4 Cinderella Teams Still Dancing In March Madness

The Fighting Illini Fall To Loyola-Chicago

For the first time in this March Madness tournament, down goes a number 1 seed.

Loyola-Chicago isn’t a double-digit seed, but to get to the Sweet Sixteen they had to go through one of the most dominant teams across the country, the Illinois Fighting Illini. On their way to the tournament, the Illini streaked out to a 24–8 record across their regular season and captured the Big 10 championship. Expectations were high for this high-octane offense, but they were shut down by Loyola’s suffocating defense in this game plenty of times.

Junior guard Ayo Dosunmu and sophomore big man Kofi Cockburn along with senior Trent Frazier shouldered most of the load on both sides of the ball for the Illini during the regular season, and received plenty of contributions from Sixth Man of the Year Andre Curbelo off the bench. In their game against Drexel, the four combined for 54 of the Fighting Illini’s 78 points during that game. Loyola-Chicago was no pushover like Drexel, and held that same group of four to only 41 points, and the rest of the team could only muster up 17 points against a stout zone.

After shooting 50 percent throughout the season, Illinois shot less than 45 percent from the field and their usually sound three point shooting plummeted in efficiency to just 28 percent, only making 4 three pointers all game. Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier struggled mightily, combining to shoot 5–20 from the field, with Dosunmu a subpar 4–10 from the field and Frazier almost putting up a goose egg with his 1–10 performance from the field. Illinois also only shot 76.9 percent from the charity stripe, which hurt down the stretch as they missed 3 free throws that were free points taken away.

Loyola-Chicago had three players in double figures, most notably Cameron Krutwig’s 19 points and his 12 rebounds with 5 assists in a well-rounded game for him. Senior Lucas Williamson chipped in 14 points while guard Marquise Kennedy had 14. Loyola shot 51 percent from the field and splashed home 40 percent of their threes. Loyola only made 69 percent of their free throws, but still got to the line more often and made more free throws overall.

Turnovers also hurt Illinois, as they coughed up the rock a total of 17 times as Loyola forced 12 steals. Loyola outrebounded, had more assists, and twice as many blocks as Illinois. Illinois never led at any point during this game, the first time that happened to the Fighting Illini all season. Loyola dominated this game from start to finish, and it seemed as though Illinois severely underestimated how sound this Loyola-Chicago defense was.

Syracuse Sneaks By West Virginia

It’s easy for a team to say they want to run the deathly Syracuse zone defense, but no one can run it quite like Orange head coach Jim Boeheim.

The Orange used their stifling zone defense to hold the Mountaineers to just 72 points, despite the Mountaineers being tied for first in the nation at assist percentage and true shooting percentage. It was enough for Syracuse’s hot three-point shooting offense to overcome as they booked their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. Syracuse led by 14 at one point, but coughed up the lead down the stretch as sharpshooter Sam McNeil hit a three to put the Mountaineers up by 1. Syracuse’s own sharpshooter Buddy Boeheim hit back-to-back threes to put West Virginia away for good.

Syracuse shot 51 percent from the field and 45 percent from three, continuing their hot streak from beyond the arc through the first two games of this tournament. Buddy Boeheim had 25 points and broke the school record for most three pointers through the first two games of the tournament. He scored 22 of those in the second half, and was aided by 12 points each from center Marek Dolezaj, sophomore Quincy Guerrier, and guard Joe Girard III. Syracuse got destroyed on the glass 41–29, but that was expected with one of the best rebounding teams in the country.

West Virginia was led by guard Sam McNeil who hit 7 of his threes and scored 23 points with plenty of those makes coming from the parking lot. West Virginia was only able to shoot 37 percent from the field, and that’s ultimately what hurt them. Again, West Virginia dominated the glass and forced 15 turnovers, but ultimately weren’t able to make their shots when it mattered most. Junior Derek Culver, who had been a consistent source of offense for West Virginia all season, only shot 2–9.

West Virginia was also able to bait Syracuse into foul trouble early, as starting center Marek Dolezaj played almost the last 10 minutes of the second half with 4 fouls. Jesse Edwards, who only played 7 minutes, was a fouling machine in his limited opportunities and also had 4 fouls. West Virginia got 14 points from junior Emmitt Matthews Jr., Miles McBride had 11, and senior Taz Sherman put up 11 off the bench.

Both teams started very poorly from the field, shooting a combined 1–12 to start the game. It was a testament to how well the defense was for each side despite the relatively high scoring game, and each side clamped up even better down the stretch. Even though it remained close throughout the second half, this was Syracuse’s game from the tip and they were able to finish it strong enough for the win.

