March Madness Sweet 16 Previews!

We have just come off of maybe the most exciting weekend of College Basketball ever.  This weekend truly gave meaning to the term March Madness, there were so many upsets and down to the wire games that you never wanted to leave your seat.

This was considered a “down” year in college basketball because UNC, UCONN, and Arizona were not strong this year.  None of them made the tournament, and Arizona broke a 20 year streak of making the tournament.

So this was somewhat expected with no one distinguishing themselves as the dominant team in college basketball.  Let’s take a look at the Sweet 16 match ups for next weekend.

East Region

No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Cornell: Cornell has dominated its first two games, winning both by double digits dismantling Wisconsin in the process. Kentucky has looked dominant so far in the tournament winning both games by just about 30 points.

This is going to be a good game, anyone that has paid any attention all season knows that Cornell is a good team and has been all season.  This matchup comes down to Kentucky keeping the tempo up and not playing the slow down style that Cornell wants to play.

No. 11 Washington vs. No. 2 West Virginia: This should be an entertaining game because both teams have been playing good basketball. West Virginia has won eight in a row and Washington has won nine straight, both winning their conference tournaments.

West Virginia is attempting to salvage what has been a disappointing tournament for the Big East conference. They will ride on the back of Da’Sean Butler, but in the tournament they have three players averaging over 12 points.  Washington is going to have to focus on stopping Butler, and force the other players to beat them.

Midwest Region

No. 9 Northern Iowa vs. No. 5 Michigan State: Northern Iowa might actually be seen as a favorite after Michigan State lost Kalin Lucas to an apparent Achilles injury. Ali Forukmanesh is the hero of this tournament so far, hitting a game-winning shot against UNLV in the first round and a three against Kansas to seal that victory.  The Spartans need to hit the offensive glass hard, play pressure “D” and force turnovers…and of course find Forukmanesh at the end of the game.

No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Ohio St.: After losing All-SEC performer Tyler Smith for legal troubles earlier this season, Tennessee has clawed its way into the Sweet 16. Ohio St., which has Naismith Award contender Evan Turner, better not sleep on the Vols, though, because they have been known to show up at their best for the big games.

Although Coach Bruce Pearl has never advanced the Vols past the Sweet 16, he had them knocking off two No. 1 teams, Kansas and Kentucky, earlier this year, so they can play with anyone. Ohio State has great balance with four players averaging over 12 points, and that will be tough for the Volunteers to contain. However if Tennessee can force the issue by putting end-to-end pressure on Turner, he will cough up the ball, as witnessed by his nine turnovers against Georgia Tech, and his back court mate William Buford followed suit by turning it over five times himself.

West Region

No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 5 Butler: While at first glance it looks like Butler is completely over matched, you have to look no further than playing Georgetown within seven points earlier this season while shooting only 31.1 percent. A big question is will Arinze Onuaku be able to play, and if so, will he be able to contain Bulldogs big man Matt Howard? If so, the odds of Syracuse winning are great.

While Syracuse is much more athletic than Butler, if Butler can contain Wes Johnson and have its big three (Howard, Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward) play a good game, the Bulldogs will find themselves in it. The stars are going to have to align for Butler to beat this talented and athletic Syracuse team, but don’t be too surprised if the Bulldogs do. They need to maximize each possession and slow the pace if they want to have any chance.

No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 2 Kansas State: Look for a run-and-gun shootout with both teams averaging around 80 points this year. Kansas State has two of the best guards in the nation in Dennis Clemente and Jacob Pullen, both of whom did a great job of containing Jimmer Fredette when they played BYU. Now Kansas State’s guards will be charged with shutting down Xavier’s leading scorer, 6’4″ Jordan Crawford.

The transfer from Indiana is averaging 20 points while shooting 46 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from three-point land. Even if the Wildcats can’t slow Crawford, don’t count them out because Pullen (19.2 ppg) and Clemente (16.3) can score with anyone. While the guard match up will be intriguing, this game could be decided down low with the winner of the Jamar Samuels and Jason Love matchup coming out on top.

South Region

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 4 Purdue: There were experts all around the nation picking Purdue to fall to Sienna in the first round, and Purdue has used that as bulletin board material while clawing its way to the Sweet 16. However, Purdue is running into a well-oiled Duke machine that could send the Boilermakers home.

Purdue had an average offense before losing its best all-around player, Robbie Hummel, and now its offense will truly be exposed because Duke is the third-most efficient defensive team in the nation. Purdue is going to struggle to put up points, which means it will have to keep Duke from lighting up the scoreboard, which also will be tough.

No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 10 St. Mary’s: This is a very scary matchup for Scott Drew’s Baylor Bears. St. Mary’s is a very well-rounded team that can score inside and out. Omar Samhan is dominating this tournament, averaging 30.5 points, Baylor’s defense needs to slow Samhan, which is doable with Ekpe Udoh, who set the Big 12 single-season shot blocking record this year.

If the Bears’ 2-3 zone can contain Samhan, they need to keep St. Mary’s from getting the open three. Baylor has struggled with good three-point-shooting teams, and St. Mary’s shoots the fourth-highest percentage from three in the nation.