South Carolina, Kansas Advance in Respective Tournaments

By Yonatanne Desta ‘24

Women March Madness

Elite 8

Creighton vs South Carolina

In the Elite 8 matchup between Creighton and South Carolina, it was underdog vs superteam. With the likes of Aliyah Boston, the front-runner for national player of the year led the No. 1 team in the country and tournament to victory over Creighton in the Greensboro Regional final with 19 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes of play in a very dominating performance.On the other side of the court, Lauren Jensen had 12 points, and both Rachael Saunders and Morgan Maly had 8 for Creighton. The Blue Jays battled to the end but couldn’t match South Carolina’s size and ability in the paint. It was very evident during the second quarter because the Gamecocks center, 6’ 5” tall Aliyah Boston scored 7 points. Creighton’s high aspirations were crushed when Laeticia Amihere scored 6 points in a 19-2 run. During that time, South Carolina had a 24 point advantage from many drives, threes, and clutch free throws. During the run, South Carolina’s defense was strong and tenacious, denying Creighton the passes and ball movement that made them well. The score ended 80-50 and they are headed to the Final Four to play Louisville.

Men March Madness 

Elite 8

Miami vs Kansas

On Sunday, Ochai Agbaji, David McCormack, and Christian Braun guided the top-seeded Jayhawks to a 76-50 victory over Miami, advancing to the final four for the 16th time in their program’s history. The first half was rough for the Jayhawks, as top guards like Dajuan Harris were missing major shots. On the other hand, the Hurricanes were playing amazing defense, as one of the best shot blockers in the tournament was stopping everyone. The score was 35-29 Miami leading heading into the second half. To start the second half, the Jayhawks showed off their superior speed and athleticism. Agbaji, their leading guard, scored 18 points in the game. He had a slump in the first but then showed his real quickness in the second half. Kansas outscored Miami 47-15 in the second half. The Jayhawks shot 59.3 percent (16 for 27), while the Hurricanes shot 21.4 percent (6 for 28) after halftime. They also outrebounded Miami in the second half 25 to 11 rebounds.  The Hurricanes couldn’t keep up and Kansas stormed into the Final Four with a spectacular conclusion.

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