The 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament arrived in Newark on Thursday as the Sweet Sixteen of the East Regional commenced at the Prudential Center.
The four teams playing at The Rock came in after having competitive games in their opening weekend matchups, with the consensus being that Duke would come out of the region when all was said and done on Saturday. But first, we had to get through Thursday night as BYU and Alabama got us started in just the second all-time between the programs.
Alabama 113, BYU 88
The opening minutes were frantic as both teams looked to get out and run early on. The Cougars and Crimson Tide shot over 50 percent from the field in the first four minutes of the first half, as there was no feeling out process for the teams. Alabama led by one at the first media timeout after a LaBaron Philon three-pointer as BYU looked to keep the pace fast.
However, the game became The Mark Sears Show as he began raining threes on the Cougars like an unannounced rainstorm in Provo. Sears came into the game averaging 18 points and picked up 17 in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Alabama came in shooting 35 percent from three and was 12-of-27 (44 percent) in the opening half. Meanwhile, BYU, after a fast start, was unable to sustain that pace, shooting 1-of-12 from three as the game began to get away from the Cougars as they faced a 51-40 deficit at the half.
BYU came out in the second half with a sense of urgency, scoring on three straight possessions, but Alabama looked to extend their lead, going on an 8-0 run to lead 63-47 going into the first media timeout of the second half. The Cougars were not done as they hit 4-of-5 field goals to cut their deficit to under ten points.
Alabama countered for every basket BYU made. For every three-pointer the Cougars knocked down, the Crimson Tide returned with a three of their own. It seemed that Alabama could do no wrong as they led 86-68 with 9:28 left in regulation after an Aden Holloway three to extend the lead. At that point, the result of the game was no longer in doubt, as Sears and the Crimson Tide were too much for the Cougars. Sears finished with 34 points (10-of-16 from three-point range) and eight assists.
“I was just in a zone,” said Sears. “Once I seen the first three fell in, I felt the basket was as big as an ocean. And every time I shot, I felt like it was going in. Just lost myself in the game and just let everything else happen.”
Holloway scored 24 points, including seven threes, as Alabama set an NCAA Tournament record with 25 made threes in a single game. Former Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi finished with 10 points and six rebounds for the Crimson Tide.
Richie Saunders led BYU with 25 points, while Egor Demin scored 15 points. While dominating points in the paint (50-16), the Cougars shot just 20 percent from three as they struggled to find their shot from deep.
Duke 100, Arizona 93
In a complete change from the night’s opening game, both teams came out and played a more slowed-down, half-court style of basketball. Caleb Love and Cooper Flagg started slow for their teams, but other players like Tyrese Proctor from Duke and Jaden Bradley from Arizona carried the load as we went into the under eight-minute media timeout with Duke leading 24-21.
Flagg and Love began to showcase their skills in the latter part of the first half as the two went shot for shot down the stretch of the opening 20 minutes. While the stats showed an even game, Duke dominated points in the paint and scored seven points off three Arizona turnovers. While Love finished with a team-high 14 points in the first half, Flagg scored 18 points, including a cold-blooded deep three at the buzzer as the Blue Devils went into the locker room leading 48-42.
The second half saw Duke go on an 8-2 run to open the final 20 minutes to stretch their lead to 56-44 with 17:41 left in regulation. Flagg continued to impact the game, but this time, it was with his passing as he assisted on two alley-oops to Khaman Maluach inside of two minutes as the game started to slip away from Arizona.
The Blue Devils’ lead rose to as much as 19 in the second half as Arizona tried to trim the deficit. Love decided to take things into his own hands and single-handedly bring the Wildcats back, scoring Arizona’s following 12 points as they cut Duke’s lead to 78-70 with 7:47 left in regulation.
Arizona got the lead down to five with 1:56 left after a Carter Bryant three, but that would be as close as the Wildcats got. From there, it became a free throw game for Duke, and they finished the job as they advanced to the Elite Eight for a matchup with Alabama to see who would advance to the Final Four in San Antonio.
Flagg finished with 30 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, becoming the first Duke player to put up 30 points, five assists, and five rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game since assists became an official stat in 1984, according to ESPN Research.
“I’ve just wanted him to fully be him, and I thought he was that,” said Duke head coach Jon Scheyer. “He was in his element tonight. He was him. He had just a great personality. He was loose, talking, competitive, the whole thing.”
Love finished with 35 points for Arizona, but besides him, the Wildcat team struggled to shoot as they shot 19-of-45 from the field.
“I’m going to miss Caleb,” said Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd. “Obviously he’s had an amazing career. I’m so excited for his future.”
What’s Next In Newark
On Saturday, Alabama and Duke will fight for the right to advance to the 2025 Final Four. Duke will be looking to make their 18th appearance while the Crimson Tide look to move on to their second straight Final Four. Tip-off is set for 8:49 p.m. on Saturday at The Rock.
