By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Half of the NCAA tournament Elite Eight field was completed on Thursday. At Anaheim, French junior forward Killian Tillie finished with three points, five rebounds, one assist and one block in 20 minutes for Gonzaga that beat Florida State, 72-58. Swiss freshman guard Anthony Polite didn’t get on the board despite playing eight minutes for the losing side.
The Bulldogs’ Elite Eight opponent will be Texas Tech that took down Michigan with a 63-44 victory. Italian sophomore guard Davide Moretti finished with 15 points, four assists and one steal, French freshman Josh Mballa forward didn’t score in one minute. Ignas Brazdeikis put up a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double for the Wolverines.
Dutch sophomore center Matt Haarms will also take part in Elite Eight action. He helped Purdue defeat Tennessee 99-94 in overtime with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and three blocks in 36 minutes. French sophomore forward Yves Pons ended his season with a two-minute appearance.
The Boilermakers will now face Virginia that eliminated Oregon with a 53-49 win in the other game played at Louisville on Thursday. The winner of the South Regional final will advance to the 2019 Final Four.
The Sweet Sixteen will continue with Duke versus Virginia Tech and Michigan State versus LSU at Washington. At Kansas City, North Carolina will face Auburn and Kentucky will go against Houston.
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