Background

The 2020 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament was scheduled to begin on March 17, 2020, and conclude with the National Championship game on April 6th at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

On March 12th, due to the Covid pandemic, the tournament, along with all other NCAA championships for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year, were cancelled.  Since its creation in 1939, this was the first time the tournament had ever been cancelled. 

But what if the tournament had actually happened?  How would it have turned out?

Well, let’s find out.

Before we do that though, let’s review where things stood at the time of cancellation.

Season Review (up to time of cancellation)

Milestones Reached During Season

• Nov. 5 – Colorado State’s Nico Carvacho became the MWC all-time leading rebounder
• Jan. 17- Michigan State’s Cassius Winston became the Big Ten’s all-time assist leader
• Feb. 4 – Boise State’s Justinian Jessup broke the MWC record for career three-pointers when he hit his 297th
• Feb. 13 – Marquette’s Markus Howard became the Big East’s all-time leading scorer (in conference games).  On Feb. 23rd, he became the conference’s all-time leading scorer in all games.

Regional Semifinals and Finals (March 26 & 28):

– Midwest Regional – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

– West Regional – Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

Regional Semifinals and Finals (March 27 & 29):

– South Regional – Toyota Center, Houston, TX

– East Regional – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

National Semifinals and Finals (April 4 & 6):

– Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA

• *Yale (Ivy League)
• *Florida State (ACC)
• *Siena (MAAC)
• *Akron (MAC)
• *New Mexico State (WAC)
• *Kentucky (SEC)

#1 Seeds

Bracket

First Round

East Region

#1 Dayton 79, #16 Boston University 32

This one was over early, as Dayton never trailed.  The Flyers’ stifling defense held the Terriers to just 6 second half points, and for the game limited them to 3-22 shooting on threes.  Obi Toppin led the way for Dayton with 20 points and 16 rebounds, while Crutcher and Watson added 16 apiece.

#8 Marquette 64, #9 Colorado 52

Markus Howard led the way for Marquette, scoring 28 points, including 7 three-pointers, as the Golden Eagles led for most of the game.  A low scoring first half, seeing Marquette take a 25-17 lead into the break, was followed by a much more lively second half.

#13 New Mexico State 65, #4 Maryland 53

UPSET ALERT!  4 seed Maryland goes down to the upstart Aggies!  This game was close early, but New Mexico State pulled away toward the end of the first half, and never relinquished control.  Balanced scoring saw four players in double figures for the Aggies, led by Trevelin Queen with 18, Terrell Brown and Sir’Jabari Rice with 11, and Ivan Aurrecoechea with 10.  A sloppy game, with 19 turnovers from the Aggies, while the Terps turned the ball over 18 times.

#5 Ohio State 91, #12 Akron 85

No 5-12 upset in this battle of teams from Ohio, as the Buckeyes managed to pull this one with an 8-0 run around the 3:45 mark remaining in the second half.  D.J. Carton scored 20 points off the bench for Ohio State, while Kyle Young added 19.  Akron’s Loren Jackson scored 31 in the losing effort.

#2 Villanova 79, #15 Northern Kentucky 78

Two free throws with 16 seconds left by Saddiq Bey prevented the huge upset here.  Northern Kentucky actually had a 67-55 lead with 7:23 left in the game, but Villanova managed to chip away at the lead, including a 7-0 run with 4:13 left.  Jeremiah Robinson-Earl scored 24 for the Wildcats, adding 12 rebounds, while the Norse were led by Dantez Walton with 22 points.

#10 Cincinnati 77, #7 Illinois 69

The Bearcats pulled off the mild upset here, as balanced scoring allowed them to hold off the Illini.  Mika Adams-Woods scored 16, Keith Williams added 15, Jarron Cumberland had 14, and Tre Scott chipped in 10 for Cincinnati.  Illinois was led by 17 points each from Andres Feliz and Kofi Cockburn.  The Illini as a team shot just 54.3% on free throws, going 19-35, which contributed heavily to the loss.

#14 Hofstra 72, #3 Kentucky 68

Another upset alert!  #3 Kentucky falls to the Pride in this one.  The Wildscats were up 44-31 at halftime, but collapsed in the second as Hofstra outscored them 41-24 to pull off the shocker.  Hofstra’s Eli Pemberton poured in 29 points in the winning effort.  UK’s PG, Ashton Hagans, was in foul trouble the entire game, managing just 8:03 playing time, which did not help their cause.  Nick Richards scored 15 in the loss.

