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0 out of 7
Michael Conroy / Associated press
The conclusion of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Tournament will have a Texan feel. On Monday night, the Houston Cougars and Baylor Bears got their tickets to the Final Four.
No.2 seed Houston survived a push from the No.12 Oregon State Beavers, who recovered from a 17-point halftime deficit to tie the game in the second half. The Cougars, however, leaned on their backcourt to clinch a 67-61 victory and win the Midwest region.
On the night, No.1 seed Baylor quickly took the lead against No.3 Arkansas and withstood a late charge for an 81-72 victory. The Bears secured the program’s first trip to the Final Four in 71 years.
Since the winning and losing goals were clear, these selections are based on game details and milestones.
1 of 7
Michael Conroy / Associated press
While the frontcourt had a clear impact on Houston’s victory–more on this shortly–the scope group carried the rating burden.
Marcus Sasser scored the game’s 20 best points, scoring five threes and not committing any turnover. DeJon Jarreau, who injured his hip in the first round, flirted with a triple-double. He had 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
And on the stretch, star goalkeeper Quentin Grimes arrived in style.
In the last six minutes, the Kansas transfer has scored 10 of its 18 points–including a tiebreaker three with 3:22 left. Houston no longer followed. He drained four triples, distributed four assists and had no freebies.
2 of 7
Michael Conroy / Associated press
Oregon State knew it had to contain one of the best offensive rebound teams in the country, but it didn’t.
Led by Justin Gorham and Fabian White Jr. with five apiece, Houston gathered 19 offensive boards. Seven players grabbed at least one of the Cougars’ duds, and they turned the second chance opportunities into 19 points.
As a result, Houston won the rebound battle 41-29 and attempted 15 more shots than Oregon State. That’s a big disparity, especially for a slow-paced team like the Beavers.
They actually did a terrific job on the other end, racking up 15 second chance points on just seven offensive rebounds. But the inability to limit Houston to one hit crushed OSU’s chances.
3 out of 7
Michael Conroy / Associated press
Including his four-year stint with Montana Tech in the 1980s, Monday marked Kelvin Sampson’s 1,000th career game.
And there are worse ways to celebrate a milestone than to land a spot on the coveted sports scene.
Program-wise, Houston sealed its first trip to the Final Four since Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, and the beloved 1980s Phi Slama Jama teams. That alone guaranteed Sampson a place in the history of school.
Sampson, however, is considering a personal first.
While leading Oklahoma to the Final Four in 2002, the Sooners lost to Indiana – the program he coached five years later – in the national semifinals. Sampson is seeking his first career appearance in the Championship game, and Houston’s road runs through Baylor.
4 out of 7
Darron Cummings / Associated Press
Early in the evening, the Beavers placed 29th nationally with a 76.8 free throw percentage. They chose a terrible time to have a poor performance at the charity band.
Oregon State finished 11 of 20 on the line, which included a 1 of 6 mark in the first half. While it’s unfair to say that this shortcoming was more than part of the problem, early struggles contributed to the 17-point deficit at halftime.
To their credit, the Beavs fought back anyway.
Still, they managed to hit a 55% clip on the free throw line, which was their second worst performance of the season.
5 out of 7
Michael Conroy / Associated press
In its previous three NCAA tournament games, Arkansas has recovered from double-digit deficits to win. The first part of the trend continued on Monday, as Baylor held an 18-point lead in the opening nine minutes.
The bears, however, made sure the Razorbacks lacked magic.
MaCio Teague collected 22 points, a game-high. Davion Mitchell showed his explosiveness in a 12-point, six-assist performance, while Jared Butler provided 14 points and five assists. Adam Flagler had 10 points, four steals and three assists off the bench.
Arkansas closed the gap, but spot Baylor–the country’s No. 2 team for most of the season–this huge advantage went as well as expected.
6 out of 7
Michael Conroy / Associated press
While the Razorbacks did well on the offensive glass, they struggled to score.
Arkansas made 15 turnovers, including six by Jalen Tate and three each by Moses Moody and JD Notae. In the first half alone, Baylor scored 14 points on 10 takeaways and finished with 21 of 15.
Worse yet, key Razorbacks players couldn’t atone for these ball safety issues.
Moody, a potential NBA draft pick in the first round, put on a 2-in-10 shooting night and missed all four of his three-point attempts. Notae was fouled with almost 14 minutes to go. Their respective issues led to Arkansas’ 3-in-11 performance from the perimeter.
The Hogs just didn’t have enough offense to keep up with the Bears.
7 out of 7
Michael Conroy / Associated press
As the clock slipped under 10 minutes to play in the second half, Arkansas climbed to less than four points. The Razorbacks had a chance to continue their epic double-digit comeback streak.
MaCio Teague saved the day for Baylor.
First, he blocked that Arkansas run 10-2 with a pair of free throws. With less than five minutes to go, he knocked down three points on back-to-back possessions to give Baylor an 11-point advantage. For good measure, Teague grabbed a defensive rebound that led to Mark Vital’s emphatic return slam.
All-American guards Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell often eclipse Teague, who had only totaled 14 points in the last two games. Monday was a clear reminder of its value.
In addition to his best 22 points, Teague added five rebounds and two blocks with zero rolls.
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