The first 15-seed to ever advance to the Elite Eight in NCAA tournament history was Saint Peter's. (0:41) The brackets for the NCAA tournament are broken. All of them. Is the uncle the one who claims to have Saint Peter in the Elite Eight? He has been lying for the ninth year in a row. We have never seen his actual brackets. Did your sibling pick Miami to make the Elite Eight for the first time? Yes. Coach K would reach the Elite Eight in his final season, and every Duke fan knew it. Okay. At this point in the season, nothing makes sense in a field that only has one top seed in the final eight. We reseeded the Elite Eight. What does that mean at this point? We hope that it means that we are taking a hard look at the remaining teams and telling you where we think they are. Everyone on this list is a good team that should be proud of reaching the stage. Every team on this list has done something to make you think that a run to New Orleans is possible. We think they all stand here. 1. The Kansas Jayhawks.
Original seed: No. 1
Elite Eight seed: No. 1
2022 tournament record:
In 2020-21, Martin had four games with 30 points or more. Kansas didn't need any additional pieces with Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack back. The talent pool for the squad that was already considered a national championship contender was expanded by the arrival of Martin through the transfer portal.
His season ended because of a knee injury. Martin never looked like the first team all-Pac-12 player who averaged 19.1 points in back-to-back seasons before coming to Lawrence, even when he was available for long stretches at the start of the season. He had challenges finding a role on a team that had established players at every spot on the floor and reliable reserves.
Pick the winner of the games in the NCAA tournament from the Sweet 16 to the championship. The tournament challenge had a second chance.
We thought we'd see this in November. Bill Self has a chance to win his second national title, thanks to the help of this man. Since the start of the Big 12 tournament, opponents of KU have made less than 50% of their shots inside the arcs. This team is being led by the defense. In the NCAA tournament, Martin has averaged 19.3 points per game and has connected on 40% of his 3-point attempts.
We wondered how good Kansas could be if Martin became the same star he was in the Pac-12.
The next game is against Miami on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. CBS
2. The Houston Astros.
Original seed: No. 5 Elite Eight seed: No. 1
2022 tournament record:
Defeated No. 12 UAB 82-68; defeated No. 4 Illinois 68-53; defeated No. 1 Arizona 72-60After leading Houston to the Elite Eight for the second year in a row, the coach is still taking his shirt off. The run of 2022, is even more impressive. They lost their top two scorers from last year, DeJon Jarreau and Quentin Grimes. Marcus Sasser had taken over as the top scorer for Houston, but an injury ended the season in December. Tramon Mark had a year-ending injury in December. It seemed that the team could struggle to win the American Athletic Conference title.
The group has been tenacious. It has won its last 13 games by an average of 12 points. The Cougars have made 45% of their shots inside the 3-point line and grabbed 42% of their missed shots since February 17. They have won their three NCAA tournament games by large margins. The toughness around the rim has been provided by Josh Carlton. In his last five games, Kyler has averaged 17.4 points per game and connected on 42% of his 3-point attempts. Houston is more than just a great story. Houston has a chance to win the national championship.
The next game is against Villanova on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. It is on the TBS
3. The Duke Blue Devil team.
Original seed: No. 2 Elite Eight seed: No. 1
2022 tournament record:
Defeated No. 15 CSU Fullerton 78-61; defeated No. 7 Michigan State 85-76; defeated No. 3 Texas Tech 78-73Even if young players become millionaires with NBA contracts, they can be a challenge at this stage of the season. It seemed as if the pressure was getting to a Duke team that was anchored by young talent when they lost to North Carolina. Maybe this spotlight was too much for them. Expectations of Duke in the playoffs were lowered by the defeat. Most young teams have struggled to match the hype. In the one-and-done era, Kentucky had Anthony Davis in 2012 and Duke had three first-round NBA draft picks in 2015.
We all saw the promise of a team with young stars. Texas Tech boasted the top defense in America, but Duke was still in the game. There were 11 ties and 13 lead changes in the game. The team that turned the corner in the last 10 minutes would win. Duke was that team. Paolo Banchero hit a pair of crucial 3s. Mark Williams was playing over the top of the Red Raiders. Jeremy Roach rumbled into the paint for clutch plays. He had been fearless. It was a reminder that the Duke team is young. The Blue Devil will have the better talent when the game is on the line. They are fighting and playing for a chance at the Final Four on Saturday. Coach K could win his sixth and final national championship because of that reality.
The next game is against Arkansas on Saturday. It is on the TBS
4. The Wildcats of Villanova.
Original seed: No. 2 Elite Eight seed: No. 1
2022 tournament record:
Defeated No. 15 Delaware 80-60; defeated No. 7 Ohio State 71-61; defeated No. 11 Michigan 63-55One of the most painful images of 2020-21 was when Collin Gillespie went down with a knee injury against Creighton on March 3. He had not been diagnosed with a torn MCL yet, but the silence in the building was deafening. The fans of the school knew it was bad. The NCAA's COVID rules allowed every player another year of college eligibility, so Gillespie decided to rehabilitate and return for a fifth season. The point guard has committed turnovers on just 13.5% of his possessions and made 42% of his 3-point attempts through the three tournament wins.
The two teams that won national titles were made up of steady point guards. The three teams have the same late-season dominance. In the last 12 games, the Cats went 11-1 and only three of them were decided by less than 10 points. The squad won 13 of its final 14 games, with one being decided by single digits. This year? In its last 14 games, Villanova is 13-1 The previous title teams played more close contests than the current one.
