Louisville News, NCAA Tournament, Pittsburgh News, Syracuse News

‘CUSE, PITT, LOUISVILLE ADVANCE ON SUNDAY

Big East has five in Sweet 16 as three more join UConn, ‘Nova

Syracuse shot a blistering 55% from the field against the Arizona State match-up zone defense in their 2nd round win over the Sun Devils in Miami on Sunday afternoon.

“I thought we played extremely well,” SU coach Jim Boeheim said of his team in the 78-67 win. “That defense is difficult to go against, a match up is very difficult to go against.”

The Orange executed coach Boeheim’s game plan perfectly, jumping out to an early lead, which reached as high as 15 in the first half, 39-24. SU got the ball inside and then they were able to go outside with Andy Rautins hitting perimeter jumpers.

“You don’t want to play from behind against them,” said Boehiem. “I thought the key early is getting it inside. I thought our guys did a great job of getting it in there. And then after we got some inside looks, Andy came in and hit a couple threes.”

Arinze Onuaku scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half and Rick Jackson added some early buckets, including the first two scores of the game for the Orange.

From there, hot shooting by Rautins and Eric Devendorf seemed to answer every run put forth by ASU.

Devendorf scored 21 and Rautins finished with 17. The duo combined to hit eight of 18 three-point attempts.

Arizona State was able to cut the lead to seven, 41-34, but a three-point play by Rick Jackson (13 points, 8 rebounds) and a three-pointer by Johnny Flynn (11 points, 7 assists) and when Andy Rautins connected on a jumper at the 13:18 mark, the Orange lead was back to 15, 57-42.

Back came the Sun Devils, though, with a 15-4 run, capped by a Ty Abbott three that made the score 61-57 with 6:38 remaining.

It was as close as ASU would get.

After a timeout, Rautins connected on a three-pointer on a pass from Flynn, who then found Eric Devendorf just over a minute later and it was a 67-59 Orange lead.

“It was just a great look all around and a well designed play,” said Rautins of the set-play following the timeout.

Devendorf would strike again on the next SU possession and the lead was back to 11.

After a pair of free throws by James Harden, Syracuse would score six consecutive points, all from the line, and the lead was back to 15 at 76-61 with just 1:51 remaining and the Orange would go on to win by the final of 78-67.

“This is the NCAA Tournament so we know every team is going to make a run at us,” Devendorf said after the game. “They made a run, but the guys we have on our team, even though Jonny is a sophomore, he’s a veteran player, the best point guard in America, and Andy Rautins knocked down a big shot and I was able to get open from Jonny penetrating and kicking.”

Next up is the South Regional in Memphis for the Orange where they will meet second seed Oklahoma.

Orange fans can follow their team on their quest for a fourth NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance under Jim Boeheim this coming week:

BUY NCAA Tournament South Regional Tickets – Session 1 (Semifinals) March 27, 2009

BUY NCAA Tournament South Regional Tickets – Session 2 (Final) March 29, 2009

BUY NCAA Tournament South Regional Tickets – Strip (Includes both Semifinals and the Final) March 27, 2009

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It has been anything but easy, but Pittsburgh will take it and move on to their fifth Sweet 16 appearance in eight years after a 84-76 win over Oklahoma State.

The Panthers struggled past 16-seed ETSU in round one and survived a hot-shooting Cowboy squad that made a late run at Pitt in round two.

“I was proud of how our guys responded to their barrage, really, as I called it afterwards, of the three- pointers in the first half,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon told the media following the game. “This was not a game they lost it. We had to find a way to win it and we did it by gutting it out and outrebounding them and making big plays.”

And, big plays they made.

Following a 9-0 blitz over the course of 1:33 where Oklahoma State wiped out a 71-63 Pitt lead to take a 72-71 lead with just 3:47 left on a pair of Byron Eaton free throws following a Pitt turnover, the Panthers answered with a big play.

Running the shot clock all the way down to the end, senior Levance Fields found classmate Sam Young for a clutch three-pointer to regain the lead at 74-72.

After a Marshall Moses put-back knotted the score at 74, Fields scored five straight, including a corner three following a Pitt time-out in which Young returned the favor.

On the game, Young was spectacular, showing his full arsenal on offense while scoring 32 points. Fields added 13 points, 9 assists and just two turnovers against the OSU pressure.

“[I] can’t tell you how proud I am of our three seniors and how they’ve led us through this one,” Dixon said.

Oklahoma State got out of the gate quickly on offense as they were unconscious from beyond the arc, hitting eight of their first 12 and 10 total in the first half alone. But, Pittsburgh did what they do best, out-rebounding the smaller Cowboys 41-21 in the game and holding them to 27 second-half points, with 9 of those coming in that one blitz.

“They were in there scrapping and clawing and doing everything possible they could to rebound,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said of his team. “It was just we would go up 10 feet and Blair and Young would go up maybe 11 feet.

I thought our kids did everything they could to rebound the
basketball. We blocked out. We did some good things, but Blair and Young seemed to come up with good plays when they needed them.”

Pitt now moves on to Boston as they look to advance to the Elite 8 for this first time since 1974. In their way is a familiar face, former Panther point guard Sean Miller who brings his Xavier Musketeers into the contest.

Here is where Panther fans that want to head to Boston can get tickets:

BUY NCAA Tournament East Regional Tickets – Session 1 (Semifinals) March 26, 2009

BUY NCAA Tournament East Regional Tickets – Session 2 (Final) March 28, 2009

BUY NCAA Tournament East Regional Tickets – Strip (Includes Tickets for both Semifinals and the Final) March 26, 2009

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Louisville has the T-Will to win this season. T-Will as in Terrence Williams!

“Four assists, 24 points, 15 rebounds, 4 for 6 from the 3. That’s gigantic,” Rick Pitino said of William’s performance against Siena. “Big time performance. I’m real proud of him. He’s a special young man.”

Louisville needed every bit of that T-Will performance to get past Siena and move into the Sweet 16, 79-72.

After trailing by as many as 14 in the first half, Siena cut the Cardinal leads to five at the half and had the Dayton Arena a buzz after a 23-7 run gave the Saints a 63-57 lead with 7:52 left.

Louisville then went on a 9-0 run, ignited by a T-Will putback basket and three-pointer and capped by another T-Will basket to take a 66-63 lead.

“He definitely stepped up,” Louisville junior forward Earl Clark said of T-Will’s clutch performance. “I expect that from him. He’s our leader and he’s a great player, one of the best forwards in the country.”

Freshman Samardo Samuels added 13 points and Earl Clark, along with Williams, had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the win.

As the #1 seed in the Midwest, Louisville heads to Lucas Oil Stadium to take on Arizona in the Regional Semifinals this week.

Louisville fans can follow their team this week in their quest for a Final Four:

BUY NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Tickets – Session 1 (Semifinals) March 27, 2009

BUY NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Tickets – Session 2 (Final) March 29, 2009

BUY NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Tickets – Strip (Includes both Semifinals and the Final) March 27, 2009

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