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 Midwest Region 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 eighthseeded 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 own 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, but first-team All-American
Ayo Dosunmu finished with nine points, 11 under his season average.
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.
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 (189) 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 scored 23 points for West Virginia.
South Region
ORAL ROBERTS 81, FLORIDA
78>> The 15th-seeded Golden Eagles pulled off yet another upset, rallying from an 11-point deficit to defeat the seventh-seeded Gators (15-10) and become just the second No. 15 seed in NCA A Tournament history to advance to the round of 16.
Oral Roberts opened the tournament with a stunning win over No. 2 seed Ohio State,
Kevin Obanor scored 28 points and Max Abmas, the regular-season national leading scorer, finished with 26 as the Golden Eagles (18-10) closed Sunday’s game on a 25-11 run.
Oral Roberts joins Florida Gulf Coast as the only No. 15 seeds to reach the round of 16 in tournament history.
BAYLOR 76, WISCONSIN 63 >>
Davion Mitchell scored 16 points and spearheaded a dominant defensive first half, helping the South Region top-seeded Bears (242) beat the Badgers (18-13).
Wisconsin showed a bit of fight after being backed into an 18-point corner, rallying to within seven midway through the second half behind D’Mitrik Trice (12 points).
ARKANSAS 68, TEXAS TECH 66>> Justin Smith had 20 points, helping the No. 3-seed Razorbacks (24-6) beat the sixth-seeded Red Raiders (18-11).