The world of basketball is on fire right now, with March Madness coming shortly to a close and the NBA playoffs just around the corner. We've seen some very impressive plays from all over the tournament and have been treated to a number of close games and total upsets! Take a look at these stats from the Elite Eight round of match-ups....
Villanova VS Kansas:
It was a tightly contested game from start to finish. A lot of pressure coming from both the Wildcats and the Jayhawks. The intensity just magnified as the game went on. Back to back threes from each side, amazing drives, and great ball-handling. They truly earned their seeds. But in the end Villanova pulled away with a cheeky 5-point lead and kept it (despite the Jayhawks' best efforts). Villanova took the win 64-59 and will be squaring up against Oklahoma U in the Final Four.
Oklahoma VS Oregon:
Oklahoma pretty much walked into the Final Four with this insane display of deep shots and hard dunks. The Ducks pushed hard for this "W" but fell short of the mark. Kudos to Buddy Hield for an amazing performance of 37 total points made which included eight 3-pointers. Hield is also the first college player since Stephen Curry to score 100+ points and 15 3-pointers before hitting the Final Four. Well done, sir! Oklahoma clutched it, it was a nice 80-68 win and will face off against Villanova in the Final Four.
North Carolina VS Notre Dame:
Another close game in this tournament with vicious offense and devastating plays. The Tar Heels and the Fighting Irish swapped the lead throughout the duration of this rival match, until UNC picked their lead up 14 points before the final buzzer. North Carolina moves on with a pretty 88-74 game and will battle Syracuse in the Final Four.
Virginia VS Syracuse:
This may be the biggest game people have been talking about. Virginia, #1 in the Midwest, playing against Syracuse, #10 in the Midwest. The Orange took full advantage of Virginia's sluggishness in the first part of the game, but the Cavaliers quickly warmed up and rained down massive damage on Syracuse for the entire first half of the game. But the Orange clawed their way back with incredible threes from behind the arch, racking up points left and right until finally taking the lead with 5:50 on the clock. A true Cinderella story, David knocked down Goliath in this one. Syracuse pulled a 68-62 out of their hat and will move on to fight North Carolina in the Final Four.
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