The next game is against Houston on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. It is on the TBS
The 4-seed Razorbacks upset the top seed in the Sweet 16.
5. Arkansas Razorbacks.
Original seed: No. 4 Elite Eight seed: No. 2
2022 tournament record:
Defeated No. 13 Vermont 75-71; defeated No. 12 New Mexico State 53-48; defeated No. 1 Gonzaga 74-68Eric Musselman was named head coach of the Golden State Warriors twenty years ago. He had secured his dream job in his late 30s. He was fired after missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The Arkansas coach talked about his storyline on Thursday after he led his team to a win over the No. 1 seed. He said it felt more special to win in the Bay Area. The Razorbacks are not the only team that prevented fans from seeing the Duke-Goliath game on Saturday. The program finds an edge in tight games. The NCAA tournament games have been decided by an average of five points.
The postgame narrative has centered on what happened to Gonzaga, but it has also minimized what the Razorbacks achieved: This will be their second consecutive Elite Eight appearance, and second Elite Eight trip since 1995. Jaylin Williams held his own against a team that included a top-three NBA draft pick and an All-American. Notae was too fast for the guards. They were too athletic. If the Razorbacks can beat the most dominant team in college basketball this season, then nothing is impossible for this group, which has committed turnovers on just 11.7% of its possessions since the start of the NCAA tournament.
The next game is against Duke on Saturday. It is on the TBS
The Heels have a pair of back-to-back 3s from Love and a tip in from Bacot down the stretch.
6. The Tar Heels of North Carolina.
Original seed: No. 8 Elite Eight seed: No. 2
2022 tournament record:
Defeated No. 9 Marquette 95-63; defeated No. 1 Baylor 93-86 (OT); defeated No. 4 UCLA 73-66There were a lot of changes on the North Carolina roster at the start of the season. The role of head coach still takes some time to get used to, despite the fact that he had been an assistant for nearly nine years. Brady Manek was trying to fit in with the returning players. The team had to come together for it to hit its stride.
I like that our team can change, we can adjust, and we can pivot in order for us to be better out there on the floor, Davis said earlier this season.
The Tar Heels had been the best team in America since March 5, when they beat Duke in Coach K& The program embraced the continuity that Davis wanted.
A group of players who have settled into their roles. Love scored 30 points in the second half against the Bruins. North Carolina would continue to go to him down the stretch. Love was allowed to shine by his teammates. Armando Bacot has hard screens. The Tar Heels get second-chance opportunities. The spacing is important. The goal was to allow the teammate with the hot hands to work. The squad has come together at the right time.
The next game is against Saint Peter's on Sunday. CBS
7. The Peacocks of Saint Peter.
Original seed: No. 15 Elite Eight seed: No. 2
2022 tournament record:
Defeated No. 2 Kentucky 85-79 (OT); defeated No. 7 Murray State 70-60; defeated No. 3 Purdue 67-64If you read the old press clippings, you will learn that his team relied on him a lot. With his squad set to face Oklahoma State in the Sweet 16 in 2000, all eyes were on the health of Holloway, who had suffered an ankle injury in the round of 32.
A team trainer told the Washington Post at the time that they had tried everything they could. It will be up to the doctor and him.
This idea that Holloway changes programs is worth addressing, after his Saint Peter's squad became the first 15-seed in NCAA tournament history to reach the Elite Eight with a 67-64 win over 3-seed Purdue on Friday.
The strength and tenacity of the Peacocks team embodied the character that made Holloway an essential player for those teams. It is one thing to hit a bunch of 3s and beat a top team. That is not what happened against the Boilermakers. That is not what has happened in this tournament. In the end, the Peacocks were better than Kentucky. They defeated a Murray State team that had not lost a game in a month. They beat a team led by projected lottery pick Jaden Ivey and two of the top big men in the league.
Their roster is full of players who weren't ranked in high school. They were aggressive and won at the free throw line, as well as through defensive pressure, that refused to give the Boilermakers anything easy in the final minutes. KC Ndefo was done with it. Didn't matter. Matthew Lee refused to let the Boilermakers change his team's identity down the stretch. Saint Peter's has made history.
The next game is against North Carolina on Sunday. CBS
There are 8. The Miami Hurricanes.
Original seed: No. 10 Elite Eight seed: No. 2
2022 tournament record:
Defeated No. 7 USC 68-66; defeated No. 2 Auburn 79-61; defeated No. 11 Iowa State 70-56There were multiple chances for Miami to get a higher seed. The Hurricanes lost to Florida State in two one-point games. There were two losses, one to Virginia and one to Virginia Tech. The Hurricanes could have won all of their games this season, which would have added to the story about their season. The difference in the NCAA tournament can be that. On paper, a team can look worse than it really is.
Miami has the ability to compete against the best teams in America. The leader for this group has been Kameron McGusty. Charlie Moore is a veteran. Sam Waardenburg has made 42% of his 3-point attempts this season. USC, the SEC champion, and an Iowa State team that had orchestrated one of the nation's greatest comebacks after winning just two games last season have all been defeated by Miami. Jim Larra has put it all together to lead Miami to its first Elite Eight appearance in school history.
The next game is against Kansas on Sunday. CBS
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