#11 East Tennessee State 69, #6 BYU 64

And we have another upset here, as the 11-seed  knock off the Cougars.  The Buccaneers were up 60-46 at the 8:23 mark before BYU went on a 9-0 run to pull within 5 with 5:29 left.  But ETSU managed to hold things together for the remainder of the game to pull out the win.  Tray Boyd led them in scoring with 15, while Joe Hugley added 12 off the bench.  Yoeli Childs’ 23 points and 10 rebounds wasn’t enough for the Cougars, as leading scorer Jake Toolson only managed 4 in the loss.

Midwest Region

#1 Kansas 84, #16 NC Central 53

Top overall seed Kansas rolls in this one, though the score was 15-15 with 14:22 left in the first half before Kansas went on a 29-12 run the rest of the half and never looked back.  Devon Dotson had 27 points and 5 assists to pace the Jayhawks.  Udoka Azubuike had 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks as well, but he also turned the ball over 8 times.

#8 USC 72, #9 Florida 65

Florida led 37-29 at the half, but USC owned the second half on their way to the win here.  Onyeka Okongwu had 27 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Trojans.  The Gators were led by Andrew Nembhard with 20 and Kerry Blackshear with 18, but Florida did not get much help from anyone else.

#13 Liberty 68, #4 Wisconsin 66

And we have another 13-4 upset here!  The game was tied going down to the wire, but unfortunately for Badgers fans, Liberty’s Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz was fouled with 1.5 seconds left in the game, and hit two free throws to send the Flames to victory.  Wisconsin led 66-61 with 2:39 left to go, but couldn’t hold on to the lead.  Pacheco-Ortiz led the Flames with 25 points, with Scottie James adding 16.  The Badgers were led by Aleem Ford with 15, while D’Mitrik Trice and Brevin Pritzl scored 13 each.

#5 Butler 75, #12 Stanford 67

Butler gets 17 from Sean McDermott, 15 from Kamar Baldwin and Bryce Nze, and 12 from Aaron Thompson to stave off a Cardinal run.  Stanford was led by 18 from Tyrell Terry, while Daejon Davis dished out 9 assists for the Cardinal.  Butler’s dominance on the board was the key to the win, as they outrebounded Stanford 29-19.

#15 Eastern Washington 87, #2 Creighton 79

Down goes 2nd seed Creighton!  The Blue Jays could not stop the Eagles duo of Jacob Davison and Mason Peatling, with Davison scoring 30 while Peatling added 21 points to go with 10 rebounds.  Eastern Washington overcame 2 of 14 shooting on 3-pointers, as well as 20 turnovers, as Creighton could only muster 36.2% shooting for the game, while getting outrebounded by the Eagles 48-28.

#7 Iowa 78, #10 Arizona State 76

Connor McCaffrey’s half-court heave at the buzzer goes in to give the Hawkeyes the magical win!  Balanced scoring was the key for Iowa, with five players in double-digit points, led by McCaffrey’s 16.  Remy Martin did all he could for the Sun Devils, scoring 27 points while dishing out 7 assists.  But it wasn’t enough in the end.

#3 Duke 92, #14 UC Irvine 71

Duke wins easily here, getting a double double from Vernon Carey, Jr. to lead the way.  Carey, Jr. scored 23 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Cassius Stanley chipped in with 17 points, and Tre Jones scored 12 and had 8 assists in the victory.  The Blue Devils also blocked 9 Anteater shots, with Carey Jr. getting 4 himself.

#6 West Virginia 68, #11 Indiana 60

The Hoosiers led 38-33 at the half, but the Mountaineers owned the second half to take the W here.  Oscar Tshiebwe paced West Virginia, scoring 17 points, adding 8 rebounds and 3 blocks to his tally.  Derek Culver notched a double-double as well, scoring and rebounding 11 to help the cause.  Indiana was led with 18 points from Trayce Jackson-Davis.

