The tournament's most compelling Cinderella story finally came to an end when a three-point attempt at the buzzer from Oral Roberts star Max Abmas narrowly missed its target. Max Abmas Robert Franklin/Associated Press They didn't have their best and still avoided disaster. They were 1-2 in those games, with losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State and a scare against Big 12 doormat Iowa State.įinding a way to win when their offensive bread and butter escaped them was a major statement for a team with title aspirations.ĭavion Mitchell was the only starter in double figures with 14 points, and Adam Flagler provided a spark with a team-high 16 points and a pair of threes off the bench, but it was the defense that carried the day for the Bears. The Bears had previously shot below 30 percent from deep just three times this season. Why are we mentioning this in the "winner" section of the article? They connected on just three of 19 from distance on Saturday. If you were watching them play for the first time, you might find that hard to believe, but they were shooting 41.5 percent from beyond the arc entering play against Villanova. The Baylor Bears are the most accurate three-point shooting team in the nation. If nothing else, the victory proved that Oregon State doesn't necessarily need to catch fire from downtown to continue its unlikely March run, as a disciplined defensive squad can be equally disruptive. The Beavers also managed to pull down 34 rebounds despite leaning heavily on the zone approach. The Ramblers were limited to 4-of-23 shooting in the first half, and while they picked it up a bit in the second half, they still finished just 33.3 percent from the floor and 21.7 percent from beyond the arc. It was the 2-3 zone that shined against Loyola-Chicago, helping the Beavers punch their ticket to the Elite Eight for the first time in 39 years. They limited Oklahoma State to just 27.7 percent shooting in an 80-70 upset victory, mixing and matching defensive looks to keep the Cowboys from settling in offensively.
5 seed Tennessee in the first round.ĭefense has extended the Beavers' tournament run. Credit the Beavers for making it an uncomfortable game from start to finish, but the Ramblers had their chances to claw back into the game.Īn unexpected offensive explosion helped propel Oregon State to a surprise Pac-12 tournament victory and a win over No. Their undoing proved to be a 5-of-23 shooting performance from beyond the arc against the Oregon State zone. When an open three-point look from Braden Norris missed the mark with 49 seconds to play in a 56-51 game, it was clear the Ramblers were officially out of opportunities. A Keith Clemons three-pointer with 2:24 remaining again put the Ramblers on the cusp of coming back with the lead trimmed to four points, but they just couldn't get over the hump. The Ramblers defense stepped up from there, holding the Beavers scoreless for the next two-and-a-half minutes, but their own offense was also silenced during that stretch as precious seconds ticked away.Īn alley-oop to Aher Uguak made it a three-point game with 3:30 remaining, but the lead swelled back to seven points in less than a minute. Not many teams can shoot 17.4 percent from the floor in the first half and still have a chance to win.ĭespite those early struggles, the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers were right in the thick of things late in the second half, and a Tate Hall layup with 6:56 remaining trimmed the deficit to 45-39.
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