5 Canadians to watch in the Sweet 16
March Madness resumes Thursday night
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The NCAA basketball tournaments are down to their Sweet 16. As the men's third round tips off tonight and the women's follows suit on Friday, here's an update on the five most significant Canadians remaining in the brackets.
Men's
Marcus Carr (Texas): With first-team All-America centre Zach Edey gone after his Purdue team became just the second No. 1 seed in history to lose to a 16 seed in the first round, Carr is the most productive Canadian player left in the men's tournament. The senior guard averaged close to 16 points and four assists this season while becoming Canada's all-time NCAA Division I leader in those categories. Carr has added a total of 27 points and seven assists in two tournament games so far for Texas, a No. 2 seed. The Longhorns face No. 3 seed Xavier on Friday at 9:45 p.m. ET. If they survive, they could meet title co-favourite Houston for a spot in the Final Four.
Ryan Nembhard (Creighton): After averaging 12 points and five assists as a sophomore starting guard this season, the younger brother of Indiana Pacers rookie (and former Gonzaga standout) Andrew Nembhard scored a career-high 30 to lift No. 6 seed Creighton past No. 3 Baylor in the second round. The mid-major Bluejays are now big favourites for their game on Friday at 9 p.m. ET against No. 15 seed Princeton — the Cinderella story of the tournament after knocking off No. 2 seed Arizona en route to the Sweet 16. Nembhard, who missed last year's tourney with a broken wrist, can help Creighton make its first-ever trip to the Elite Eight, where the Bluejays' opponent could be top-ranked Alabama.
Charles Bediako (Alabama): The seven-foot sophomore starting centre is averaging 9.5 points and nine rebounds in the tournament for the Crimson Tide, who have justified their No. 1 overall seed by steamrolling their first two opponents. Alabama has always been a football school, but the basketball team is poised to reach just its second Elite Eight behind freshman star Brandon Miller, the projected NBA lottery pick who escaped criminal charges after being at the scene of a January shooting that resulted in teammate Darius Miles being charged with capital murder. Alabama faces No. 5 seed San Diego State on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Women's
Aaliyah Edwards (UConn): With superstar guard Paige Bueckers missing the entire season with a knee injury, Edwards has helped keep college basketball's most dominant program churning. The junior forward averaged a team-high 16.6 points along with 9.2 rebounds this season and won MVP of the Big East tournament. In the NCAA tourney, she poured in a career-high 28 points vs. Vermont and another 19 against Baylor. The No. 2 seed Huskies face No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET as they try for their 15th straight trip to the Final Four.
Laeticia Amihere (South Carolina): The versatile 6-foot-4 senior could ge t picked in this year's NBA draft after averaging 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks off the bench for a team that went 32-0 this season and is favoured to win a second straight national championship. Amihere has a combined 21 points through two tournament games for the Gamecocks, whose average margin of victory so far is more than 30 points. They play No. 4 seed UCLA on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Other Canadian contributors in the women's Sweet 16 include No. 3 seed Notre Dame's Cassandre Prosper, No. 5 Louisville's Merissah Russell and No. 9 Miami's Lashae Dwyer.
