Latest news with #Duke-Arizona
USA Today
28-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Duke-Arizona announcers: Who's calling the Sweet 16 game on CBS?
Duke-Arizona announcers: Who's calling the Sweet 16 game on CBS? We're down to the Sweet 16 in men's March Madness. That's right, there are eight games on Thursday and Friday that will determine who moves on to the Elite Eight in the 2025 men's NCAA tournament, which is thrilling as we get closer to the championship game. Next up on the packed schedule: No. 4 Arizona and No. 1 Duke. Wondering who's calling this game on CBS on Thursday night? Fear not! We have answers! Brian Anderson is doing play-by-play. He'll be joined by Jim Jackson as analyst and Allie LaForce will be reporting from the sidelines. Enjoy the game!
Forbes
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Alabama Sets NCAA Tournament Record With 25 3-Pointers And Advances To Elite 8
No matter how many shots Mark Sears missed recently, the Alabama guard's coaches and teammates remained confident in him. After all, Sears is the team's leading scorer and a first team All-American. They knew he would break out of his slump. Still, it is hard to imagine they envisioned what happened in No. 2 seed Alabama's 113-88 victory over No. 6 seed BYU Thursday night in an NCAA tournament East Regional Sweet 16 game in Newark, N.J. The Crimson Tide set an NCAA tournament record with 25 3-pointers on 51 attempts, while Sears made 10 of 16 3's, tied with three other players for second on the all-time NCAA tournament single game mark. 'I was just in a zone,' Sears said. 'Once I saw the first three fell in, I felt like the basket was like as big as an ocean. Every time I shot, I felt like it was going in.' Before Thursday, Sears had made just 5 of his 35 3-pointers (14.3%) in the previous six games, including missing 8 of 9 3's in the first two NCAA tournament games. But he wasn't discouraged. 'Even though when I was shooting 14%, my confidence was still high,' Sears said. 'I never stopped doubting myself and stopped believing in myself. My teammates also kept encouraging me to keep shooting, keep shooting, keep shooting.' Sears finished with 34 points, one shy of his career-best, and added 8 assists. He scored or assisted on 19 of Alabama's 35 field goals and became the first player in NCAA tournament history with at least eight 3's and seven assists. Aden Holloway, a sophomore transfer from Auburn, added 23 points and made 6 of 13 3's. '(BYU) had been going under ball screens just about every game we watched,' Alabama coach Nate Oats said. 'I told both those guys, Holloway and Sears, 'Man, I hope they go under us because we're going to rein them.'' Loyola Marymount held the old NCAA tournament record with 21 3's on March 18, 1990 when the No. 11 seed Lions upset No. 3 seed Michigan, 149-115, in a second round game. LMU guard Jeff Fryer had 11 3's that day, which still stands as the single-game record. That performance occurred two weeks after LMU star Hank Gathers collapsed during the West Coast Conference semifinals and later died. Afterward, LMU guard Bo Kimble, a friend of Gathers, began shooting free throws with his lefthand to honor Gathers, who was a lefty. After Thursday's victory, Oats recalled being a ninth grader in high school in 1991 and closely following LMU. 'I loved watching them play,' Oats said. 'They got up-and-down. Maybe (it's) part of the reason we coach the way we coach. It's a little more fun that way.' Oats mentioned that he wanted Alabama to break Troy University's NCAA Division I record of 28 3-pointers in a game, but he admitted '25 is not bad.' The Crimson Tide (28-8) will get another chance to set the mark on Saturday when they face the winner of the Duke-Arizona Sweet 16 game. Alabama is in the Elite 8 for just the third time in school history but second season in a row. Last year, the Crimson Tide made it to the Final Four for the first time. If they play the way they did on Thursday, the Crimson Tide should be in good position. They scored 100 points for the ninth time this season, had 25 assists on 35 field goals and made 18 of 21 free throws. They are averaging a Division I-best 91.4 points per game. 'I don't know that we're going to repeat 51 threes attempted, but we're going to have the guys ready to play the right way in my opinion and fresh,' Oats said. 'And if we get stops, it's a lot easier to get out in transition. You can get some threes in transition, too.'
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Final Four expert predictions for the 2025 Sweet 16: Who's winning the tourney?
Final Four expert predictions for the 2025 Sweet 16: Who's winning the tourney? As the clock ticks down to Thursday, the men's Sweet 16 looms. After this weekend? We'll be down to the Final Four teams left in the NCAA tournament who will fight for a national title. Wondering who will be remaining and who will win it all? Just like we did last week, we've got those predictions from our staffers who know ball, with Final Four picks, along with who's hoisting the trophy while confetti rains down in San Antonio. So as you read up on the best survivor pool picks, the amount of perfect brackets left and some Sweet 16 power rankings, here's a look at our expert predictions: Florida over Duke (with Florida, Tennessee, Duke and Michigan State in the Final Four) I said this would be the result in our first predictions post, and I'm sticking with it. Chalky but this should be epic. -- Charles Curtis Florida over Duke (with Florida, Houston, Duke and Michigan State in the Final Four) Florida was my original pick for a champion, and I feel even better about it now after seeing the Gators play and survive a close game against the defending champ, UConn. -- Prince Grimes Duke over Florida (with Florida, Michigan, Tennessee and Duke in the Final Four) You know what? Florida has shown just enough cracks for me to flip my pre-tournament pick. Also, thanks for nothing, Marquette. -- Christian D'Andrea Duke over Auburn (Auburn, Maryland, Duke and Tennessee in the Final Four) I'm sticking with the same group I had before the tournament, except this time, I'm replacing the eliminated Zags with the dancing Vols. -- Bryan Kalbrosky Houston over Florida (Michigan State, BYU, Florida and Houston in the Final Four) The Big Ten is incapable of winning a tournament since Y2K, BYU is a sneaky tough matchup for the Duke-Arizona winner, but ultimately the Big 12 reminds everyone it's still the toughest conference in the country. -- Blake Schuster Duke over Auburn (Auburn, Florida, Duke and Tennessee in the Final Four) As someone who starts watching any sort of college basketball in March, GIMME ALL THE CHALK, BABY. Let's stick with the theme. -- Robert Zeglinski Maryland over Duke (Michigan, Maryland, Duke and Houston in the Final Four) Coach K always said the only way Duke would ever play Maryland again after the Terps left the ACC was in the tournament. Here we go. For all the marbles. -- Mike Sykes Duke over Florida (Florida, Duke, Michigan State and Houston in the Final Four) Duke is the most talented team in the tournament and meets all the historic criteria for past champions. So, I'm sticking with the Blue Devils. -- Andrew Joseph
