Swarthmore cruised past Keene State while Hopkins fell to Wisconsin-Whitewater in heartbreaking fashion in overtime in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men's basketball tournament on Friday.
In Swarthmore, Pa., seventh-ranked Swarthmore advanced past fifth-ranked Keene State 82-58 to earn a spot in tomorrow's Elite Eight round against Nichols. The Garnet enacted their revenge against the Owls after Keene State eliminated Swarthmore on their home court in last season's opening round. Vinny DeAngelo continued to cement his status as one of the nation's elite players, scoring a game-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting as he put together a performance to remember for the Garnet. Michael Caprise, George Visconti and Colin Shaw also scored in double figures for the Garnet. Caprise collected a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Visconti and Shaw tallied 15 and 11, respectively.
The Garnet (27-3) advance to the national quarterfinals for the third time in the last five seasons and will take on Nichols (26-5) on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. at Tarble Pavilion. Nichols defeated Stockton 86-68 in the other Sweet 16 matchup in Swarthmore on Saturday. In 2019, the Garnet defeated Nichols 69-65 in Amherst, Mass. to advance to the Final Four.
In Ashland, Va., Wisconsin-Whitewater used a pair of free throws in the final five seconds of overtime to defeat 11th-ranked Johns Hopkins 83-82. Trailing by three with 1:07 to play, John Windley made a jumper in the paint to slice the deficit to one. After a turnover on the other end, Sidney Thybulle scored on a put-back to stake Hopkins to an 82-81 lead with 12.5 seconds on the clock. Jameer Barker drew a foul on the ensuing possession and made both his shots to swing the lead back to Whitewater with 4.9 to play and that would do it.
Thybulle led the Blue Jays with a career-high 18 points, to go with six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Windley scored 14 and handed out three assists. The Blue Jays conclude the year at 25-5, tying the program record for single-season victories.