Cinderella is still dancing as Wichita State took down the 2-seed Ohio State 70-66. The Buckeyes couldn't hit anything in the first half as the Shockers built a 35-22 halftime lead as Cleanthony Early led the way. In the second it was more of the same for the first nine minutes as WSU pushed the lead to 56-36 with 11:01 left. But Ohio State wasn't about to give up yet. After seeing Michigan erase a 14-point deficit with less than seven minutes to go against Kansas the night before, OSU started to chip away. The Buckeyes went on a 23-6 run to make it 62-59 with 2:49 remaining. In a spot where most thought the 9-seed Shockers would continue to wilt, they came up big. First it was Tekele Cotton who hit a 3-pointer on their next possession. Then after Deshaun Thomas scored, Fred Vanvleet made a shot in the lane that bounced at least six times on the rim before finally dropping. From then on it was a foul fest and OSU wasn't able to complete their comeback. Wichita State had great balance on offense as six players scored at least eight, led by Malcolm Armstead with 14 and Early with 12. The Shockers also played great defense holding the Buckeyes to only 31% from the field and 5-25 on 3-pointers (OSU was 50% in the tournament prior). On the outside, Armstead held Aaron Craft to only 2-12 shooting while Carl Hall controlled the paint with six blocks. OSU star Deshaun Thomas finished with 23 and LaQuinton Ross played well for the third consecutive game adding 19 but it wasn't enough. Wichita State only won by four but pretty much dominated for 3/4's of the game and earned their ticket to the Final Four. Their region was decimated with upsets but they managed to get past the #1 and #2 seeded teams in the West. The Shockers might be a mid-major 9-seed but they have proven themselves worthy and should not be taken lightly by either Louisville or Duke.
Syracuse continues its strong defense, knocking off Big East foe
It wasn't the prettiest game but that's how Syracuse is making their opponents look on offense, ugly. The Orange held Marquette to only 18 points in the first half and 39 for the game as they smothered their Big East counterpart for the 55-39 victory. Marquette's 39 points was the fewest ever scored in an Elite Eight game in the shot clock era. The Syracuse 2-3 zone has been dominating opponents all tournament with their length and athleticism. To have a guy like Michael Carter-Williams (6'6) at the top of the zone is what causes trouble for other teams. His length makes it difficult to find passing lanes and he's able to challenge 3-point attempts. MCW had 12 points, eight rebound, six assists, and five steals with only one turnover against Marquette. Speaking of turnovers, Marquette is now the third team to have more turnovers than field goals made against the Orange in this years tournament, joining Montana and Indiana. The Golden Eagles had 14 TOs but only 12 shots made on 22% shooting. Cuse's defense is unbelievable right now, they are holding teams to 14 less points than in the regular season (45.8 per game), 29% from the field and 15% from long range. James Southerland was a big spark in the scoring department, putting in 16 and can be a killer from deep. The remaining teams should be fearful of Syracuse and their zone, nobody seems to be able to figure it out. If defense wins championships, the Orange are in prime position to cut down the nets.
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