South Region

#16 Winthrop 85, #1 Baylor 79

For just the second time in tournament history, a #1 seed loses in the First Round, as Winthrop knocks off Baylor here.  The Eagles were able to pull this out thanks to the dynamic duo of Chase Claxton and Hunter Hale.  Claxton scored 21 points, while Hale added 19, with Chandler Vaudrin owning the boards, compiling 14 rebounds to go along with 12 points.  Also helping Winthrop’s cause was getting to the free throw line 39 times, making 23 of their attempts.  Jared Butler scored 26 for Baylor, but it was not enough.

#9 LSU 67, #8 St. Mary’s 60

Skylar Mays had 26 points for the Tigers,  on 9 of 11 shooting, to lead LSU to the win.  LSU shot 53.5% as a team overall, including 40% (6-15) on three-pointers, and 75% from the line (15-20) to contribute to the victory.

#4 Louisville 71, #13 Bradley 70

Bradley nearly pulled off the 4-13 upset, as they held a 70-66 lead with 1:13 left to play.  But Jordan Nwora hit a three and scored a layup in the final minute to sneak out with the late win.  Nwora’s 28 points led the way for the Cardinals, who also got 16 from Steven Enoch.  Darrell Brown and Nate Kennell each scored 18 for Bradley in the losing effort.

#12 Yale 63, #5 Auburn 51

Paul Atkinson’s 22 points and Azar Swain’s 19 helped lead the Bulldogs to the upset of Auburn.  Yale’s dominance on the glass contributed to the win, as they outrebounded the Tigers 35-24.  Also aiding in the win was the fact that Yale shot 25 free throws, making 15 of them, while Auburn could only get to the line five times.

#15 North Dakota State 89, #2 Florida State 83

Yet another upset here, as the Bison shock the Seminoles behind a huge game from Vinnie Shahid.  Shahid scored 37 points on 14 of 21 shooting, including 6-10 from behind the arc.  ND State also got 26 points from Tyson Ward.  Devin Vassell and Trent Forrest did all they could for the Seminoles, scoring 24 points and 20 respectively, but in the end the 2-seed goes down.

#7 Providence 75, #10 Utah State 64

Providence moves on as it knocks off the upstart Aggies from Utah State in this one.  The Friars were hot from long distance, making 10 of their 16 three-point attempts, while also winning the rebounding battle 38-28.  Alpha Diallo led the way for Providence in scoring with 18, followed by David Duke with 13.

#3 Michigan State 72, #14 Belmont 69

A rough first half from the Spartans was not enough for the Bruins to hold on to the upset attempt in this one.  Belmont led 37-24 at the break, but Michigan State was unstoppable in the second half to pull out the win.  Cassius Winston showed why he was named an All-American as he scored 20 points to lead Sparty.  Reserve Gabe Brown was the only other Spartan in double figures, as he chipped in with 10 points.

#11 Texas Tech 63, #6 Virginia 52

The Cavaliers were ice-cold in the first half, resulting in trailing 36-18 at half.  Red Rayders fans of course would say it was Texas Tech’s defense, which certainly has an aspect of truth.  Jahmi’us Ramsey led Texas Tech with 23 points, while Kyler Edwards added 12.  Mamadi Diakite led Virginia with 12 points, managing to shoot just 4 of 14 from the field though, including missing all 3 three-pointers he shot.

West Region

#1 Gonzaga 77, #16 Siena 39

Gonzaga jumped out to a 7-0 lead, then a 22-2 lead, and then a 36-6 lead, never trailing and walking away with the blow-out.  The Zags held a sizable advantage in every single stat category, outrebounding Siena 46-25, free throw shooting advantage (17-2 attempts), while shooting 45.5% overall while holding Siena to 32.1% shooting.  Leading scorers for the Zags were Ryan Woolridge with 13 and Filip Petrusev with 12.

#9 Oklahoma 75, #8 Houston 64

Oklahoma locked this one down in the final five minutes to pull out the win.  Four Sooners scored in double figures, led by Kristian Doolittle with 21, Jamal Bieniemy with 16, De’Vion Harmon with 15 off the bench, and Brady Manek with 14.  Manek also blocked 3 shots, while Jalen Hill and Kur Kuath each blocked 2.

#4 Oregon 81, #13 Vermont 72

In a Green/Yellow battle on both sides, the higher-seeded Ducks overcame a 42-33 halftime deficit to win and move on.  Chris Duarte scored 24 for the Ducks, including 6 threes, while Payton Pritchard added 20, including 4 threes. Overall Oregon shot 48% from behind the arc, going 12 for 25.  Vermont’s Lamb did his part, chipping in 24 points.

