No. 1 done after Illinois loses to Loyola Chicago
Loyola Chicago carried out 101-year-old superfan Sister Jean’s plans to a T on Sunday, moving to the Sweet 16 with a 71-58 win over Illinois, the first No. 1 seed bounced from this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Cameron Krutwig delivered a 19-point, 12-rebound masterpiece and the Midwest Region eighth-seeded Ramblers (26-4) led wire to wire. They befuddled a powerful Illinois offense to return to the second weekend three years after their last magical run to the Final Four.
The Ramblers’ 2018 trip to the Final Four was headlined by Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the venerable team chaplain, who received both COVID-19 vaccination shots and clearance to travel to Indianapolis to see what inspiration she could provide in 2021. Jean delivered a pregame prayer that could’ve been stripped straight from a John Wooden handbook.
Illinois (24-7) earned top seeding for the first time since its Final Four run in 2005, but fell behind by double digits in the first half and never got within striking range. The Illini committed 16 turnovers and scored 23 points fewer than their season average.
Illinois’ 7-foot second-team All-American Kofi Cockburn finished with 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting, but firstteam All-American Ayo Dosunmu finished with just nine points, 11 under his season average. SYRACUSE 75, WEST VIRGINIA 72 » Buddy Boeheim carried his father, Jim, to the Hall of Fame coach’s 20th Sweet 16 appearance, scoring 22 of his 25 points after halftime to lead the 11th-seeded Orange (18-9) past the third-seeded Mountaineers (19-10).
Jim Boeheim’s Orange got the better of another legend, Bob Huggins, in the second March Madness meeting between coaches with at least 900 Division I victories. Huggins won No. 900 when West Virginia beat Morehead State in the first round on Friday. Boeheim got his 982nd at Huggins’ expense.
Sean McNeil had 23 points to lead West Virginia.
OREGON STATE 80, OKLAHOMA STATE 70 » Ethan Thompson scored 26 points and the No. 12 seed Beavers neutralized star freshman Cade Cunningham of the fourth-seeded Cowboys to score the upset victory.
Maurice Calloo, who transferred from Oklahoma State, scored 15 points and Jarod Lucas also had 15 for Oregon State (19-12).
Cunningham, a firstteam All-American and possible top NBA draft pick, scored 24 points for Oklahoma State (21-9), but the Cowboys wasted possessions down the stretch by failing to get him the ball. HOUSTON 63, RUTGERS 60 » Quentin Grimes scored 22 points, Tramon Mark converted a soaring threepoint play with 24 seconds left, and the second-seeded Cougars (26-8) rallied to down the 10th-seeded Scarlet Knights (16-12).
Rutgers still had a chance after Mark’s free throw, but Geo Baker turned the ball over and Marcus Sasser made two more to extend the lead. Ron Harper Jr. let fly a potential tying 3 from the wing that clanked off the side of the rim as the final buzzer sounded.