Wichita State uses a dominating second half defensive effort to advance to the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes (10) drives on Ohio State’s Jae’Sean Tate (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, in Madison, Wis. Hayes had a team-high 21 points in Wisconsin’s 79-68 win. Each has played in 10 NCAA tournament games. The seniors were part of Wichita State’s 2013 Final Four team. Baker and VanVleet each finished with 14 points. Ron Baker also had 14.
“We had good chemistry early in season”, Stallings said according to Sparks. “The momentum shifted slowly and we kind of grasped it and kept on rolling”. FlaGC plays No. 1 seed North Carolina on Thursday.
Joe Toye scored all 10 of his points in the first half and Riley LaChance added 10 second half points to lead VU.
For the season, Arizona owns a true shooting percentage of 57.6 (this accounts for threes and free throws), which ranks 29th in the country thanks to very solid three-point shooting (38 percent) and a high rate of getting to the free throw line. “And again we got a number of quality looks that we didn’t make”. If you recall, previous year the Shockers took down IN and Kansas before losing to Notre Dame IN the Sweet 16.
VanVleet had to leave the game early to get treated for a cut on the right side of his forehead.
And while most of the Shockers seemed visibly exhausted, the youngest of them all stayed true to form.
“It doesn’t matter”, senior guard Fred VanVleet said Wednesday. “Because like I said, I think we expect an incredibly tough game”. I don’t really care the seed, what we are, what they are.
The game has featured seven lead changes, the last of which came when the Commodores snapped out of a sluggish start to go on a 10-0 run for a 30-25 lead. VanVleet is hitting 41 percent from deep to Baker’s 36 percent this season.
Yes, Vanderbilt has talent, but they have underachieved all season and were lucky to even get in the tournament.
Jones didn’t score until the second half against the Shockers, Kornet shot 3-of-10 and Baldwin had four turnovers.
Wichita State turned a tie game into a route with its typical “play angry” defense. The Shockers get pressure with their guards, while the Commodores used their front-line size to redirect shots.
Although he drew two fouls on the first three possessions, Jones missed all four of his free throws.
It was the same story in the Wildcats falling to OR, aside from Parker Jackson-Cartwright’s five points and five assists, plus a flurry of late points from Mark Tollefsen, who had eight points in five minutes after he helped force overtime. Vanderbilt is making its 14th appearance and its first since 2012.
At the rim, opponents shoot just 54 percent against Wichita State this season. This year, the Shockers gained entry into the tournament via one of four play-in spots.
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The Arizona Wildcats have won a tournament game in each of the last three seasons. The Commodores made just three of 19 shots from long distance, and despite being the much taller team, they grabbed five fewer rebounds than WSU.
