March Madness, Arkansas ends Oral Roberts' great adventure

Oral Roberts and Loyola-Chicago saw their fairy tale come to an abrupt end at Sweet 16 Stadium against Arkansas and Oregon State respectively!

If this first "March Madness" in two years had left room for many surprises in the first rounds, we saw a return to normal for the first day of the Sweet Sixteen. The sensation Oral Roberts will have pushed Arkansas to the limit, but his fairy tale ends here...

So did Cameron Krutwig and Loyola Chicago, who fell to the Oregon State Beavers. Baylor and Houston round out the field, pending tonight's results, with Gonzaga and Michigan the two remaining seeds.

With a 15-7 start and an exceptional 3-pointer, Oral Roberts led Arkansas for a long time, even passing a 16-5 score thanks to its Abmas-Obanor duo to be at +11. In fact, the small college of Tulsa was still leading by 12 points with 15 minutes to go, then by 7 points with 9 minutes to go...

But the Razorbacks came back with their offensive rebounds (18 in the end, including 11 for Justin Smith alone), tying the game through Davonte Davis with 6 minutes to go.

Max Abmas (25 points, 4 assists) and Jalen Tate (22 points) then engaged in a huge duel, a real war of nerves at the end of the game. But it was actually Davis (16 points, 8 rebounds) who would make the difference with the winning shot from mid-range, served by Tate.

With one last ball and 3 seconds to play, Max Abmas will have the game ball but his 3-pointer after a crazy run will miss its target. Arkansas wins on the wire (72-70) and returns to the Elite Eight, 26 years after the mythical team of Coach Nolan Richardson... They will face Baylor.

The best 3-point team in the country, Baylor did finish with 3/19 from behind the arc against Villanova, but that didn't stop the Bears from passing the obstacle and qualifying for the Elite Eight (62-51). Jared Butler (9 points at 4/14 shooting) and Macio Teague (5 points) did not weigh as usual offensively but Baylor was able to find the necessary resources thanks to Davion Mitchell (14 points) and especially Adam Flagler, hero of the game with 16 points off the bench.

On the other side, Jermaine Samuels (16 points) and Justin Moore (15 points) were not enough for 'Nova who won the first half. A 14-2 run by Baylor, with no 3-point shots, turned the tide for good. The Bears' defensive changes also put doubt in the Wildcats, guilty of 5 lost balls on 5 consecutive possessions, and authors of a 0/9 3-points in the second half.

In the offensive desert of the Wildcats in the second half (21 points scored including 11 in the last 10 minutes), Caleb Daniels finished at 1/11 in shots for 3 small points while Jeremiah Robinson-Earl finished at 8 points and 12 rebounds.

Loyola Chicago and its #1 fan, Sister Jean, will not see the Elite Eight... In the battle of the Little Ones, it's the Beavers who continue to go the distance. Oregon State had to fight until the end but Ethan Thompson (22 points) and the Beavers' defense made the difference in the end (65-58).

Wayne Tinkle and his men proposed a multitude of different defensive schemes, alternating the zone and the individual, which disturbed the Ramblers who were not able to shoot 33% overall and 22% (5/23) at 3-point. Cameron Krutwig (14 points) worked miracles again with his golden hands, but Loyola lacked offensive fuel, as evidenced by this series of 11 consecutive possessions without a successful basket in the 2nd half...

This is Oregon State's first Elite Eight appearance since 1982. The Beavers will have a chance to add to their legendary run against Houston for a Final Four spot.

Houston's defense got the jump on Buddy Boeheim (12 points on 3/13 shooting) and Syracuse couldn't find the answers. After an initial 17-5 run by the Cougars, the Orange responded with a 10-0 run but Houston finished the first half on an 8-0 run before taking the lead for good in the second half, winning outright in a one-man second half (62-46).

Quentin Grimes (14 points) and DeJon Jarreau (9 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists) were the two major players in Houston's victory, while Justin Gorham (13 points, 10 rebounds) also finished with a double-double. For 'Cuse, Joseph Girard III (12 points) was the only player with 10 or more, besides Boeheim.

So the Orange stop at the gates of the Elite Eight when Houston reaches it for the first time since the glorious 1984 team of Drexler and Olajuwon!

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