Wolfpack attack continues; South Carolina women scrap in Sweet 16
Doubt the Wolfpack at your peril
Bracketology always starts with the conventional question: Who can win six games to capture the NCAA Tournament Championship? Well, the NC State Wolfpack have won eight straight already in their quest, from beating Louisville, 94-85 on March 12 in the ACC Tournament opener to taking down No. 2 Marquette on Friday, 67-58. As Luke DeCock explains, the Wolfpack is riding a remarkable wave, being swept along by powerful forces.
No. 4 Duke earns the right to face their surging ACC rival NC State with a tough 54-51 win over No. 1 Houston. Cougars star Jamal Shead went down late in the first half with a heartbreaking ankle injury and remained on the bench in the second half. NC State beat Duke 74-69 in the ACC Tournament two weeks ago; the Blue Devils won their prior meeting on March 4, 79-64.
Purdue survives and advances on the strength of Zack Edey, who scored 27 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in a 80-68 victory over No. 5 Gonzaga. No. 2 Tennessee held off Creighton 82-75 for the right to battle the Boilermakers on Sunday.
Saturday’s men’s action starts at 6:09 p.m. ET with No. 1 UConn squaring off against No. 3 Illinois, followed by No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 6 Clemson at 8:49 p.m. ET.
Hoosiers ruffle Gamecocks’ feathers in women’s Sweet 16
No. 4 Indiana whittled a 22-point South Carolina lead down to two with 1:08 left on Friday night, but the No. 1 Gamecocks used tight defense to hold off the feisty Hoosiers and advance to the Elite Eight. South Carolina faces Oregon State at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, after the No. 3 seed beat No. 2 Notre Dame, 70-65.
Don’t miss this story behind point guard Raven Johnson’s crucial 3-pointer with 53 seconds left in South Carolina’s 79-75 victory. It starts with the Gamecocks’ loss to Iowa in last year’s Final Four. Clark and the No. 1 Iowa Hawkeyes are set to face No. 5 Colorado in today’s regional semifinal at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Buffs are bracing for a hostile crowd as well as a fired-up Clark.
No. 3 NC State overcame a 10-point deficit against No. 2 Stanford on Friday to advance to the Elite Eight. Aziah James led the way for the Wolfpack, contributing 29 points. The team outscored the Cardinal 50-30 in the second half. The Wolfpack next face No. 1 Texas, who dispatched No. 4 Gonzaga, 69-47 on Friday.
The rest of the women’s Sweet 16 schedule for Saturday:
No. 3 LSU vs. No. 2 UCLA, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 1 Southern California vs. No. 5 Baylor, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 7 Duke vs. No. 3 UConn, 7 p.m. ET
