2013 NCAA Tourney Thursday Sweet 16 Results

East Region

(3) Marquette 71 (2) Miami 61 - After winning their opening round game by one point over Davidson and then beating Butler by a deuce to advance, Marquette left little doubt in their runaway victory over the second-seeded Hurricanes.

The Golden Eagles took control of the game early, establishing the lead within the first five minutes and quickly expanding it to a 13-point edge at the break. The final score was hardly indicative of how one-sided this contest won, Marquette leading by double digits the entire second half and by as many as 22, before the Hurricanes closed the gap with the outcome no longer in doubt.

Marquette sizzled from the field at 54%, while Miami was uncharacteristically ice cold, hitting just 35%. Four Marquette players scored in double figures, led by Jamil Wilson with 16. Vander Blue and Davante Gardner each had 14 points.

(4) Syracuse 61 (1) Indiana 50 - Top-ranked Indiana couldn't solve the Syracuse 2-3 zone, turning the ball over 17 times and shooting just 34% for the game. Sophomore Michael Carter-Williams scored a career-high 23 points, with six rebound and four steals to lead the Orange. Syracuse went on a 9-0 run early in the game to take an 11-3 lead and was never challenged thereafter, leading by as many as 16 points in the first half.

The Syracuse defense was phenomenal, coming up with 11 steals and blocking the same number of shots.

Marquette meets Syracuse Saturday afternoon in the East Regional final, assuring the Big East of representation in the Final Four. The Golden eagles and Orange met once during the regular season. Marquette defended their home court with a 74-71 win.


West Region

(2) Ohio State 73 (6) Arizona 70 - LaQuentin Ross scored 14 of Ohio State's final 17 points, including a clutch three-pointer with two seconds left to send Ohio State to the Elite Eight. Ross scored 17 points in all, his 14 coming in the final eight minutes of the game.

Ohio State fell behind by 11 points in the first half, but rode a 20-5 run to establish a second half lead and maintained it until Arizona tied the game at 70 with 21 seconds left in regulation.

The Wildcats' Mark Lyons led all scorers with 23. Deshaun Thomas led Buckeye scorers with 20. The game was close statistically, but four Buckeyes scored in double figures compared to just two - Lyons and Solomon Hill, who had 16.

(9) Wichita State 7 (13) LaSalle 58 - Malcolm Armstead and Carl Hall powered the Shockers into the Elite Eight, with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Armstead also had six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Wichita State had a huge, 44-23, advantage on the glass; Ehimen Orukpe came off the bench for nine boards. Hall snagged eight.

The Explorers scored just two points over the first six minutes of the game, fining themselves down a dozen in the early going and it didn't get much better after that, thanks in large part to the Shocker defense, which held them to 36% shooting for the game. Wichita State owned a 16-point edge at intermission.

The Shockers will represent the Missouri Valley in the West regional final against the Big Ten's Ohio State Buckeyes, Saturday evening.

Vander Blue Leads Marquette into Sweet 16 with Win over Butler

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 23, 2013

After surviving a near-tournament-death experience in their opening game against Davidson with a down-to-the-wire victory, the Golden Eagles knew they couldn't make mistakes against their next opponent, the Butler Bulldogs, because Butler had defeated them back in November, when the Bulldogs' Rotnei Clarke beat them at the buzzer in a 72-71 win at the Maui Invitational.

When they met Butler in the third round with the chance to reach the Sweet 16, Marquette players rose to the occasion and delivered a 74-72 victory, determined not to lose another close contest.

Vander Blue, the junior guard who led the Eagles in scoring during the regular season, played one of his best games, pouring in 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting with four three-pointers and a perfect 8-for-8 mark at the foul line.

Blue made the big baskets at critical times, helping the Golden Eagles come back from an eight-point half time deficit, scoring 19 points in the second half, including a clutch trey that tied the game at 69.

With the win, Marquette advanced to the Sweet 16, along with fellow Big East squads Syracuse and Louisville, where they will meet the winner of Sunday's Miami-Illinois contest. Blue and his teammates figure to be well-prepared.

Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through games of 3/23

Conference (# of teams)	W-L	Winners (wins)
ACC (4)	3-1	Duke (1) Miami (1) North Carolina (1)
Atlantic 10 (5)	6-3	LaSalle (2) Butler (1) St. Louis (1) VCU (1) Temple (1)
Big 12 (6)	2-3	Iowa St. (1) Kansas
Big East (8)	6-5	Marquette(2) Louisville (2) Syracuse (2)
Big Ten (7)	8-1	Mich. St. (2) Michigan (2) Indiana (1) Illinois (1) Ohio St. (1) Minnesota (1)
PAC-12 (5)	5-3	Oregon (2) Arizona (2) Cal (1)
SEC (4)	2-1	Mississippi (1) Florida (1)
Missouri Valley (2)	3-0	Wichita St. (2) Creighton (1)
Mountain West (5)	2-4	Colorado St. (1) San Diego St. (1)
WCC (2)	2-2	St. Mary's (1) Gonzaga (1)
Sun Belt (2)	0-2	--
All Others (19)	5-20	NC A&T (1) James Madison (1) Memphis (1) Harvard (1) Florida Gulf Coast (1)

Jae Crowder Carries Marquette to 61-60 Win over West Virginia

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, February 24, 2012

Marquette head coach Buzz Williams is serious about basketball and about team rules. So serious, that he benched three starters for violating those rules for the first half of Marquette's road trip to hungry west Virginia.

Riding the pine for the first twenty minutes were Darius Johnson-Odom, the team’s leading scorer, team assists leader Junior Cadougan and sophomore guard Vander Blue. The loss of three starters left a bit of a void in the Golden Eagles' lineup, but then again, they still had Mr. Do-it-all, Jae Crowder on the floor.

Crowder played all 40 minutes of the game and led all scorers with 26 points, but that still didn't prevent the undermanned Golden Eagles from falling behind by as many as 15 points and heading into intermission down 32-21.

With their full complement of players back for the second half - lessons learned - Marquette surged to a lead late in the second half and held on for the 61-60 win, a final heave by Mountaineer Darryl "Truck" Bryant missing everything as time expired.

Crowder was 9-for-17 with a pair of treys, and had his usual assortment of stats, with four rebounds, two steals a couple of blocked shots and an assist.

10th-ranked Marquette improved to 24-5, and 13-3 in the Big East, good for sole possession of second place in the conference behind 15-1 Syracuse and just 1/2 game ahead of Notre Dame, at 12-3. With just two games left on the regular season schedule - against Cincinnati and Georgetown - the Golden Eagles are close to assuring themselves of a first and second round bye in the upcoming Big East tournament, should they finish the season in the top four.

NOTABLE: Harvard rallied from a 10-point deficit to avenge their only Ivy League loss of the season, whipping Princeton, 67-64 to take a commanding two-game lead in the conference at 10-1, over second place Penn (8-2), who just happen to be visiting the Crimson for a Saturday night tilt. Harvard can clinch the conference title on their home court win a win and assure themselves of a spot in the NCAA tournament. After Penn, the Crimson finish up the regular season on the road, at Columbia and Cornell. Harvard is 24-3 on the season.

Marquette Stays Tied for Second in Big East Behind Jae Crowder's 27 Points vs. Rutgers

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 22, 2012

If there's any college player who might earn the title of "Mr. Do-it-all," the moniker would probably apply best to Marquette's Jae Crowder.

The 6'6" senior forward - who redshirted his first two years for the Golden Eagles - has been as versatile a player as there is in all of college hoops. Crowder has averaged 17.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists this season, has nine double-doubles and can shoot the three or drive to the hole.

Crowder has stepped up his game even more recently, as Marquette has strung together four straight wins and 11 of their last 12, scoring 23 against Cincinnati, 29 against Connecticut and 27 Wednesday night in Marquette's 82-65 home win over Rutgers, adding seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocked shots in one of the finest all-around performances of this college hoops season.

Marquette (23-5), currently tied for second place in the Big East with Notre Dame, at 12-3, has not lost a conference game at home this season, and their only home loss was a 74-57 setback to Vanderbilt on December 29. Both the Golden Eagles and Fighting Irish are chasing #2 Syracuse in the conference. The Orange improved to 15-1 and 28-1 overall with their 56-48 home win over South Florida, while Notre Dame was also on their home hardwood, blasting West Virginia, 71-44.

Marquette's Big East losses have been to Syracuse, Georgetown and Notre Dame, all on the road. With just three games remaining on their regular season schedule - at Cincinnati, at West Virginia and home vs. Georgetown - the Golden Eagles are in a good spot heading into tournament time, looking like a sure bet for a first round bye in the conference tourney, possibly earning a double bye if they can finish in the top four.

Davante Gardner Scores 22 with 15 Rebounds to Lead Marquette Over St. John's

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Ranked number 25 in the most recent AP poll, the Marquette Golden Eagles used home court and 22 points and 15 rebounds from Davante Gardner to stop upset-minded St. John's, 83-64, before more than 14,000 fans at Milwaukee's Bradley Center.

After back-to-back losses at Georgetown and Syracuse, Marquette needed a big effort and got one from Gardner, a 6'8" sophomore forward who hit 8 of 13 shots from the floor and added six of eight free throws to achieve a career high in scoring. His 15 boards, another career high, included six on the offensive end, as the Red Storm was out-rebounded by Marquette, 38-29 and shot just 40% from the field while the Golden Eagles were pumping it in at a blazing 56%.

St. John's fell to 8-8, with Marquette improving to 13-4, evening their Big East record at 2-2.

NOTABLE: Top-ranked Syracuse made quick work of an overmatched Villanova squad, 79-66 improving to 18-0 to start the season for the second year in a row.

Super sub Dion Waiters led the Orange with 20 points, as the Orange zone defense held the Wildcats to just 33% shooting. Syracuse has played four road games this season, winning all of them by double digit margins.

Syracuse, one of just three unbeaten Division I teams - Baylor and Murray State are the others - will seek to tie the school record for most consecutive victories to start a season when they host the Providence Friars at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, January 14.

The Orange led the Big East standings with a 5-0 conference record. 4-1 Seton Hall is a surprising second place, followed by Notre Dame and Cincinnati at 3-1.

Round of 32 Results and Recaps - Sunday Games

East

North Carolina 86 Washington 83 - Proving once again that size matters, Washington cold not contain the Tar Heel big men - Tyler Zeller (23 points) and John Henson (10 points, 10 boards) - but little Isaiah Thomas and the Huskies took them to the limit.

Ohio State 98 George Mason 66 - the Buckeyes continued to decimate anything in their way, as they smothered the Patriots. David Lighty was 9-for-10 from the field for a game-high 25 points.

Marquette 66 Syracuse 62 - the Golden Eagles soared once again, doing to Syracuse what they did to them during the Big East regular season. The lead changed hands frequently, but Marquette made the plays down the stretch. An 11 seed, Marquette is a surprise from the Big East, which has now seen more than half of their 11 teams gone in the first weekend.

Southwest

VCU 94 Purdue 76 - VCU took a ten-point lead into half time and extended it through the second half, dominating all aspects of the game and distributing 24 assists as a team. Bradford Burgess had 23 points and 8 rebounds for the Rams and 5'10" Joey Rodriguez distributed 11 assists to go with his 10 points.

Kansas 73 Illinois 59 - The Jayhawks had little trouble beating coach Bill Self's former school, getting 24 points and 12 rebounds from Markieff Morris and 17 and 12 from twin brother Marcus.

West

Duke 73 Michigan 71 - Duke survived a serious scare from the Wolverines when Darius Morris missed a runner in the lane with two seconds left after erasing most of a 15-point Duke second half lead. Nolan Smith led all scorers with 24 points, and Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski notched his 900th career win.

Arizona 70 Texas 69 - Texas trailed nearly the entire game, but had two close-in chances to win the game as time ran down. Arizona continued the Longhorns' frustrations in the NCAA tournament by ousting them in an early round again.

Florida State 71 Notre Dame 57 - The Seminoles stunned Notre Dame, smothering them with the nation's best defense and advancing to face VCU in the Sweet 16. Florida State held the usually high-scoring Fighting Irish to just 32% shooting. Bernard James had 14 points and 10 boards for the Seminoles.

Notre Dame was the 9th of 11 teams from the Big East to lose on the opening weekend, leaving just Marquette and UConn from the conference, widely considered to be the best in the nation. Not any more.

Maquette Dumps Notre Dame with Barrage of Treys

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, January 10, 2011

Proving once again that playing in the Big East is not for the faint of heart, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame entered the Bradley Center in Milwaukee for a regional showdown with the Marquette Golden Eagles.

The Irish were sporting a #9 ranking in the AP poll, released earlier in the day, and a 14-2 record, their only losses at kentucky and Syracuse. By the time the Irish were through, they were 14-3, and wondering how they hit only three of 16 3-point shots while the Eagles were burying 12 of 17 from beyond the arc. The result was a 79-57 rout as a trio of Marquette shooters rained down threes all night long. From three-point range, Darius Johnson-Odom hit 3-of-5, scoring 13 points, Joe Crowder made 4-of-6 and tallied 18, but Dwight Buycks was the most deadly. He nailed 7-of-9 shots from the floor, including all five of his three-point attempts, for a game-high 21 points.

Maquette put the Irish away early in the second half and were never threatened after opening up a double-digit lead. The win was a key one for the Golden Eagles, 12-5, and on the fringe of the Big East conference and probably a bubble team come March.

Crowder's 29 Lifts Golden Eagles over West Virginia

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 1, 2011

Kicking into the new year, most of the important action was within the Big East, where #5 Syracuse improved to 15-0 on the strength of a 70-58 home win over #15 Notre Dame and #9 Georgetown cemented their #9 ranking with an 86-75 throttling of DePaul. The Hoyas are 12-2.

The best performance of the night came out of a game between two overlooked teams that will likely vie for the 8th or 9th Big East spot in the NCAA tournament come March. Marquette held serve at home with a 79-74 win over pesky West Virginia, getting a game-high 29 points from junior forward Jae Crowder.

Crowder put on quite the shooting clinic, hitting 12 of 14 shots from the field, including 2-of-4 on three-pointers, helping the Golden Eagles improve to a respectable 10-4. He also hit the boards hard for 8 rebounds, handed out 5 assists and made 4 steals in 39 minutes, the most he's played all season. His 29 points was a career high for the 6'6" native of Georgia.

Cubillan Lifts Marquette Past Georgetown

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 6, 2010

A 6-foot senior guard hailing from Maracaibo, Venezuela, David Cubillan, who played only 9.5 minutes per game and scored an average of 1.6 points, lifted the Marquette Golden Eagles to their first Big East win, topping #12 Georgetown, 62-59. Cubillan took only 7 shots, but hit on all 6 of his 3-point attempts, leading the Eagles with 18 points, his season high.

Marquette has been on the brink of winning a big game over a highly-ranked opponent, though this was the first time they broke through. On December 29, they took West Virginia to the edge, losing 63-62, and this past Saturday they lost at home to Villanova, 74-72. Against Georgetown, they kept their poise down the stretch, made critical free throws and made big shots when they needed them.

