The second round of the 2021 men’s college basketball championships began on Sunday afternoon and evening, as eight teams punched their tickets to the regional semifinals, with one of them being a No. 15 seed; and eight more went home – including the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated in this year’s tournament.
No. 1 – Illinois vs. No. 8 – Loyola Chicago
FINAL: 71-58 – Loyola Chicago
During its run to the national semifinals in 2018, Loyola Chicago beat some noteworthy schools, including major conference teams Miami (FL), Tennessee, and Kansas State. However, none of those teams were a No. 1 seed. On Sunday, Loyola Chicago added to its already impressive, recent tournament resume, sending home No. 1 seed Illinois in decisive fashion.
Despite its opponent being one of the top teams in the country all season, Loyola Chicago was the better squad for the entire 40 minutes against Illinois. Loyola Chicago never trailed throughout the game, leading by as much as 14 at one point. It was the first time all season Illinois never held a lead at any point during one of its games.
Loyola Chicago got out to a double-digit lead late in the first half and took a 33-24 advantage into the locker room at halftime. The momentum carried over to the second half, as Loyola Chicago was able to keep Illinois at bay, and rather comfortably. Illinois managed to cut its deficit to six points a couple of times, but for the most part, it was a four-to-five possession game in the second half.
Despite scoring a season-low 58 points, Illinois didn’t shoot too badly, going 22-for-49 as a team (44.9 percent). What hurt the Midwest Region’s top-seeded team was its three-point shooting, as Illinois made just 4-of-14 shots from behind the arc (28.6 percent). Loyola Chicago shot 51 percent from the floor, going 26-for-51, while also making 40 percent of its three-pointers (4-for-10).
Senior forward Cameron Krutwig turned in a huge performance for Loyola Chicago, recording a double-double with a team-best 19 points and game-high 12 rebounds, while also leading his team with five assists and four steals.
Loyola Chicago will face No. 12 seed Oregon State in the Midwest Regional semifinals on Saturday, March 27.
No. 4 – Oklahoma State vs. No. 12 – Oregon State
FINAL: 80-70 – Oregon State
In the final matchup of the night, No. 12 seed Oregon State upset No. 4 seed Oklahoma State in an absolute rollercoaster of a game.
Oregon State got off to a slow start, making just one of its first 11 shots and scoring four points over the first six minutes. However, the No. 12 seed’s offense came alive, going on a 28-10 run and taking a 13-point lead with 5:48 left in the first half. Oregon State would take a 44-30 advantage into the locker room at the break.
An 8-0 run by Oklahoma State early in the second half cut its deficit to five points with 13:50 to go. Star freshman Cade Cunningham hit a jumper to bring Oklahoma State within two points, 54-52, with 11:21 left; from that point, though, the tables turned back in Oregon State’s favor.
A pair of free throws from Ethan Thompson put Oregon State back up 10 points with 6:54 on the clock. Cunningham hit a three-pointer to pull Oklahoma State within three points. But, about a minute later, Thompson nailed a jump shot, stretching his team’s lead to 72-67, with 2:39 to play.
Oregon State was able to put the game away behind clutch free throw shooting. Thompson knocked down six shots from the charity stripe in the last two minutes, helping his team secure the 10-point victory.
Thompson finished with a game-high 26 points, shooting 5-for-11 from the floor and making 15-of-16 attempts from the free throw line. Cunningham led Oklahoma State with 24 points, despite a 6-for-20 shooting performance.
Oregon State will make its first official regional semifinal appearance since 1975 against No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago. Oregon State’s 1982 appearance in the regional semifinals was vacated.
No. 1 – Baylor vs. No. 9 – Wisconsin
FINAL: 76-63 – Baylor
Coming off a blowout win over No. 8 seed North Carolina in the opening round, No. 9 Wisconsin brought another good fight on Sunday. But, ultimately, No. 1 seed Baylor survived, advancing with a 13-point victory.
Baylor out-scored Wisconsin 42-29 in the first half and was able to use that cushion the rest of the way, as the latter trailed by double-digits for almost the entire second half. Baylor’s defense also stepped up big time, holding Wisconsin scoreless over nearly a five-minute span down the stretch. After combining for 50 points against North Carolina on Friday, the duo of D’Mitrik Trice and Brad Davison were held to a total of 20 points by Baylor, scoring 12 and eight, respectively.
Matthew Mayer was Baylor’s leading scorer, finishing with 17 points off the bench. Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler both added 16 points apiece for Baylor. Mitchell also finished with a game-high eight assists.
Baylor advances to the South Regional semifinals to take on No. 5 seed Villanova on Saturday, March 27.
No. 5 – Villanova vs. No. 13 – North Texas
FINAL: 84-61 – Villanova
No. 5 seed Villanova punched its ticket to the South Regional semifinals with a dominating, 84-61 victory over No. 13 seed North Texas, who sent No. 4 seed Purdue home with an upset last Friday.
After going down 19-13 with 12:00 to play in the first half, Villanova went on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes, taking a five-point lead into the under-8:00 media timeout. Villanova closed the opening period on a 19-4 run, taking a 47-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Villanova led by as much as 26 points in the second half, and were able to cruise to victory without any pressure down the final stretch.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl led Villanova with 18 points, while also adding six rebounds and a team-high six assists. Jermaine Samuels scored 15 points and grabbed a team-best nine rebounds for Villanova. Justin Moore finished with 15 points for Villanova as well.
No. 3 – West Virginia vs. No. 11 – Syracuse
FINAL: 75-72 – Syracuse
In a matchup of former conference rivals, and two head coaches that have combined for over 1,800 career wins, No. 11 seed Syracuse bested No. 3 seed West Virginia in a thriller, 75-72.
