Wow. What a hell of a first weekend to the tournament eh? That was one of the most exciting first rounds that I think I have ever seen, and that Thursday might have been the greatest tournament day I can remember. Now though, we have been given 3 days to try and catch our breaths before the Sweet 16 kicks into gear. So without further ado, here's my game by game preview for the round of 16.
MIDWEST REGION
#9 Northern Iowa vs. #5 Michigan State
-Well I'm not sure who saw this matchup coming, especially after Kalin Lucas went down for the tournament early in the Maryland game. That is until Korie Lucious stepped in and hit the biggest shot of his life. And that's probably the second best shot we've seen from these two teams so far, right after Ali Faroukhmanesh's ice cold dagger of a 3 against Kansas. And I mean ICE COLD. This game is absolutely chock full of great storylines, from Lucious and Ali, to the Cinderella story of Northern Iowa, to perhaps the greatest tournament coach of our time in Tom Izzo. The questions here are can the Panthers continue their hot shooting and can Tom Izzo once again coach his Spartans to victory without Lucas? A lot of people seem to have Sparty here, and I'm never one who would bet against a Tom Izzo coached team, but I think Northern Iowa has all the momentum right now and is just going to be too good for a Michigan State squad that is without Kalin Lucas.
Who wins? Northern Iowa in a game that I don't think will be as close as people are expecting.
#6 Tennessee vs. #2 Ohio State
-Who thought Tennessee would be here after kicking Tyler Smith off the team in January and suspending 3 others on gun and drug charges? Not me. Granted they got a big assist from Ohio as well who shocked Georgetown in Round 1, but the Vols dispatched of them rather handily and now face an Ohio State team that has charged their way into the Sweet 16 behind Evan Turner. Tennessee is definitely someone you want to root for, given their problems earlier in the season but the Buckeyes are going to prove to be too much for them to handle. Evan Turner is a game changer and he is determined to prove that he is best player in this tournament (which he is). The Vols will need a huge game from Wayne Chism to have any chance in this one.
Who wins? Ohio State, but this could end up being a very close game. Evan Turner will not allow OSU to lose this game.
WEST REGION
#1 Syracuse vs. #5 Butler
-Butler is trying to make their first ever Final Four this year, and if they did that, it would be right in their backyard in Indianapolis? Wouldn't that be something? Yeah that would be something alright but it's not gonna happen. Syracuse has absolutely destroyed their first two opponents and made Gonzaga look like a complete joke in the process (good call on that one Joe). That look like an absolute force right now and Butler is just not equipped to handle them. Wesley Johnson was a beast against Gonzaga, putting up 31 points in a scene that oddly reminiscent of some guy named Carmelo not that long ago. Jim Boeheim is probably going to be the Coach of the Year, and his Orange should cruise into the Elite 8 behind Johnson.
Who wins? Syracuse, and I don't even think it's going to be close. Sorry Butler.
#6 Xavier vs. #2 Kansas State
-Two teams have made trips to the Sweet 16 each of the last 3 years. The Michigan State Spartans with some guy named Tom Izzo at the helm and guess who? Yup, the Xavier Musketeers out of the Atlantic-10. This is now a bonafide big time program. Xavier has made it known that they hate being referred to as a "mid-major", and I'm going to do just as they ask because they are not one anymore. Despite all of their success, they are still looking for that Final Four trip, and this might be their best chance at it. It's too bad they're in a stacked region and will have to go through Kansas State and more than likely Syracuse to get there. Kansas State is playing their best basketball right now, and you know that there had to be more than a few smiles around that locker room when their nemesis Kansas went down. There will not be a 4th meeting between the two teams in the Final Four, but who would have thought Kansas State might be the team that actually ends up in Indianapolis instead? Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente anchor an incredible backcourt for the Wildcats, but they will surely be tested by an equally incredible tandem in Jordan Crawford and Terrell Holloway. This will be the best game in the Sweet 16.
Who Wins? Kansas State in a very close game. If you're only going to watch one game out of these 8, make it this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment