The Sweet 16 is over and two games were played in Memphis. North Carolina and Kentucky beat Butler and UCLA, and they will meet in the Elite Eight Sunday. Here is a look into the South Region Sweet 16 and Elite Eight by the numbers.
39 — Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox’s points in the game against UCLA. He did so on 13-20 shooting and 13-15 from the free throw line. His 39 points are a freshman NCAA Tournament record. Fox is a potential top five pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and he proved why with his performance.
70 — The percentage of Kentucky points scored by Fox and Malik Monk. The two combined for 60 of the teams’ 86 points. Monk had 21 points to Fox’s 39, and the two went 21-37 from the field.
75 — The point total for UCLA. The Bruins averaged 90.2 points per game coming into the matchup, but Kentucky held them to 15 points below that mark. UCLA shot a remarkable 52.7 percent from the field, but 13 turnovers hurt the Bruins against an active Wildcats’ defense. Â
10 — The amount of 3-pointer made by Kentucky. Before Friday, the Wildcats hit that mark only five times on the season — all resulting in wins.Monk was responsible for four of the threes as the deep ball helped Kentucky compensate for UCLA shooting better than 50 percent.
3 — The number of potential top five picks between Kentucky and UCLA. Lonzo Ball, Fox and Monk. Draft Express has Ball as the No. 2 pick and Monk and Fox as the No. 5 and 6 picks. The matchup was Final Four caliber with NBA talent all over the court.
16 and 12 — North Carolina Luke Maye’s points and rebounds. That set a career high in points for the sophomore forward. Maye scored the majority of the team’s 23 bench points on 6-10 shooting and 3-5 from deep. This was the first career double-double for Maye as well.
8 — Avery Woodson’s points in his FedExForum return. The former Memphis transfer went 3-11 from the field including 2-8 from the 3-point line. His two threes in the second half helped Butler made a late run, but it ultimately fell short.
73.2 — The percent of possessions that North Carolina scored on. The Tar Heels collected 92 points in their win against Butler, and the offense scored at will. They shot 54.4 percent for the game and had 42 paint points.
Kentucky coach John Calipari looks on as his team plays against UCLA. Calipari coached Memphis from the 2000-01 season to the 2008-09 season.
34 — The number of seconds that Butler led during the game. A 3-pointer by Kethan Savage put Butler up 3-2, but that lead did not last long. North Carolina soon took the lead back, and never gave it back.
103-100 —The score when Kentucky beat North Carolina by three. Monk scored 47 points that game, and Justin Jackson had 34. Now they are meeting up in the Elite Eight Sunday in a No. 1 verses No. 2 matchup.
12 — The number of Final Four appearance by John Calipari and Roy Williams. The number could be 13 if Calipari’s trip to the Final Four with Memphis was not vacated. Williams has gone eight times to Calipari’s four, and each is looking to add one more to the resume.Â
De'Aaron Fox talks to the media after his 39-point performance in the Sweet 16. He will have to face Joel Berry and North Carolina in the Elite Eight.Â