Led by Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim, Syracuse jumped out to a big lead in the first half, going ahead by 14 points less than 10 minutes in. West Virginia managed to cut its deficit down to six by halftime, trailing 35-29 at the break.
West Virginia out-scored Syracuse in the second half, but the emergence of Buddy Boeheim, Jim’s son, in the final 20 minutes, propelled the latter to victory. Boeheim scored 22 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, hitting five of his six made three-pointers in the final period. Boeheim also made three free throws in the final 30 seconds to help his team secure the victory.
As a team, Syracuse shot well, going 27-for-52 (51.9 percent) from the floor and 14-for-31 from three-point range (45.2 percent), hitting seven in each half. West Virginia hit over 40 percent of its threes as well, going 11-for-26 (42.3 percent). However, WVU shot just 37.1 percent overall, going 26-for-70.
Syracuse will face No. 2 seed Houston in the Midwest Regional semifinals on Saturday, March 27. For the elder Boeheim, it will be his 20th regional semifinal appearance.
No. 2 – Houston vs. No. 10 – Rutgers
FINAL: 63-60 – Houston
For the first time since 1984, the ‘Phi Slama Jama’ era, Houston will be making a second-consecutive appearance in the regional semifinals. No. 2 seed Houston slipped past No. 10 seed Rutgers on Sunday night, thanks to a late comeback, 63-60.
Down eight points with less than five minutes to play, DeJon Jarreau hit a three-point shot to cut Houston’s deficit to 58-53, with 4:11 left on the clock. The shot started a 13-2 Houston run, which closed out the game; Rutgers didn’t score a point in the final 2:04.
Trailing 60-58 with less than 30 seconds to play, Houston’s Tramon Mark grabbed a rebound off a missed shot from Jarreau, and went right back up with the ball, laying it in and tying the game. Mark was also fouled on the play, and gave Houston a one-point lead with a made free throw.
With a chance to take the lead back, Rutgers’ Geo Baker turned the ball over with 12 seconds to go, leading to two more points at the other end from Houston’s Marcus Sasser via free throws, after he was intentionally fouled.
Rugters’ Ron Harper Jr. had a great look from three-point range to tie to the game in the final seconds, but the shot hit off the rim, and Houston was able to exhale.
Quentin Grimes led Houston with 22 points and nine rebounds, both game-highs. Jarreau added 17 points and five boards for Houston as well.
No. 3 – Arkansas vs. No. 6 – Texas Tech
FINAL: 68-66 – Arkansas
In a highly competitive, back-and-forth matchup that came down to the final seconds, No. 3 seed Arkansas bested No. 6 seed Texas Tech, 68-66, to advance to the regional semifinals.
In the final seconds, down two points, Texas Tech’s Kyler Edwards drove to the basket while being guarded by Arkansas’ Justin Smith, but Edwards missed the game-tying attempt, and Arkansas grabbed the rebound, securing the win.
Smith led Arkansas in scoring with 20 points, matching Texas Tech’s Terrence Shannon Jr. for a game-high. Three other Arkansas players finished in double figures, as Moses Moody and Davonte Davis scored 15 points apiece, and Jalen Tate added 10. Jaylin Williams finished with 10 rebounds and four assists for Arkansas, both team-highs.
Arkansas trailed by as much as 10 points early in the first half, but managed to battle back and take a two-point advantage into the locker room at the break. With that first half comeback, Arkansas has now won nine games this season despite trailing by double digits at some point.
Arkansas will face No. 15 seed Oral Roberts in the South Regional semifinals on Saturday, March 27. It’ll be Arkansas’ first appearance in a regional semifinal since 1996.
No. 7 – Florida vs. No. 15 – Oral Roberts
FINAL: 81-78 – Oral Roberts
No. 15 seed Oral Roberts, still riding the momentum from ousting No. 2 seed Ohio State in the first round, continued its Cinderella run, besting No. 7 seed Florida in a back-and-forth slugfest, 81-78.
Oral Roberts showed right from the opening tip its’ upset win on Friday was no flash in the pan, hanging with Florida all the way through the first half and trailing by just five points at halftime. Early in the second period, it appeared that Florida was poised to pull away on a couple of occasions, but Oral Roberts continued to hang around.
A three-pointer from Kevin Obanor pulled Oral Roberts within three, 74-71, with 4:35 to go. Less than two minutes later, Obanor hit another jumper, this time inside the arc, to give Oral Roberts a 77-76 lead. After Florida responded with a jumper from Noah Locke, DeShang Weaver hit a three at the other end, putting Oral Roberts back on top, 80-78, with 2:10 to play.
Oral Roberts closed the win out as strongly as any team could, holding Florida scoreless over the final 2:30 of game time. A free throw from Obanor put Oral Roberts up three points with 0:17 left. Florida got two three-point shots off in the final 10 seconds, but both fell short.
Obanor led Oral Roberts with 28 points and 11 rebounds (both game-highs for their respective categories), recording his second double-double in as many games. Obanor also registered a game-best four steals, while shooting 9-for-16 overall, and 4-for-7 from three-point range. Coming off a 29-point performance against Ohio State, Max Abmas dropped 26 on Sunday night, while also dishing out a game-high seven assists, and going a perfect 12-for-12 at the free-throw line.
With the victory, Oral Roberts becomes just the second No. 15 seed in tournament history to reach the regional semifinals, joining Florida Gulf Coast’s squad from 2013. Oral Roberts’ matchup with No. 3 seed Arkansas will be its first regional semifinal appearance since 1974.
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Tournament action continues on Monday, March 22, with the second day of the second round. The first of eight games on the slate is set to tip-off at 12:10 p.m. ET, with the final matchup scheduled to start at 9:40 p.m. ET. Coverage on Monday of the men’s college basketball championships will be available on ESPN 1520, starting at 12 p.m. ET.
