There were two remaining hopes for a Kiwi men’s NCAA Division 1 Tournament Championship but with the loss suffered by Sam Waardenburg and Miami Hurricanes in the Atlantic Coast quarter-final today it leaves just Jack Salt flying the New Zealand flag.
The University of Virginia Cavaliers began their quest for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title, to accompany their regular season championship, with a 75-58 win against Louisville Cardinals in chilly Brooklyn today.
Salt, the starting centre, made 2 points (a dunk with his only shot of the game) and secured 2 rebounds for the No1 ranked Virginia who will face 4th seeded Clemson in the semi-final tomorrow.
The Hurricanes made a terrific start against North Carolina scoring the first 14 points of the game. However they were outplayed in the second half, eventually losing 82-65 to the 2017 NCAA Tournament Champions. Waardenburg finished with 2 points (1/2FG), 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Miami must now wait and see if on Sunday (Monday NZ time), they will receive an invitation to the NCAA Championship that begins next week. Most pundits are expecting Miami to receive a favourable seeding. It’s less clear if Matt Freeman’s Oklahoma will get the nod.
In addition to Salt, Jacinta Beckley (Seattle), Krystal Leger-Walker and Tiarna Clarke (Northern Colorado), Brooke Blair (Idaho State) and Tessa Boagni (Cal State, Northridge) will all be suiting up for semi-final games tomorrow as women’s conference play resumes.
LACEY LOWDOWN 