The Big 12 Conference has its first men’s basketball team in the Elite Eight after the first night of Sweet 16 action on Thursday in March Madness.
Arizona (35-2) destroyed Arkansas (28-9), 109-88, in San Jose. Six different Wildcats were in double figures for Arizona, led by 23 points from Brayden Burries and 21 more from Koa Peat.
Houston’s season ended with ah 65-55 loss to Illinois in Houston. The No. 2 seeded Cougars (30-7) got 17 points from Emanuel Sharp and 11 more from Kingston Flemings. But Houston had few answers for Illinois (27-8).
Here are three takeaways from the night.
Arizona’s Amazing Night
At the end of the first half Arizona was shooting this slash — 64/75/88. As in, 64% from the field, 75% from the 3-point line and 88% from the free-throw line. Those are numbers that are basically unsustainable in a 40-minute game. I’ve seen Big 12 teams shoot 50%, or even 55%, for a half but it always comes down.
Here was Arizona’s slash at the end of the game — 64/63/77. Incredibly, the field goal percentage remained the same. I’m not sure I’ve seen a team shoot at that high a level for an entire game.
So, we can talk about all sorts of things after this game, but the reality is the game came down to Arizona’s incredible shooting. That’s it. When a team shoots like that, good luck beating them. Arkansas had a serviceable night shooting the ball, going 48%. Their talented freshman, Darius Acuff Jr., had 28 points. Arkansas did some things right. But not nearly enough.
Oh, and even with all its great shooting, Arizona still managed to outrebound Arkansas, 30-28. Think about that — there were 53 missed shots in the game, and the Wildcats rebounded 30 of them.
That scoring display was breathtaking and it’s worth watching if you missed it. You’re not likely to see something like it again for a while.
Houston’s Untimely Exit
Everything was setting up perfectly for the Houston Cougars.
The No. 1 seed in the South, Florida, fell in the second round, leaving the Cougars as the top seeded team in the region.
The Sweet 16 was in Houston at the Toyota Center, less than three miles away from campus.
And earlier Thursday, No. 9 seeded Iowa defeated No. 4 seeded Nebraska, meaning the winner of Houston’s game with Illinois would face a team few thought would be there.
Well, the Hawkeyes get Illinois, which beat Houston by 10 points. The Cougars went nearly the first five minutes of the game without a point. At one point Illinois was on a 13-0 run in the second half to build a 41-26 lead. Houston tried furiously to make a comeback but never got within a couple of possessions of the Illini.
Houston fans will talk about the foul shot disparity. Illinois shot 17 and Houston shot two. But Illinois had one of the lowest rates in free throws allowed this season. So, the Illini play defense without fouling and it showed.
Houston shot poorly to start the game, and it didn’t get much better, finishing at 35%. The Cougars were worse from the 3-point line. The Cougars were outrebounded by nine, 41-32. Illinois also edged them out on the offensive glass, 12-11.
I thought Illinois would have a tough time with Houston’s defense, especially on the wings. The Illini did not. They had nine turnovers, though several of those came late in the game as Houston was furiously trying to create extra chances.
Illinois outplayed Houston in a game where the Cougars didn’t sustain the high level of play they showed last week in the first two rounds. The opponent had something to do with it. Houston’s poor shooting night took care of the rest.
Goodbye to These Cougars?
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has talked during the latter stages of this season about the likelihood of losing Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. to the NBA.
If you’re looking at ESPN’s NBA Draft board, Flemings is listed as the No. 5 overall player. Cenac is at No. 15. It’s possible we saw the last college game for at least one of these players on Thursday.
I have a general rule when it comes to underclassmen and the NBA Draft. For those that are all but guaranteed to be a lead pipe lock first-round pick, if they want to go then they should go. The NBA Draft is the most unpredictable draft of the four major professional sports because it’s only two rounds, features 60 selections the large contingent of international players tend to muck up the draft queue for college players.
Could NIL be a factor in keeping either? Sure, but it makes more of a difference for borderline players, as in those that could slip into the second round. I don’t think Flemings would slip. Cenac might, and that gives Houston a fighting chance to keep the forward. He might be better served staying one more year.
But, if this was the end of the line for Flemings and Cenac in the Big 12, it was fun. I really enjoyed watching both play.