Despite their 10-5 record, Marquette is one of those unranked teams nobody wants to play because they possess enough talent, determination and solid coaching to hang in against just about any team in the country. Team leader Lazar Hayward shot just 25% from the field (4-16), but managed to post his 4th double-double of the season, with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

NOTABLE: On Tuesday, it was Texas taken to the limit at Arkansas. On Wednesday, it was Kansas' turn, when the Jayhawks hosted the Big Red of Cornell and found themselves scrapping deep into the second half to finally put away the testy Ivy Leaguers. The Jayhawks managed to keep their record unblemished with a 71-66 win, thanks to a season-high 33 points from senior guard and likely All-American, Sherron Collins. Collins was 9-for-16 from the field and canned 13 of 14 free throws, including some clutch ones down the stretch.

In an important early Mountain West showdown, BYU slipped past UNLV, 77-73. The Cougars are tied with San Diego State, TCU and Colorado State at 1-0 in the conference.

James Returns for Marquette, Offers Hope

Dominic James last saw court action on February 25th, when he broke a bone in his left foot after just 4 minutes into what became a 93-82 loss to Connecticut. The break was so severe that Marquette coach Buzz Williams announced after the game that James' college hoops days were over. He was expected to be out for the rest of the season, plus the post-season tournaments. James was the team's point guard, 4th high scorer and assist leader.

Including that loss, Marquette finished their regular season with four straight losses, though they were all to power teams in the Big East: UConn, Louisville, Pitt and Syracuse. In the Big East tournament, the Golden Eagles easily dumped pushover St. John's before losing to Villanova, 76-75, in the next round. Marquette won its opening game of the NCAAs, slipping past Utah State by a mere point, 58-57, and headed to a second round tilt with Missouri. Players and coaches alike were concerned, as Missouri's up-tempo, pressuring style requires deft ball-handling and sound decision-making.

Since James' departure, his place at the point had been taken by junior Maurice Acker, though with limited success. But late Saturday night, team doctors cleared James to play on Sunday, raising hopes that he could provide the kind of on-court senior leadership necessary to keep pace with the Mizzou.

James will likely start, though how much playing time he'll get is an open question. If, as reports indicate, he's stayed in shape and rehabbed properly, he could be good to go for up to 30 minutes.

The situation is similar to Saturday's return of Ty Lawson, point guard for North Carolina, who was suffering from a swollen big toe. Lawson missed the opener against creampuff Radford, a team the Tar Heels figured they could overwhelm without any number of starters and they did, romping to a 101-58 win. But yesterday against LSU, coach Roy Williams decided that Lawson was needed and 15 minutes prior to the opening tip, told his point guard that he was starting.

Lawson responded with an outstanding performance: 23 points and 7 assists, and he was instrumental in a second half rally that lifted Carolina to an 84-70 win.

If lightning strikes twice, James' return could spell doom for Missouri. Before his injury, Marquette was 23-4 and ranked in the Top 10 nationally. No matter how much playing time James receives, his return will surely boost the Golden Eagles emotionally.

Game time for the West region second round game is 4:50 pm EDT. It could be one of the best games of the day.

Lousivlle Slips Past Marquette

#6 Louisville 62, #8 Marquette 58

Concerned about having to replace fallen Dominic James (out for the season with a foot injury) with junior guard Maurice Acker, the #6 Marquette Golden Eagles entered their game at #6 Louisville feeling short-handed.

Despite poor first half shooting by Jerel McNeal (2-13), Marquette found themselves only down by 3 at Louisville, 28-25, as the teams headed to their locker rooms at the break.

The closeness of the game was no doubt due to poor shot selection by the Cardinals, who, despite a big size advantage inside,took most of their shots from the perimeter. Terrence Williams hit 3 of 6 3-point attempts for Louisville, totaling 12 for the half.

That all began to change at the start of the second half. After clanking two outside jumpers, the Cardinals started to press full court, which resulted in turnovers and layups for Louisville, scoring eight straight points on four shots from dunking distance to take a 36-26 lead just three minutes in.

Having established a lead and inside dominance, however, the Cardinals continued to settle for long-range jumpers, allowing the Golden Eagles to close the gap, finally getting to 61-58 with 23.4 remaining on a Lazard Hayward trey.

