EAST REGION
1 North Carolina vs 4 Washington State
Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte NC, Thursday, 7:27 EDT
The Tar Heels feel quite comfortable in the state of North Carolina as they have won their first two rounds by a combined margin of 69 points. The Heels scored over 100 points in both contests and proved how much they love to get the ball up and down the court and in transition. Inside they will rely on their All American superstar Tyler Hansbrough who will love WSU's physical style.
After a sluggish start to their first round game against Winthrop, the Cougars have impressed a lot of people aswell. Seniors Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver lead the way for the tough, physical Cougs who only allowed 81 points in the first two rounds. It looks like we will see a battle of systems in this one and whoever manages to control the pace of the game might come out on top.
PICK: North Carolina. The Tar Heels are basically playing a home game and they got a deeper bench than WSU. You can't underestimate the heart of the Cougars' seniors though.
3 Louisville vs 2 Tennessee
Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte NC, Thursday, 9:57 EDT
What a matchup! These two teams will throw a devastating full court press at each other and it could turn out to be one of the great games of this year's Tourney. Louisville is a lot bigger than the Vols yet they struggle to score from time to time. In the halfcourt Rick Pitino's team will look to exploit their tremendous size advantage inside with players like senior David Padgett, Derrick Caracter, Earl Clark and Juan Palacios. The X-factor for Louisville is junior Terrance Williams, who can control the game on the perimeter.
Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl hopes to have his sharpshooter Chris Lofton ready for this game. The senior is battling a foot injury and the Vols would clearly miss the three point specialist. Tennessee loves to play an uptempo game and they could look to turn this game into a shootout. The Vols have to find a way to solve Lousiville's aggressive halfcourt zone.
PICK: Louisville. The Cardinals are a better defensive team overall and their advantage inside is immense. The turnover battle in this game will be interesting.
-------------------------------------------------------
WEST REGION
1 UCLA vs 12 Western Kentucky
US Airways Center, Phoenix AZ, Thursday, 9:40 EDT
This game looks like the most lopsided matchup of the regional semifinals but Bruins head coach Ben Howland knows to well to not take the Hilltoppers lightly. UCLA just survived a fistfight with Texas A&M, a game in which they basically trailed the entire game. A few experts even think, the offensively challenged Bruins got exposed in their 53-49 win. But they not only bring a lot of talent to the table, they are also a lot more experienced than their opponent.
Western Kentucky is making a bid to be this year's great cinderella story. They are led by their talented guard duo Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazelton. Both have the ability to take over a game with their shooting and their athletic ability to get into the lane. It's gonna be interesting how the Hilltoppers react to the off week and if they can get their intensity back that propelled them into this round.
PICK: UCLA. Too strong, too experienced, too deep. Western Kentucky hasn't faced a team even close to UCLA's strength and that might be their downfall. Of course we are rooting for the underdog though, go Hilltoppers!
3 Xavier vs 7 West Virginia
US Airways Center, Phoenix AZ, Thursday, 7:10 EDT
The Musketeers will have to deal with the role of the favorite once again when they square off against WVU. Led by point guard Drew Lavender, the Musketeers will look to control the tempo and pressure West Virginia's attack around junior phenom Joe Alexander. The Musketeers have a lot of options to defend against Alexander, for example senior Josh Duncan.
He has struggled a bit from the field recently but he is clearly the focal point of the Mountaineers' offense. Bob Huggins will get his troops ready for this game and he needs a big effort from Alexander's supporting cast - De'Sean Butler, Darris Nichols and Alex Ruoff. WVU will look to get their momentum back early after beating Duke in the second round on a couragous effort.
PICK: Xavier. After falling behind against Georgia in round one, the Musketeers are playing some great basketball. Their previous opponent (Purdue) was pretty similar to West Virginia and they will be ready for Huggins' team.
