What to look for in the third round, the “Sweet Sixteen:”
There are no Cinderellas: Well technically there are, but the saying from the new Jumpman commercial resonates especially with this next round of play. Two twelve seeds will be playing two number one seeds, Villanova vs. Kansas and Western Kentucky vs. UCLA.
Villanova had some special guard play during the last two rounds, courtesy of Scottie Reynolds. I highly doubt that he can keep it up against the suffocating defense that is the Kansas Jayhawks, who limited UNLV to just under 27% shooting.
Western Kentucky should provide an interesting test for UCLA: Kansas loves to run up and down the court, something UCLA has gotten accustom to in the Pac-10. Western Kentucky is led by three senior guards including Courtney Lee, the Sun Belt Conference player of the year. Some say experience is overrated, including myself, but one of these “experienced” teams, among them UCLA which has been in Final Four the last two years, will lose this round.
Everyone will also be keeping close tabs to the match-up of No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 10 Davidson. I’m looking for Stephen Curry to go bonkers and score a Kobe-like 81. It won’t happen, I know, but a fan can wish. For all Wisconsin has done though, I also want to see them dominate Davidson so they receive the “mad respect” they deserve. Michael Flowers, show the nation you are one of the top defenders in the country. I’m hoping Dell’s son will do his thing and the point guard from Barrington, Illinois, Jason Richards, will represent the Chi and get the win for the Wildcats. Don’t quote me.
Favorite hungry East region ready for some classic battles: It’s quite a rare thing to see the top four seeds in one region advance to the Sweet Sixteen. That very unlikely scenario has indeed unfolded in the East where No. 1 North Carolina is set to take on No. 4 Washington State alongside No. 2 Tennessee playing No. 3 Louisville. I know people like the small school Cinderella programs versus the powerhouse programs, but I’ll take these “traditional” match-ups any day of the week. UNC has had a very easy road so far, winning easily over their first two opponents by a 70 point margin. While other top seeded teams in the tourney have had their backs against the wall, the Tar Heels have been on cruise control. Expect the game to slow down quite a bit against the Cougars. UNC will look to run up and down the court and WSU will look to squeeze out every second on the clock. It’s easier to slow a game down than speed it up but the depth and talent of UNC will be too much for Tony Bennett and his crew to handle. Who will guard Ty Lawson? Get the resume ready Tony, Indiana, will be calling you shortly.
On the other hand, the Volunteers and Cards are ready to throw 100 points each on the scoreboards. The Cards, just like the Tar Heels, haven’t really been tested yet in this tourney. Bruce Pearl and his men from Knoxville were sweating it out last week against the Butler Bulldogs, a game I thought Butler should have inched out. That said, it’s a new round and a new week. Many teams in recent tournament history take close games one round and use that as motivation the next round for a better performance. While Louisville is the sexy pick in the moment, I’ll stick with my bracket pick and pick the snake that is Bruce Pearl to win the game. Scott Padgett of Louisville will impact this game for both teams. As he goes, the Cards go. I think the Cards will do everything right, but in the end the Vols will edge them out to reach the East finals against UNC.
Getting in the “Izzone”: Friday nights don’t get much better than this. This will be the best game of the round and I’m pulling hard for the Big 10 in this one, probably because I had Pittsburgh beating Michigan State and Memphis in my bracket. Regardless, I do think Memphis is ripe for an upset and the Spartans have the tools to create it. MSU is playing their best ball of the season and any fan of that team will tell you to ease the shock factor because this is expected of Tom Izzo and his crew.
While Izzo is known for his great offensive teams, he is also known for great defense and that has shown in the tournament so far. MSU will punch you in the face and that’s what you need to do to beat Memphis. We saw it last week with Jarvis Varnado and Mississippi State, who came one shot short of pulling a possible upset. The Spartans have the leadership, the poise, and most importantly, the talent, to take down the top seeded Tigers. Drew Neitzel will need to bring his best game but I don’t doubt that of the former Mr. Basketball of Michigan. MSU can play, and that will show against the Tigers, who will want to push the ball behind Derrick Rose. And with John Calipari’s club struggling at the line , this is the game that will come back to bite them. People might consider Memphis an elite program right now, but people will soon forget the flavor of the week and remember a truly elite program in Michigan State Friday night. Spartans, Spartans!
Possible upsets: Stanford over Texas, Michigan State over Memphis, and Davidson over Wisconsin.
No comments:
Post a Comment