But that was as close as Marquette would get, despite a no-call on a Marquette 3-point lean-in attempt down just 4 with 16 seconds left and then inexplicably not fouling. Louisville escaped, though their play was not at a level one would expect this time of year.

Both Louisville and short-handed Marquette could become early victims in either or both the Big East tourney or the NCAAs if they don't step up their decision-making and overall percentages.

While Marquette's 35% shooting was due mostly to McNeal's uncharacteristic 3-19 performance, Louisville's 44% effort from the floor and 42% (5-12) from the line, has to be a cause for concern for coach Rick Pitino.

Big East: Huskies, Cardinals, Golden Eagles Keep Winning

Hasheem Thabeet led the #1 Connecticut Huskies to a routine 64-50 home win over South Florida, keeping them atop the conference standings, at 13-2.

Thabeet scored a game-high 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Teammate Jeff Adrian huled down 14 boards to go with his 9 points.

#7 Louisville cruised to a 72-63 win at Cincinnati, for their 6th conference road win in seven tries. The Cardinals (21-5, 12-2) kept pace, second in the tight Big East race.

Terrence Williams led the scoring with 20 points. He also snatched 9 rebounds.

#10 Marquette survived a tussle at Georgetown, hitting their free throws down the stretch while maintaining a 6 to 9-point lead in a testing 78-72 win.

Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews provided most of the scoring punch for the Golden Eagles, with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Lazard Hayward added 17, with 10 rebounds.

Marquette also improved to 12-2 (23-4 overall) in the Big East. Pittsburgh looks to get to 12-2 when they host DePaul at 8:00 pm tonight.

Ryan Ayers hit 7 of 11 three-pointers and scored 28 points as unranked Notre Dame crushed Providence, 103-84. Both the Irish and Friars remain on the bubble for an NCAA bid.

Marquette marches on, drops Panthers at Pitt

Recaps of Sunday's Top 25 games

Marquette 77 Pittsburgh 74 OT - Proving yet again that anything is possible in the Big East, #24 Marquette traveled to Pittsburgh on Sunday and upset the #6 Panthers, ending Pitt's unbeaten streak in the conference at five.

The win was the 4th straight Big East win for the Golden Eagles - after dropping their first two, to Providence and Syracuse - and third over a ranked opponent. Marquette won at Connecticut, 73-69 on Jan. 10 and then beat West Virginia, 81-63, at home.

Marquette is now tied with Notre Dame and Syracuse at 4-2, one game back of the 5-1 Panthers.

Sparkplug point guard Dominic James ignited the Golden Eagles with 23 points, including 7-8 free throws, many of them crucial down the stretch in regulation. Marquette led by as many as 11 in the second half, but could not keep the Panthers from tying the game late. Pitts' star center, Aaron Gray was somewhat contained, scoring just 16 points in 35 minutes.

Virginia Tech 67 Maryland 64 - Virginia Tech needed to get back on the winning track, and they did so, even though it took an extra five minutes on the court. The Hokies followed up wins against Duke and North Carolina with a flop at Florida State, dropping an 82-73 decision to the Seminoles on Wednesday.

The Hokies were pressed into overtime by the feisty Maryland Terrapins, probably the best team in the nation with a 1-4 conference record. The game was certainly not a beauty contest, as both teams shot less than 40%, but once again, senior guard Zabian Dowdell turned in a solid effort, hitting 8-13 from the floor for 19 points.

Notre Dame 82 South Florida 58 - The #20 Fighting Irish were comfortable on their home court, where they have lost just once this season, and made quick work of the 10-10 (1-5, conference) Bulls. Rob Kurz had 21 points and 10 boards in 30 minutes and Colin Falls connected for 3 treys in his 14-point effort.

The Irish built a 42-26 lead at halftime and cruised from there. The Irish play Tuesday at St. John's.

The only Top 25 team in action on Monday is #12 Oklahoma State, hosting in-state rival Oklahoma for their annual bedlam event.