#5 Penn State 90, #12 Stephen F. Austin 66

The Nittany Lions were on fire, shooting 52.2% from the field, to notch the 24-point victory.  Lamar Stevens scored 25 to lead the way for Penn State, and Mike Watkins scored 17 while grabbing 9 rebounds.  Nittany Lions PG Jamari Wheeler dished out 8 assists against just 1 turnover.  SFA turned the ball over 19 times in the loss.

#2 San Diego State 83, #15 Arkansas-Little Rock 44

Utter domination by the Aztecs as they win going away.  They shot 48.2% from the field, including 12-28 (42.9%) three-pointers, while turning the ball over just 9 times as a team.  Malachi Flynn paced the way with 26 points, including 10-11 free throws, while Yanni Wetzell added 15 and Jordan Schakel chipped in 14.  Coupet was the lone UALR player in double-digits, scoring 10 points.

#10 Rutgers 76, #7 Arizona 75

An offensive rebound putback from Ron Harper Jr. with 18.2 seconds left gave Rutgers the upset win.  Five Scarlet Knights were in double-figure points, led by Akwasi Yeboah’s 14, Montez Mathis and Harper Jr. with 12, and Jacob Young and Paul Mulcahy with 10 each.

#3 Seton Hall 79, #14 North Texas 68

Despite a frantic comeback from North Texas, Seton Hall is able to hold on for the victory.  A 17-point halftime lead evaporated in the second half, but North Texas ran out of time.  Quincy McKnight led Seton Hall with 21 points, while Myles Powell added 17.

#6 Michigan 70, #11 UCLA 48

Michigan’s defense was too much for the Bruins in this one.  The Wolverines held UCLA to 30.6% shooting for the game, and just 27.3% from three.  The Wolverines also forced 17 Bruins turnovers.  Michigan shot just 40.4% from the field themselves, so needed the strong defensive effort.  Eli Brooks and Franz Wagner led the Maize and Blue with 14 points each, while Zavier Simpson added 11 points and 5 assists.  No Bruins player managed to score in double figures.

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Second Round

East Region

#8 Marquette 96, #1 Dayton 89

Markus Howard goes off in what may be the performance of the whole tournament.  Howard scored 41 points, including 7 threes, while adding 7 assists and 3 steals, to carry the Golden Eagles on his back for this win over the #1 seeded Flyers.  Obi Toppin did his best to carry Dayton on to victory, scoring 30, while Crutcher added 20 for the Flyers.

#5 Ohio State 81, #13 New Mexico State 58

In what ended up being a lopsided win, the Buckeyes advance to the Sweet 16 in this one.  C Walker paced the Buckeyes with 19 points, while J Washington and Wesson each added 11 rebounds.  As a team Ohio State shot 73% from the charity stripe to help their cause, making 19 of their 26 attempts.

#2 Villanova 72, #10 Cincinnati 71

The Wildcats continue living dangerously, with their second straight last second win.  Down 71-68 with 11.9 seconds left, Moore hits a three to tie it and got fouled on the shot as well.  He made the free throw to give Villanova the win.  With the final four points, Moore finished with 20 in the game, including five three-pointers.  Gillespie added 18 for the Wildcats.  Vogt led the Bearcats in scoring with 20 points.

#14 Hofstra 76, #11 East Tennessee State 56

This battle of double-digit seeds ended up not being much of a battle, as Hofstra ran away with this one in the end.  The Pride were led by 29 points from Eli Pemberton, and Kante notched 20 to aid the cause.

Midwest Region

#1 Kansas 64, #8 USC 50

This was not a pretty game, as neither team shot well.  Kansas shot just 38.3% from the field, while USC was just 32.2%.  Both teams went 3-19 on three-pointers.  The difference was at the free throw line.  While Kansas did not shoot well there either, making 57.7% (15-26) as a team, USC managed to shoot just 47.4% (9-19) as a team.  Uboka Azubuike led all scorers with 18 points, while Devon Dotson added 14 for the Jayhawks.