-------------------------------------------------------
MIDWEST REGION
1 Kansas vs 12 Villanova
Ford Field, Detroit MI, Friday, 9:40 EDT
The Jayhawks are arguably the most talented and deepest team in the entire tournament. They got a tremendous size advantage against Villanova and will look to pound the ball inside to Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson. Junior Mario Chalmers has emerged as a leader for the Jayhawks who at times lacked that one player who would take the ball and put the team on his shoulders.
Scottie Reynolds is taking that role for the Wildcats. He is a talented scorer who can explode on any given night. He will face a tough time though against the Jayhawks' vaunted backcourt defenders Chalmers and Russell Robinson. A lot will depend on the contribution from the young guys for Nova, like Corey Stokes for example who has been playing tremendous at the end of the season.
PICK: Kansas. The Jayhawks can throw a lot of different guys at Reynolds and they should be able to handle Nova's zone pressure. This should be a tremendous game as both teams have a lot of ultra quick guards who can control the tempo of the contest.
3 Wisconsin vs 10 Davidson
Ford Field, Detroit MI, Friday, 7:10 EDT
After two upsets Davidson will look to continue their tournament run against the experienced and battle tested Badgers. Wisconsin won't do Davidson the favor though of commiting 20 turnovers (like Georgetown in round two) as the Big Ten champions rarely beat themselves. They will try to slow the game down, control the tempo and win in a slugfest, just like they did all year under coach Bo Ryan.
The Wildcats have to make the game a little wild and once again depend on superstar shooter Stephen Curry, who already scored 70 points in the first two rounds. Andrew Lovedale is another important factor as he can do a little bit of everything. One thing is for sure, Davidson won't go quietly and the momentum may give them an emotional edge over the ice cold Badgers.
PICK: Davidson. Well, I don't believe they will win but it's a nice pick and we all want one true cinderella to advance. I feel though that Georgetown beat itself against the Wildcats.
-------------------------------------------------------
SOUTH REGION
1 Memphis vs 5 Michigan State
Reliant Stadium, Houston TX, Friday, 9:57 EDT
Memphis didn't do much to silence their critics in their 77:74 win against Mississippi State in round two. And coach John Calipari can make as many bets as he wants but 15 for 32 from the free throw line won't get you to a National Championship. The Tigers are talented enough though to go all the way, that's out of question. But you might wonder a bit about their mental toughness.
The Spartans didn't show any signs of mental problems when they defeated the red hot Pittsburgh Panthers in round two. Drew Neitzel filled the role of the senior leader and was unguardable down the stretch. Tom Izzo will once again have his team ready for a long, physical night and the Spartans won't back down from the physical challenge that the talented Memphis team with players like Joey Dorsey presents. Derrick Rose against Kalin Lucas at the point guard position should be an outstanding matchup to watch.
PICK: Michigan State. I root for the Spartans so I'm obviously a bit biased here. But they are as mentally tough and physical as they come and their guards are one hell of a matchup. It will be interesting who defends Raymar Morgan. Note for the refs: Please let them play and we have a classic March battle going!
3 Stanford vs 2 Texas
Reliant Stadium, Houston TX, Friday, 7:27 EDT
We just have to look at the arena and we already know that we will face an unbelievable scene. Stanford will not only have to battle a talented opponent, they will also have to deal with 50,000 raging Longhorns fans deep in the heart of Texas. Led by point guard D.J. Augustin, the Longhorns will spread the floor and then let the threes rain over the Cardinal.
The entire Texas starting lineup can drain the long range jumper and that will force the Cardinal's bigs, Brook and Robin Lopez, to step out. It will be interesting to see if Stanford can hold down the Longhorns with their D and if they can exploit their size advantage against a very stingy and quick Texas defense. The Longhorns can play themselves into a zone and with the crowd behind them, it could get a long night for Stanford.
PICK: Texas. I think I have already said why I like Texas in this one. They got the homecourt advantage and their spread offense is ideal to operate against the Cardinal who like to rely on their big men defense inside.
No comments:
Post a Comment