By Garrett Miley | National Desk The Elite Eight is set after another exciting evening of basketball on Friday. We scoured the box scores and stat sheets to find the most revealing figures of the day. Here are the numbers that tell the story: 60: Points in the paint for Kansas in an 87-85 overtime loss to Michigan. While...
By Garrett Miley | National Desk
Kansas ' Kevin Young (40) dunks the ball against Michigan during the first half of a regional semifinal game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Elite Eight is set after another exciting evening of basketball on Friday. We scoured the box scores and stat sheets to find the most revealing figures of the day. Here are the numbers that tell the story:
60: Points in the paint for Kansas in an 87-85 overtime loss to Michigan.
While it wasn’t enough, the Jayhawks absolutely dominated the Wolverines in the paint. Jeff Withey, Kevin Young and Co. made life extremely difficult for Michigan’s Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III. If it weren’t for a near-impossible 3-pointer by Michigan’s Trey Burke, Kansas’ paint party would have been the story from Friday night's best game.
13: Offensive rebounds for Florida.
The Gators had a serious size advantage over Florida Gulf Coast in the post on Friday, and it showed. Florida generated a slew of second-chance opportunities thanks to the work of Patric Young and Eric Murphy on the inside (three offensive boards each). As a team, the Gators shot just 38.6 percent, making those second-chance opportunities key in their 62-50 victory.
11-0: Louisville head coach Rick Pitino’s record in Sweet 16 games.
The Cardinals’ 77-69 victory over Oregon on Friday kept Pitino perfect in Sweet 16 games as he moves on to the Elite Eight for the 11th time in his legendary career. This postseason Pitino is looking to increase another number on his resume: 1 (the number of national championships he's captured in six trips to the Final Four).
92.3: Duke’s free throw percentage against Michigan State.
The Spartans committed 24 fouls against the Blue Devils, and Rasheed Sulaimon and Co. took advantage in a 71-61 victory. Duke made 24-of-26 free throws on Friday as Sulaimon sank 12-of-14 from the charity stripe. Seth Curry, Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly combined to shoot a perfect 12-of-12 from the line.
5: Seconds remaining after Trey Burke’s game-tying 3-pointer.
Burke’s three capped an improbable comeback for Michigan after the Wolverines found themselves down 14 with 6:51 to play. The clutch triple produced the first overtime action of the tournament, with Michigan pulling out an 87-85 viictory.
Florida Gulf Coast's Brett Comer (0) reacts during the second half of a regional semifinal game against Florida in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
0.55: Florida Gulf Coast’s assist-to-turnover ratio.
We didn’t see the brilliance from Brett Comer and the Eagles on Friday that we became so accustomed to over the last week. FGCU looked erratic and out of control for the majority of their 62-50 loss to Florida. The Eagles committed 20 turnovers to just 11 assists against the Gators as the mid-major magic ran out for Andy Enfield’s team. Comer was the biggest offender, accounting for nine of his team's giveaways.