#13 Liberty 65, #5 Butler 54

Liberty shot lights out in this one, making 24 of 36 shots (66.7%) overall, while shooting 46.7% (7-15) from beyond the arc, leading to the upset victory.  McGhee scored 16 for the Flames, while Homesley added 15, and Pacheco-Ortiz chipped in with 13.  Butler could only muster 21.1% on three-pointers, making just 4 of 19 attempts, contributing to their demise in Round 2.

#7 Iowa 94, #15 Eastern Washington 86

After a quiet First Round game, Luka Garza came out firing on all cylinders here, dropping 33 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.  He also blocked two shots.  Fredrick added 19 points for the Hawkeyes as well.  Davison and Aiken Jr. did all they could  to try to keep EWU in the game, but it wasn’t enough to offset Garza.

#3 Duke 71, #6 West Virginia 63

Duke’s defense fueled them to the win, helping overcome 19 Blue Devil turnovers.  West Virginia shot just 33.8% from the field, and just 21.1% on threes.  Tre Jones led the way for the Blue Devils on the scoresheet, knocking in 25 points, while picking up 5 steals.  Cassius Stanley added 15 in the winning effort.

South Region

#9 LSU 87, #16 Winthrop 70

Balanced scoring was the recipe for the W for LSU, knocking off the shock 16-seed Winthrop.  Four players in double-digits, led by Watford with 17, E Williams with 14 off the bench, Smart with 11, and M Taylor contributing 10 points.  Watford added nine rebounds to lead the way for the Tigers on the glass.  Winthrop’s Burns scored 19 points off the bench to lead them.

#12 Yale 71, #4 Louisville 65

The Bulldogs continue their Cinderella run, knocking off the Cardinals in the Second Round.  Atkinson came up huge for Yale, scoring 28 points on 9-15 shooting, while shooting a perfect 10 of 10 from the charity stripe.  Swain contributed 17 points as well, while Bruner grabbed 10 rebounds for the Yalies.

#7 Providence 86, #15 North Dakota State 56

This game was close at halftime, with the Friars holding a slim 34-30 lead.  But whatever Coach said at halftime invigorated Providence, as they outscored the Bison 52-26 in the second half.  Five Friars scored in double-figures, led by N Watson with 18 and Pipkins with 14.  Holt added a double-double, with 11 points and 10 rebounds.  ND State could not capitalize on another excellent effort from Shahid, scoring 25 points in the loss.

#11 Texas Tech 82, #3 Michigan State 72

The Red Rayders rode a hot first half to the win here.  Texas Tech came out firing on all cylinders, and led at the break, 41-31.  The two teams played even in the second half.  Holyfield led the Red Rayders with 20 points, while J Ramsey added 16 as well.  Cassius Winston scored 19 for the Spartans in the loss, while Gabe Brown added 15.

West Region

#1 Gonzaga 78, #9 Oklahoma 62

Gonzaga was never really threatened in this one, leading the whole game and riding excellent team shooting.  As a team, the Zags shot 56.4% from the floor, and a blistering 58.3% (14-24) from three-point territory.  They also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Sooners 34-21.  Kispert led the way with 25 points, while Ayayi notched 10 rebounds.

#4 Oregon 71, #5 Penn State 60

The Nittany Lions struggled mightily from deep, managing to make just 3 of 18 three-point attempts.  Meanwhile, the Ducks turned the ball over 19 times, so will need to clean that up if they hope to continue advancing.  Richardson scored 23 points off the bench for Oregon to lead them in scoring, while A Mathis scored 16 and Payton Pritchard added 15.  Okoro grabbed 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, to pace the Ducks there.

#2 San Diego State 62, #10 Rutgers 55

The Aztecs did just enough to win here, as they did not shoot all that well, but shot better than the Scarlet Knights, who managed to hit just 32.3% of their shots.  Flynn led SDSU with 17 points and 5 assists, while grabbing 4 steals.  Three other Aztecs were in double-figures in scoring to maintain a balanced attack.  Rutgers did manage to block 9 Aztec shots, with M Johnson getting three of his own.

#3 Seton Hall 81, #6 Michigan 78

Seton Hall’s Powell hit a three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left to give the Pirates the March Madness win.  The three was part of 23 he scored for the game, while McKnight scored 15 as well.  Michigan’s Isiah Livers scored 24 for the Wolverines, but it was not enough to overcome a dominating performance on the glass for Seton Hall.  The Pirates outrebounded Michigan 39-23, with Gill leading the way with 10 boards.

