NCAA Tournament 2019: Tre Jones, PJ Washington top Sweet 16 performers
By Logan Butts
Thursday Defenses
Outside of the show-stopping Purdue-Tennessee game, Thursday’s game featured a lot of stingy defenses.
Virginia held Oregon to 49 points on 38 percent shooting (they didn’t do much better themselves at 53 and 36 percent), Gonzaga forced the hot-shooting Seminoles into a 3-20 three-point mark with 58 points, and Texas Tech continued their suffocation tour in a 63-44 desecration of Michigan. The Wolverines shot 1-19 (!) from three.
I’m ready to see some of these unstoppable defense take on these killer offense in the Elite Eight.
Aaron Henry – Michigan State
Cassius Winston has been the tone-setter for Michigan State all season, but Aaron Henry led the way for the Spartans in the Sweet 16 blowout of LSU.
The freshman turned in the best game of his life, putting up a 20-8-6 line, something that had not been accomplished in the Sweet 16 since Grant Hill in 1994. Sort of a cherry-picked stat, but still impressive company nonetheless.
PJ Washington – Kentucky
Tyler Herro might have been the hero down the stretch for the Wildcats by hitting the game-winning three AND the game-clinching free throws, but without PJ Washington‘s gutsy performance Houston would be in the Elite Eight.
Washington, who didn’t even participate in the shootaround due to his injury, toughed it out 16 points on an efficient 6-8 shooting.
Possibly more importantly, Washington gave Reid a tag team partner to force Houston’s big men into foul trouble down low.
Pour one out for Houston’s prolific backcourt, especially Armoni Brooks who made 6-12 three’s and finished with a game-high 20 points.