Oral Roberts Overwhelms Florida

For just the second time in the history of the NCAA tournament, a 15-seed is moving on to the Sweet 16.

With every passing day that the Golden Eagles are in the tournament, the more attention they’ve received. This team is a legitimate threat to every team in this tournament, and their offense is a well-oiled machine. Oral Roberts is a team that will destroy you with the fundamentals, and that matters more than most would think in high-octane situations at the end of the game. In both of their tournament wins so far, they trailed late but were able to pull away because they were able to do the small things the right way.

Sure, the dynamic offensive duo of Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor didn’t help their cause, but this is a game that Florida should have won. Florida had a healthy lead all throughout the first half, and let Oral Roberts chip away at their lead with mistake after mistake.

Again, offensively the Golden Eagles were led by their dynamic duo, getting 28 from Obanor and 26 from Abmas. Yet again, both logged 40 minutes and played the entire game, and it was likely crucial they did since the two were the only ones who scored double digits for the Golden Eagles. They struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 33 percent, but were able to shoot 45 percent from the field overall. Obanor and Abmas shot 21 of their 23 trips to the free throw line, and made 18 of them.

For Florida, sophomore Tre Mann led with 19, and junior Noah Locke had 17. Towering center Colin Castleton had 14, and guard Tyree Appleby had 14 as well. Even though Florida’s well-balanced attack shot 55 percent from the field, they only were able to make 30 percent of their 3 point attempts. Florida only shot 9 free throws the entire game, 7 of those by Castleton and Appleby.

With 4:44 left to go in the second half, Florida led by 6. From there, Max Abmas dimed Obanor who hit a big three, then forced a turnover that led to a layup to cut the lead to one. Florida held on until DeShang Weaver nailed a three to put ORU up by 2 with 2:10 left, and ORU never gave up their lead. Florida coughed it up again on the next possession, but was able to force their own turnover. From there, Appleby bricked a jumper, and then Castleton turned it over.

Locke clanged a three off the rim, and after Obanor only went 1/2 at the free throw line, Florida still had a chance to come back. Mann airmailed a deep shot, then Lewis got stuffed in the corner as time expired. In the final 4:44, Florida turned the ball over 3 times, missed a clutch free throw, and went 2-for-7 from the field. More specifically, 0–4 in the last 0:56. Florida allowed ORU back into this game, and it proved costly.

Oregon State Outshoots Oklahoma State

The college career of Cade Cunningham may have just ended on a sour note.

In a game that featured an ugly shooting display from both teams and focused more on the amazing defense played throughout, 12-seeded Oregon State did just enough on the offensive end to topple the 4th-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys. Oklahoma State made a late push to try and steal it from the Beavers, but their first-half deficit proved insurmountable. The Cowboys just couldn’t keep up the intensity on the defensive side of the ball, and were outhustled as they almost committed 30 fouls.

Cade Cunningham led the Cowboys with 24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals. It was a well-rounded effort from him, but he only shot 4–11 from three as the team largely struggled when they ventured outside the arc. If it were not for sophomore Keylan Boone canning 3 threes, the rest of the team would have been non-existent in terms of shooting as they combined for 1–10 on treys. Avery Anderson III had 16 and Boone had 13, and no other player scored more than 6 points.

Oklahoma State got killed on the glass 52–32, and considering their poor shooting, it was not a recipe for success. They did force 20 turnovers and 11 steals, but their lack of competence in other areas negated it. Oklahoma State shot 27.7 from the field and 68.4 percent from the charity stripe on 38 attempts. Kalib Boone, not to be confused with Keylan Boone, was the only starter who shot above 30 percent and had 4 points.

Senior Ethan Thompson scored 26, and guard Jarod Lucas had 15. The only other Beavers player with 10+ points was Maurice Calloo who only averaged 5 points all season but had 15 as well. Oregon State has gotten plenty of contributions when they’ve needed it most, and four starters had more than 5 rebounds with 2 players each grabbing 12 boards.

Oregon State not only dominated on the glass, but shot 41 percent from the field. They were also elite from the free throw line, and converted 32 of their 35 attempts. Oregon State played a very sloppy game in what was a sluggish showing for both sides, but their efficiency proved enough to carry them to the Sweet 16. In fact, Oklahoma State put up 65 shots compared to Oregon State’s 51 despite the glass advantage.

This March Madness has featured the most upsets through the first two rounds in tournament history. These Cinderella teams will look to keep dancing when March Madness resumes on Saturday the 27th, and with the abundance of glass slippers going around, there’s a great chance that at least one will advance to the Elite Eight. In fact, these teams have already proved their dangerous, and should be taken as serious threats heading into the next round.