The second round of the 2021 men’s college basketball championships continued on Monday afternoon and evening, as eight more teams punched their tickets to the regional semifinals. A No. 2 seed was sent home, a couple of No. 1 seeds moved on, and the regional semifinal matchups are officially set.
No. 2 – Iowa vs. No. 7 – Oregon
FINAL: 95-80 – Oregon
No. 7 seed Oregon didn’t play its first round game against No. 10 seed Virginia Commonwealth due to COVID-19 protocols and automatically advanced to the Round of 32. Against No. 2 seed Iowa, Oregon certainly looked more refreshed than rusty, cruising to a 15-point victory.
Oregon shot 60% from the field as a team (38-for-68) and knocked-down 11 three-pointers. Oregon capped a great first half by scoring 20 points in the final six minutes and going on a 10-0 run to end the period, taking a 56-46 lead into the locker room at halftime. Oregon led by as much as 21 points in the second half, with its lead never dipping below double digits over the final 19:09.
Chris Duarte scored a team-high 23 points for Oregon and also tied for a team-best seven assists. Will Richardson also recorded seven assists for Oregon, along with 19 points. L.J. Figueroa led Oregon’s hot shooting from behind the arc, going 5-for-9 from three-point range and finishing with 21 points.
Despite being on the losing end, two-time All-American Luka Garza put on a superb performance in his final game for Iowa. The senior center finished with 36 points and nine rebounds, both game-highs, and knocked down a trio of three-pointers. Aside from 17 points from Joe Wieskamp, Iowa didn’t get much more offensive help.
Oregon will face No. 6 seed Southern California, a conference rival, in the West Regional semifinals on Sunday, March 28. It will be Oregon’s fourth regional semifinal appearance in the last five tournaments.
No. 3 – Kansas vs. No. 6 – Southern California (USC)
FINAL: 85-51 – Southern California
In what was the final game of the night, No. 6 seed Southern California completely routed No. 3 seed Kansas, 85-51, in an impressive dismantling of one of college basketball’s most historic programs. The 34-point defeat is Kansas’ largest tournament loss in team history.
USC came sprinting out of the gates, taking a 12-3 lead a little over seven minutes into the game. The score stayed somewhat tight for a good portion of the first half, but over the final stretch of the period, USC already began to put the game on ice. A 13-2 run over the final 4:40 of the opening frame gave the No. 6 seed a commanding, 40-21 halftime lead.
Kansas didn’t have a glimmer of hope in the second half, as USC continued to blow it open, leading by as much as 35 points.
USC shot an eye-popping 61.1% from three-point range, knocking-down 11-of-18 shots. Overall, USC finished 32-for-56 from the field (57.1%). Kansas, on the other hand, shot an abysmal 29% (18-for-62) and made just 6-of-25 three-point attempts (24%).
Isaiah Mobley led USC with 17 points, going 4-for-5 from three, while also recording eight rebounds and four assists. Evan Mobley finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds, along with a team-best five assists and three blocks.
USC’s matchup against No. 7 seed Oregon will be its first regional semifinal appearance since 2007.
No. 1 – Gonzaga vs. No. 8 – Oklahoma
FINAL: 87-71 – Gonzaga
It was smooth sailing (again) for No. 1 seed Gonzaga, the top overall team in the 2021 tournament. Just like in Round 1, Gonzaga cruised to victory over No. 8 seed Oklahoma, keeping its undefeated season and title hopes alive. Gonzaga won by double digits for the 25th-conseuctive time this season to advance to the program’s sixth-straight regional semifinal appearance.
Drew Timme finished with a double-double, leading Gonzaga with a game-high 30 points and 13 rebounds; along with a team-best four assists. Three other Gonzaga players finished in double figures; Corey Kispert and Jalen Suggs both scored 16 points apiece, while Joel Ayayi chipped in with 12.
Austin Reaves led Oklahoma with 27 points, making 11-of-17 shots. As a team, Oklahoma shot pretty well, going 50% from the field (29-for-58). Despite trailing by double digits most of the second half, Reaves did cut Oklahoma’s deficit to 77-68 with 2:37 to play; but Gonzaga was able to separate the gap again in the final minutes.
Gonzaga will face No. 5 seed Creighton in the West Regional semifinals on Sunday, March 28.
No. 5 – Creighton vs. No. 13 – Ohio
FINAL: 72-58 – Creighton
No. 5 seed Creighton went down-to-the-wire with No. 12 seed UC Santa Barbara in the first round, advancing with a one-point victory. On Monday, Creighton didn’t have as much trouble getting past its double-digit seeded opposition, No. 13 seed Ohio, winning by a 14-point margin.
After taking a 39-24 advantage into the locker room at halftime, Creighton extended its lead to 21 points early in the second half. Ohio was never able to recover; its smallest deficit in the final period was nine points.
Marcus Zegarowski led Creighton with 20 points, hitting 4-of-7 shots from three-point range. Christian Bishop grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and added 12 points to finish with a double-double. Damien Jefferson finished second in scoring for Creighton, dropping 15 points, while also finishing with five rebounds and three assists.
Defensively, Creighton did a great job limiting Ohio’s talented duo of Ben Vander Plas and Jason Preston; the pair shot a combined 4-for-22 from the field, finishing with just nine and four points, respectively.
Slated to face No. 1 seed Gonzaga on Sunday, Creighton will be making the program’s first regional semifinal appearance since 1974.
No. 11 – UCLA vs. No. 14 – Abilene Christian
FINAL: 67-47 – UCLA
No. 11 seed UCLA won its third tournament game in five days Monday evening, downing No. 14 seed Abilene Christian in convincing fashion, 67-47.
