NCAA Tournament 2017, Arizona vs St. Mary’s: Highlights, score and recap

Recapping the 2nd round NCAA Tournament battle between Arizona and Saint Mary’s

Saturday gave us one of the most interesting clashes of the young NCAA Tournament. Saint Mary’s and Arizona met in Salt Lake City to decide who goes to the Sweet 16, and Arizona came out on top.

Arizona, given the ‘benefit’ of being in the bracket that has Gonzaga as a 1-seed, has been garnering quite a bit of Final Four buzz. It’s certainly not unwarranted. Sean Miller has put together yet another strong squad, and one that’s been growing together since Allonzo Trier was granted eligibility to play this year. Loaded with future NBA draft picks –- especially sweet-shooting 7-footer Lauri Markkanen —  Arizona is one of the most intriguing squads in the tournament.

Though Saint Mary’s was awarded a 7-seed by the Selection Committee, they sat as the 14th best team in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin. There’s certainly an argument to be made that their ugly schedule (140th strongest per KenPom) helps contribute to these margins. But three of their four losses this year came against Gonzaga, and the Pac-12 was wasn’t great this year either — outside the top 3.

RELATED: Updated 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket

In a back-and-forth contest, Arizona came out on top. Saint Mary’s ran out to a 10-point lead in the first half behind strong play from Jock Landale, and an Arizona squad that couldn’t hit a shot. Arizona clawed back near the end of the first half, though, cutting the deficit to a single point to set up an excellent second half.

Arizona held the lead for much of the second half, though Saint Mary’s never let them run away. They clamped down on Landale on the defensive end, and their offense started to run much smoother on the other side. After Lauri Markkanen hit his first 3-point attempt of the game, then blocked Jock Landale on the other end, Arizona got some comfort in the lead. Saint Mary’s made one last push, but a terrible call on a potential offensive rebound with less than two minutes left killed any potential of a comeback. Arizona would win the game comfortably in the end, by a score of 69-60.

Three Stars

Lauri Markkanen led Arizona in scoring, finishing with 16 points. Though he only managed one three point attempt in the game — Saint Mary’s was careful not to let him get loose — he buried it. He also got to the line a ton, and hit nine of his ten free throw attempts. An underrated part of his game, though — he gamely battled against Jock Landale in the post. He refused to give up easy position, played solid defense, and finished with 2 blocks and a couple forced turnovers.

Jock Landale, even on a floor littered with NBA talent, was the best player for much of the night. He pounded the paint and the boards, finishing with 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds. He also used his unusually good passing ability and vision to log 4 assists on the night, finding cutters and helping Saint Mary’s find big gaps in the Arizona defense, especially in the first half.

Joe Rahon, though he scored just 6 points on the night, was one of Arizona’s most important offensive players. He nearly reached double digit assists, finishing with 8, as he repeatedly set up teammates with great opportunities to score. He also added two steals on the defensive end.

Highlights

Next Game

Arizona moves on the face the upstart Xavier Musketeers, who blew out Florida State in their Round of 32 matchup. The Musketeers, though they earned an 11-seed, have been outstanding in their first two tournament games, taking down higher seeds by double digits in both contests. Sean Miller of Arizona will face off against the school he coached before landing at his current job, adding another layer of intrigue to this David-Goliath showdown.