What just happened with Arizona and Virginia, and what’s next
In some cases you require a couple of hours prior to the upsets get here in the NCAA tournament. Often, the action doesn’t even actually begin on the very first Thursday.Not this year.We ‘d hardly end up lunch when a late 4-seed Virginia turnover ended up being an unlikely, game-winning 3-pointer by JP Pegues to help 13-seed Furman advance. And that wasn’t even the most memorable moment.Before supper, 2-seed Arizona blew a 10-point lead in a loss to 15-seed Princeton. Kentucky sends its regards.But now we have concerns. Because the South area of the 2023 males’s March Madness bracket, and Alabama’s sheer control of it, has changed.ESPN’s expert panel of Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Myron Medcalf examine what just happened and what the South region looks like with two big upsets on the books.Find live protection of the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament here. Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports 1. What sunk Arizona in the loss to Princeton? What
about Virginia in the game versus Furman?Myron Medcalf: I hate to sound like a high school coach, however where was the effort in the last 10 minutes of the game? Arizona had fun with arrogance. And that’s constantly harmful. They led by double digits at the 11-minute mark, however as Tosan Evbuomwan and Co. rallied, the Wildcats seemed shocked and never ever effectively reacted. And, provide Tigers coach Mitch Henderson credit. This was Arizona’s 3rd loss in a game with 67 or fewer belongings. They slowed the game down, and it worked.Editor’s Picks 2 Related Furman was determined to the eleventh hour. It began with this group’s action to playing without top scorer Mike Bothwell, who fouled out in the 2nd half.
Jalen Slawson became a genuine headache for Virginia as a 6-foot-7 ball handler. Then, late in the game, they played over the top of that Virginia defense, which opened up the flooring. What followed: Furman was in a position to make a late play to win the game.Jeff Borzello: Arizona’s guards were as bad as they’ve been all season. The Wildcats got their normal production from their bigs, with Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo integrating for 35 points and 17 boards– however Kerr Kriisa, Courtney Ramey, Pelle Larsson and Cedric Henderson Jr. integrated to shoot 1-for-12 from 3, totaling just 15 points. And for among the very best groups in the nation at sharing the ball, the Wildcats had just 10 helps to 13 turnovers.Virginia jumped out to an early lead, however its deliberately slow pace isn’t fit to burying challengers under a barrage of points. Furman had the ability to get a couple of baskets prior to the Hoos had an opportunity to set their defense, which provided the Paladins some momentum and let them back in the game. And, as has been the case for much of the season, Virginia truly struggled shooting the ball. The Cavaliers have not made 40%of their 3s in a game because January, and went simply 2-for-12 from behind the arc on Thursday.John Gasaway: The Wildcats were a woeful 3-of-16 on their threes, and Kriisa personally was 1-of-7. Groups have off shooting nights all the time, obviously, but the reality that the Ivy League competition’s No. 2 seed had the ability to keep an NCAA No. 2 seed from getting second possibilities was a lot more surprising. Offer full credit to Tosan Evbuomwan and Caden Pierce. They did exceptional deal with the protective glass. Arizona took down less than one in five of its misses.As for Virginia, it faced a comparable March dead end. The Cavaliers transformed 2 3s in 40 minutes. Furman struck 10. play 0:20 Furman stuns No. 4 seed Virginia 68-67 The Paladins shuts down the Cavaliers on the last ownership to secure
the upset.How far can Princeton and Furman both enter the tournament?Gasaway: The Tigers will draw their motivation from another New Jersey team.
Nobody offered Saint Peter’s much of a chance as a No. 15
seed last year, and the Peacocks made it all the way to the Elite Eight
. Princeton will now play the 7-seed Tigers of Missouri, and Kobe Brown and D’Moi Hodge will be a handful.Then once again, Mitch Henderson’s group might really have a much better chance than oddsmakers will provide Furman against 5-seed San Diego State. To this point in the season, the Aztecs have actually been even much better than Virginia on defense.Borzello: Going into the NCAA tournament, I had Furman in the Sugary food 16, so I’m riding with the Paladins once again in the 2nd round versus San Diego State. Mike Bothwell will need to prevent foul problem in that one, though, since the Paladins are not the very same team with him on the bench. San Diego State is elite defensively and actually imposes
its style of play on challengers, much as it did against Charleston after the opening minutes.I’ll have Princeton losing to Missouri– however hey, I had the Tigers losing to Arizona, too. Tosan Evbuomwan vs. Kobe Brown ought to be a great match up front.Medcalf: I think a San Diego State team that simply had its hands complete with Charleston ought to be concerned. Paladins coach Bob Richey pulled off the school’s biggest NCAA tournament feat without his top scorer in the game late, and without having the ability to score more than 7 points till the 10-minute mark of the very first half. Slawson will be a problem for the Aztecs, too. He’s a special match at that size. We probably didn’t see Furman’s finest. And that indicates something.But I’m not picking Princeton to beat Missouri. I trust Dennis Gates and Kobe Brown. Sincerely, an ESPN reporter who chose Arizona to reach the Final Four.Which group stands to benefit most from two legendary upsets in the South?Borzello: It’s certainly Alabama. The Crimson Tide’s hardest test in the region would have most likely come from Arizona, among the few groups that had the offense to stay up to date with it. While I had actually Virginia getting bounced by Furman, a prospective Sugary food 16 tilt against the slow-it-down Cavaliers would have been a substantial contrast in designs. The bottom half of the region is large open now, though, which might benefit Baylor or Creighton. The Bears have had problem defensively, however they have elite guards,while Creighton has actually been one of the very best teams in the country with a healthy Ryan Kalkbrenner. One of the 2 could find themselves in the Elite 8 now.Gasaway: Alabama. None of this will enter play for the Crimson Tide up until next weekend, of course, however getting rid of the No. 2 and 4 seeds from your bracket assists the group on the leading line. Even when the brackets were revealed, the South was deemed reasonably hospitable to ‘Bama. Now, the area has become a lot more accommodating.Medcalf: Yep, definitely Alabama. Arizona’s size and speed figured to be its greatest test in the area. With Arizona gone, there’s a chance Alabama creates a fairly dominant go to the Last 4. And Tony Bennett’s protective modifications for
Virginia were bothersome for most groups. Alabama’s course is much easier now.