13 points, despite shooting 3-for-10 from three. Corey Kispert was the fourth Gonzaga player to finish in double figures, scoring 12 points.
Gonzaga made 37.5% of its three-pointers, finishing 9-for-24 as a team. Nembhard, Ayayi, and Kispert shot a combined 8-for-18 (44%) from three. Creighton struggled shooting from behind the arc, finishing 5-for-23 (21.7%). Overall, Creighton shot just over 40% (28-for-69).
Gonzaga will face No. 6 seed Southern California in the West Regional finals on Tuesday, March 30, with tipoff scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. Gonzaga will be making its fifth regional final appearance in program history, and fourth since 2015.
No. 6 – Southern California (USC) vs. No. 7 – Oregon
FINAL: 82-68 – Southern California
Despite facing a team from its own conference, No. 6 seed Southern California defeated No. 7 seed Oregon with relative ease, 82-68.
The score was tight for the first 15 minutes, but USC went on a four-minute, 12-2 scoring run, building a comfortable, double-digit lead late in the opening period. USC took a 41-26 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
USC quickly stretched its lead to 20 points early in the second half, going ahead, 52-32, with 16:43 on a three-pointer from Drew Peterson. Oregon cut its deficit to single digits with a 9-0 run in the later stages of the second half.
With a 69-60 lead and under four minutes to play, USC flipped another switch, quickly went back up by 12 on a three from Tahj Eaddy, and closed out the game from there. Eaddy finished with 20 points, shooting 7-for-11 and 3-for-6 from behind the arc.
Isaiah White scored a team-high 22 points to lead USC, while also grabbing five rebounds and registering three steals. Isaiah Mobley finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Evan Mobley, Isaiah’s brother, added 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and a pair of blocks.
USC shot very well as a team, going 31-for-54 from the field (57.4%) and 10-for-17 (58.8%) from three, despite going on a five-minute scoring drought in the second half.
Southern California will play in its fourth regional final in program history, and first since 2001, Tuesday night against No. 1 seed Gonzaga.
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Tournament action continues on Monday, March 29, with the first two regional final matchups. No. 2 seed Houston will face No. 12 seed Oregon State in the Midwest Regional finals at 7:15 p.m. ET. The clash between No. 1 seed Baylor and No. 3 seed Arkansas in the South Regional finals is scheduled to begin at 9:57 p.m. ET.
Coverage on Monday of the men’s college basketball championships will be available on ESPN 1520, starting at 7 p.m. ET.