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Sweet Sixteen

East Region

#5 Ohio State 83, #8 Marquette 70

Markus Howard’s magical run comes to end in the Sweet Sixteen, as the Buckeyes knock off Marquette.  Howard scored 21 points in the loss.  But the Buckeyes used balanced scoring to fuel them to the win and advance to the Elite 8.  They were led by J Washington with 15, while Wesson contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds.

#2 Villanova 68, #14 Hofstra 63

Hofstra had a 12-0 run midway through the second half in an effort to continue their Cinderella story, but it wasn’t enough in the end to overtake the Wildcats.  Villanova didn’t need last second free throws in this one, like they did in their previous two games, but there were still some nervous fans in the tight battle.  Bey led Nova with 20 points, Gillespie added 18, and Robinson-Earl grabbed 15 rebounds to key the victory.

Midwest Region

#1 Kansas 71, #13 Liberty 60

Kansas rode a 28 point, 10 assists, 3 steals effort from Devon Dotson to burst the Flames’ bubble.  Azubuike added 20 points, along with 4 blocks, and Ochai Agbaji and Moss each chipped in 11 points.  Liberty managed to get to the free throw line just one time, which did not help their cause, because they actually shot the bal well (52.9% from the field, 37.5% from beyond the arc).

#3 Duke 80, #7 Iowa 77

Duke’s Goldwire hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to pull off the magical win for the Blue Devils.  In what may have been the most entertaining game of the tournament to this point, both teams made runs throughout to even things up and amp up the end-game drama.  Iowa’s Luka Garza battled foul trouble throughout, and it would have been interesting to see how things played out if he would have been more available.  As it was, Iowa’s Wieskamp led all scorers with 26 points, while Duke was led by Tre Jones with 21 and Vernon Carey Jr. with 20.  Cassius Stanley added 15 to go along with 10 rebounds for the Dukies as well.

South Region

#9 LSU 83, #12 Yale 79

LSU’s Cinderella run continued, while Yale’s came to a close in this close battle that saw LSU hit four free throws in the final 32 seconds to pull out the win.  Five Tigers were in double-figure points, led by Days with 23 and Manning Jr. off the bench with 16.  Yale was paced by Swain with 19 and Bruner, who put up 15 points and 14 rebounds.

#7 Providence 73, #11 Texas Tech 63

Providence overcame 19 turnovers and mediocre shooting to pull this game out, thanks to a 42-25 rebounding advantage for the Friars.  Diallo was a monster, scoring 15 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, and the Friars were led in scoring by Pipkins with 21 points.  As a team, the Red Rayders hit 10 threes, including four from J Ramsey (20 points total), but their inability to rebound the basketball was the nail in the coffin.

West Region

#1 Gonzaga 88, #4 Oregon 85

Oregon fought valiantly until the end, but came up just short in this one, as the Zags were just too much.  Gonzaga again shot really well, going 34-60 from the field for 56.7% as a team, and making 8 of 21 three-point shots.  Leading scorers for the Zags were Gilder off the bench with 17, Drew Tillie and Petrusev each with 16, and Ayayi with 12.  Petrusev also grabbed 12 rebounds.  Payton Pritchard played another outstanding game for Oregon, scoring 20 points while dishing out 10 assists.  Chris Duarte added 16 points for the Ducks.

#3 Seton Hall 82, #2 San Diego State 78

Mamukelashvili hit a three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining to put the Pirates up 81-78, and then Rhoden hit one free throw for the final margin in this high-seed battle.  Rhoden came up huge for Seton Hall, scoring 21 points and adding 16 rebounds to lead the way. Powell added 17 points for the Pirates.  SDSU’s Flynn carried the Aztecs on his back, scoring 32 points, including 5 three-pointers on 11-22 shooting overall.

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Elite Eight

East Region

#2 Villanova 73, #5 Ohio State 66

This was a story of two halves.  Ohio State owned the first half, taking a 40-31 lead into the break behind some hot shooting.  But the second half belonged to Villanova, who outscored the Buckeyes 42-26 to take the victory and move onto the Final Four.  Saddiq Bey scored the final seven points for the Wildcats, including 5 from the free throw line, on his way to a 28 point, 8 rebound outing.  Samuels added 16 for Nova.  Wesson and Carton each scored 13 for the Buckeyes to lead the way for them.

