NCAA tournament: Friday’s South Region review

The South Region featured six games Friday (there were just two in the region Thursday), and while the top two seeds rolled on with no real issues, No. 4 seed Illinois was lucky to escape with a first-round win.

The Fighting Illini tied for the Big Ten regular-season title, but they looked like anything but a power-conference juggernaut against 13^th-seeded Chattanooga. The Mocs, the champs of the Southern Conference, led for all but 25 seconds. Unfortunately for the Mocs, it was the final 25 seconds of the game.

Chattanooga led 51-46 with 3:42 left, but struggled to score down the stretch. The Illini finished on an 8-2 run. The Mocs had two shots in the final seconds, but star Malachi Smith had a layup blocked by Coleman Hawkins and Smith’s follow shot missed.

Here’s a look at what happened Friday in the South Region.

Most impressive performance, team: Ohio State. Well, Ohio State’s defense. Yes, Loyola-Chicago missed more than a few makeable shots in a 54-41 loss to the Buckeyes. But Ohio State’s defense did an excellent job speeding up the Ramblers, who prefer a slower pace. In turn, that led to 14 Loyola turnovers and also a lot of bad shots. Loyola finished an unsightly 15-of-56 from the field (26.8 percent), and the Buckeyes also had five blocks.

Most impressive performance, individual: Houston G Kyler Edwards. Edwards, a transfer from Texas Tech, scored 25 points to lead the fifth-seeded Cougars past No. 12 UAB 82-68. Moore also had seven rebounds and three assists. He was 6-of-8 from 3-point range, with all the makes coming in the first half. It was his sixth game this season with at least six 3-pointers.

Hard to understand: We’re going to pick two things here — and both involve teams from Illinois. Loyola is a veteran team with NCAA experience. Yes, the Ramblers have a new coach, but Drew Valentine was an assistant under Porter Moser. But the Ramblers looked like NCAA newbies Friday. They let Ohio State’s defense dictate the pace, and it messed with their offense. Loyola played well enough on defense to win the game, but its offense didn’t give it a chance. Turnovers, rushed shots, bad shots, missed shots — Loyola did not play up to its experience level Friday afternoon. And you also wonder what was going on with Illinois. Coach Brad Underwood admitted afterward on TV that his team’s offense “stunk.” The Illini enjoyed a big size disparity, but didn’t take full advantage. They frequently were sloppy with the ball (14 turnovers). They took bad shots. They fell asleep on defense. They were bricklayers from beyond the arc (3-of-18, with all three makes from Alfonso Plummer), and struggled from the free-throw line (13-of-22). They also won. Thing is, if they don’t play better Sunday, they’ll lose in the second round for the second season in a row.

What we’ll be talking about from this region Saturday: Can Ohio State’s defense do to Villanova what it did to Loyola? Villanova’s offense is better than Loyola’s, the Wildcats’ players have more creativity than the Ramblers’ and it’s unlikely ’Nova will miss some of the open shots Loyola missed. Presumably, the Buckeyes’ physicality won’t bother Villanova as much as it did Loyola, either. Still, Ohio State turned in an elite defensive performance, which means the Buckeyes could do it again.

Some key numbers: Seton Hall had more turnovers (16) than made field goals (15) in its loss to TCU. … Chattanooga outrebounded Illinois 43-41, thanks to 16 offensive rebounds. … In addition to struggling from the field, Loyola tossed up a bunch of bricks from the line, too: The Ramblers finished 3-of-10 on free throws. The biggest culprit was Ramblers star Lucas Williamson, who had a long day. Williamson was 1-of-6 from the line and 1-of-10 from the field. But he did have six assists and three steals. … Villanova senior F Jermaine Samuels had nine rebounds, including a career-high seven on the offensive end; his previous high was three. Samuels’ performance helped the Wildcats outrebound Delaware by nine. … Ohio State didn’t exactly light it up offensively. The Buckeyes committed 17 turnovers and went 1-of-15 from 3-point range. But they did hit 17 of their 28 2-point attempts. … Arizona pounded Wright State on the boards, winning the rebounding battle 46-25. … Villanova was 13-of-28 from 3-point range; Delaware was 3-of-20. … Ohio State made 18 shots from the field and 17 from the line. … Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell had his seventh double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds. … Arizona C Christian Koloko, a 7-1 sophomore, had 17 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. … Seton Hall shot 28.8 percent from the field (15-of-52) in its loss.

Game results

No. 1 Arizona 87, No. 16 Wright State 70

Main takeaway: What if you turn in a sloppy performance, yet still win by 17? That’s Arizona, folks. The Wildcats committed 19 turnovers and were involved in a losable game with about 12 minutes left before they pulled away. Had the Wildcats not coughed it up so often, who knows how many points they would’ve scored? As it is, they shot a scintillating 55 percent from the floor (33-of-60, including 11-of-20 from 3-point range).
Up next: Arizona vs. No. 9 TCU, Sunday

No. 2 Villanova 80, No. 15 Delaware 60

Main takeaway: Delaware, which was the surprise winner of the CAA tourney, hung tough for most of the first half. Villanova eventually got its offense cranked up, though, and led by 10 at halftime. There was never any doubt about the outcome in the second half. The Wildcats had five players in double figures.
Up next: Villanova vs No. 7 Ohio State, Sunday.

No. 4 Illinois 54, No. 13 Chattanooga 53

Main takeaway: Illinois needed an 8-2 run to close out the game to come away with the win. And Chattanooga missed two potential game-winning shots in the final seconds against the co-Big Ten champs. Truth be told, Illinois looked more like a mid-level power-conference team, one that got an at-large bid after finishing two games below .500 in the league during the season, than a league champ. If the Mocs didn’t go 7-of-14 from the line, perhaps they could’ve pulled the upset.
Up next: Illinois vs. TBD, Sunday

No. 5 Houston 82, No. 12 UAB 68

Main takeaway: Conventional wisdom seemed to be that Houston would want to slow the game and grind away. Nope. The Cougars went up and down the court in the first half, building a 46-37 halftime lead and cruising from there. Expect that slower pace Sunday when the Cougars meet Illinois.
Up next: Houston vs. No. 4 Illinois, Sunday

No. 7 Ohio State 54, No. 10 Loyola-Chicago 41

Main takeaway: The Ramblers shot 48.3 percent from the field during the regular season; they also hit 38.3 percent of their 3-point attempts. They weren’t close to either figure Friday (26.8 from the field, 28.6 percent from 3-point range) as Ohio State’s defense ruled the day. The Buckeyes’ defense had been shaky down the stretch during the regular season, but, man, they ramped it up Friday.
Up next: Ohio State vs. No. 2 Villanova, Sunday.

No. 9 TCU 69, No. 8 Seton Hall 42

Main takeaway: This was a beatdown, like a No. 1 seed beats a No. 16 seed kind of beatdown. Seton Hall led at the 15-minute mark of the first half, but it was just 4-2. After that, TCU decided to play some offense; Seton Hall never did. TCU led 30-21 at halftime and cruised in the second half.
Up next: TCU vs. No. 1 Arizona, Sunday