UCLA went on an 18-0 run midway through the first half, holding its opponent scoreless for nearly 10 minutes, to take a commanding, 14-point lead. UCLA held 10-point lead into halftime and limited Abilene Christian to just 21 points in the opening frame.
Coming out of the locker room, UCLA was intent on putting the game away before the final buzzer even sounded. The No. 11 seed opened the second half with a 14-1 run, going up 23 points with a little over 15 minutes left. Abilene Christian was kept at bay over the remainder of the contest. The underdogs didn’t looked poised to make a comeback at all, despite its impressive, upset win over No. 3 seed Texas in Round 1.
Johnny Juzang led UCLA with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting, going 3-for-7 from three-point range. Cody Riley finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds for UCLA.
UCLA’s offense was good enough, shooting 46.6% (27-for-58) overall. But, it was the defense that stepped-up. Abilene Christian shot just 29.8% (17-for-57) and finished 4-for-19 from three-point range (21.1%).
UCLA will face No. 2 seed Alabama in the East Regional semifinals on Sunday, March 28; it will be UCLA’s 34th official regional semifinal appearance in program history.
No. 2 – Alabama vs. No. 10 – Maryland
FINAL: 96-77 – Alabama
No. 2 seed Alabama erupted for 50 points in the second half to blow past No. 10 seed Maryland, 96-77.
Known for its three-point shooting prowess, Alabama shot 48.5% from behind the arc, knocking-down 16-of-33 attempts. Overall, Alabama shot 53% (35-for-66).
Alabama went into the locker room at half time with an eight-point edge. After the first five minutes of the second half, the lead was stretched to 23, thanks to a 14-0 scoring run, highlighted by back-to-back threes from John Petty Jr.
Alabama was able to maintain a comfortable lead the rest of the way, never even letting its advantage dip below double-digits.
Petty Jr. finished with 20 points, shooting 4-for-9 from three and 7-for-15 overall. Jaden Shackelford led Alabama with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting and making 5-of-8 attempts from behind the arc. Jahvon Quinerly finished the night with a double-double for Alabama, scoring 14 points and dishing-out a game-high 11 assists.
Alabama’s matchup against No. 11 seed UCLA will be its first regional semifinal appearance since 2004.
No. 1 – Michigan vs. No. 8 – Louisiana State (LSU)
FINAL: 86-78 – Michigan
No. 1 seed Michigan advanced to its fourth-consecutive regional semifinal, a new program record, following a hard-fought, 86-78 win over No. 8 seed Louisiana State.
Michigan’s one-point edge at halftime perfectly exemplified how close this contest was, as both teams traded punches and runs throughout the 40-minute barnburner. LSU led 30-21 with 7:26 to go in the first half, but Michigan steadily closed the gap over the final minutes of the period, eventually taking the lead thanks to a pair of free throws from Franz Wagner in the last 60 seconds.
LSU took the lead back, briefly, early in the second half, going up six with 16:09 still on the clock. Michigan, again, quickly got back in it and tied things up, 51-51, a little over a minute later.
Once again, LSU got back in front, but Michigan finally took control with about eight minutes left. A pair of free throws followed by a three-pointer a few plays later from Chaundee Brown capped a 14-1 Michigan run, and gave them a 72-64 lead with 6:02 to play. LSU managed to get back within six points a couple of times down the final stretch, but Michigan was able to fend its opposition off, sealing the win with 32 seconds left on a pair of free throws from Eli Brooks.
Brooks led Michigan with 21 points and a game-high seven assists. Brown tied with Brooks for the team lead in scoring, also finishing with 21 points and hitting 3-of-6 three-point attempts. Freshman center Hunter Dickinson registered a double-double, finishing with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Wagner added 15 points and seven rebounds for Michigan as well.
Cameron Thomas and Javonte Smart both had big nights offensively for LSU, despite coming up short in the end; finishing with 30 and 27 points, respectively.
Michigan will take on No. 4 seed Florida State in the East Regional semifinals on Sunday, March 28.
No. 4 – Florida State vs. No. 5 – Colorado
FINAL: 71-53 – Florida State
After a slow, low-scoring first half from both sides, No. 4 seed Florida State was able to pull away in the second half to best No. 5 seed Colorado, 71-53.
Coming off a 96-point showing against No. 12 seed Georgetown in the first round, Colorado was held to its second-lowest scoring total this season, and was limited to just 20 points in the first half, with seven coming in the final two minutes before the break.
Colorado hung around for a good portion of the second half, managing to stay within a few possessions of tying things back up. A three-pointer from Anthony Polite extended Florida State’s lead to 55-41 with 6:03 to play, seemingly putting the game away. In control the rest of the way, leading by as much as 19 at one point, Florida State was able to close the game out with relative ease.
Polite scored a career-high 22 points to lead Florida State, shooting 8-for-12 overall and 4-for-7 from three-point range. Malik Osborne was the only other FSU player to finish in double figures, scoring 11 points. As a team, Florida State shot 52.2% from the field, going 24-for-46.
Florida State’s clash with Michigan in the East Regional semifinals will be a rematch of the 2018 West Regional final, where Michigan eliminated Florida State. Florida State will be making its third-consecutive regional semifinal appearance.
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Tournament action continues on Saturday, March 27, with the first day of the regional semifinals. The first of four games, No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago vs. No. 12 seed Oregon State, is set to tip-off at 2:40 p.m. ET. The final matchup of the day, No. 2 seed Houston vs. No. 11 seed Syracuse, is scheduled to start at 9:55 p.m. ET.
Coverage on Saturday of the men’s college basketball championships will be available on ESPN 1520, starting at 2 p.m. ET.