Midwest Region

#3 Duke 90, #1 Kansas 88

Two free throws from Matthew Hurt with 3.7 seconds left on the clock was the margin needed for the Blue Devils to knock off the #1 overall seed.  Devon Dotson was the man for KU though, putting up a 42-point effort, scoring nearly half of the Jayhawks’ total output.  Udoka Azubuike added 19 points to go along with a monster 19 rebounds, while leading the way for victorious Dukies was Hurt and Cassius Stanley, each with 22 points.  Vernon Carey Jr. added 17 for Duke.  Both teams were electric in their shooting, with Duke shooting 50.8% as a team, including 12-30 from beyond the arc, while Kansas shot 60% from the field overall.

South Region

#9 LSU 95, #7 Providence 88

With the win, LSU joins the 1985 Villanova team as the lowest seeds to make a Final Four.  The Tigers did it on the back of strong shooting (53.3% from the field) and cleaning the boards (39-28 advantage) in this high-scoring affair.  LSU had six players in double-digit points, led by Skylar Mays with 21, Darius Days and TrendonWatford with 15 each.  Days also grabbed 12 rebounds to lead both teams in that category.  Providence was led by Luwayne Pipkins with 28 points, Nate Watson with 24, and Alpha Diallo with 18.  The Friars managed just 18 points outside of those three.

West Region

#3 Seton Hall 84, #1 Gonzaga 76

The Seton Hall win meant that no #1 seeds would reach the Final Four this season.  Myles Powell scored 28 points to fuel the Pirates.  Three other Seton Hall players were in double-figures for points.  After shooting so well for their previous games, Gonzaga’s shooting ultimately let them down in the loss, as they hit just 37% of their shots overall, and shot just 4 of 27 on three-pointers, including a 2-11 day for Corey Kispert.  Killian Tillie led the Zags with 16 points, adding 12 rebounds, while Drew Timme came off the bench to add 14.

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Final Four

Duke 79, Villanova 65

Duke’s domination on the glass was the key factor in sending them to the Championship Game.  The Blue Devils outrebounded Nova 36-22, including 11 offensive rebounds, to secure the win.  Cassius Stanley had 20 points and 8 rebounds for Duke, while Tre Jones continued his scoring run by adding 17 points and 8 assists.  Justin Moore led the Wildcats with 19 points, who also got 13 from Samuels and 10 from Saddiq Bey.

Seton Hall 85, LSU 75

Myles Powell came up huge for the Pirates, scoring 36 points on 11 of 18 shooting, including 6 for 11 from long range.  He added 6 steals to his stat count in addition.  Quincy McKnight chipped in with 15, and Sandro Mamukelashvi added 13 and 8 rebounds.  LSU could hit just 4 of 15 three-pointers, though they did manage to shoot 82.6% from the free throw line as a team (19-23).  The Tigers were led by Trendon Watford with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Skylar Mays scored 17 points.

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Championship Game

Duke 85, Seton Hall 76

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2020 National Champions are the Duke Blue Devils!  Vernon Carey came up huge in the finale, scoring 30 points and nabbing 12 rebounds in a game that saw eleven lead changes.  Tre Jones added 17 points and 8 assists.  Leading the way for the surprise Pirates squad were Quincy McKnight and Sandro Mamukelashvi with 17 points each.  Mamukelashvi also led the Pirates with 9 rebounds.  Duke pulled off the win despite making only 4 three-pointers in the game (4-12 overall) in a bit of a throwback performance.

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Your 2020 NCAA Basketball National Champions!

Tournament MOP – Vernon Carey Jr, Duke (17.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.0 BPG)

All-Tournament First Team

G – Devon Dotson, Kansas

G- Myles Powell, Seton Hall

F – Cassius Stanley, Duke

F – Saddiq Bey, Villanova

C – Vernon Carey Jr., Duke

All-Tournament Second Team

G – Quincy McKnight, Seton Hall

G – Skylar Mays, LSU

F – Eli Pemberton, Hofstra

F – Killian Tillie, Gonzaga

C – Udoka Azubuike, Kansas

All-Tournament Third Team

G – Tre Jones, Duke

G – Justin Moore, Villanova

F – Jahmi’us Ramsey, Texas Tech

F – Alpha Diallo, Providence

C – Trendon Watford, LSU