UChicago Men's Basketball Earns NCAA Sweet 16 Berth with Win Over Otterbein
The sixth-ranked University of Chicago men's basketball team earned its first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in program history with an 81-66 victory over #24 Otterbein on Saturday.
Otterbein got off to a hot start with 26 points in the first 10 minutes as the Cardinals held the lead for the majority of the first half. However, UChicago would not go away as they kept Otterbein within reach with hot shooting of their own.
The Cardinals would pick up their largest lead of the game at 34-28 with 5:15 remaining in the first half, but the Maroons would close the half on an 11-2 run, including eight straight points to close the half for Shane Regan as UChicago would take a 39-36 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, UChicago would continue their dominating run with a 20-4 run in the first 5:41 to cap off a 31-6 run over the course of 11 minutes of game play to stretch the lead from a six-point deficit to a 19-point lead. Daniel Cochran, Regan (2), and Phillip Lawrence would all drill triples in the first six minutes of the half to take a commanding lead at 59-40.
After battling from behind to win on Friday night, the Otterbein Cardinals were not going to go anywhere, but each time the Cardinals began to make a run, the Maroons hit big triples from Cochran and Joe Berry to keep them within arms reach. Eamonn Kenah would then score the final 11 points of the game with three big triples to seal the victory and the Regional title.
Shane Regan was unstoppable with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists in the win, and Eamonn Kenah and Daniel Cochran each poured in 15 points on a combined 8-16 shooting from long range. Nick Roper joined his three teammates in double figures with 13 points on 6-8 shooting, and he added 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
As a team, UChicago rained in the long balls with 15 made threes on 30 attempts, and the Maroons recorded 20 assists on 26 made shots in the win.
With the win, the Maroons improve to 23-4 on the season. UChicago will advance to the Sectional Finals where they will host #7 Gustavus Adolphus with a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana on the line.