After three fairly dull games last night (and one thriller between Pitt and Xavier), it’s on to tonight’s four games in the NCAA Tournament to set the Elite Eight.
Like last night, tonight’s quartet of games have the potential to be highly entertaining. Here’s hoping they live up to that hype, whereas three of the four games last night were sleep-inducing rather than exciting.
MIDWEST REGION
No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 12 Arizona
The Wildcats have one of the most talented trios in the nation with forwards Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill and guard Nic Wise. However, there isn’t a whole lot behind them in the cupboard for interim coach Russ Pennell. That is where the trouble should begin for Arizona with this matchup.
Not only is Louisville just as athletic across the board as Arizona, but they also are much deeper, and playing a pressing, fast-paced style that wears on their opponents. And between the rapidly emerging freshman star Samardo Samuels inside and long, athletic wings Earl Clark and Terrence Williams, they should do plenty of damage against the Wildcats.
Arizona certainly has the talent to win this game, and Wise is much better than any of the options the Cardinals have at the point. That said, I’ll always take the edge in depth, and Louisville has a decided advantage in that department.
The pick: Lousiville
No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Kansas
Since he started at Illinois, Bill Self is 16-4 in rematches with teams he already lost to that season – which happens to be the exact scenario he finds himself in tonight.
But Kansas has come a long, long way from their 75-62 loss in East Lansing Jan. 10. While junior Sherron Collins and sophomore Cole Aldrich have been dominant all season long, the team’s role players like Marcus Morris, Tyshawn Taylor, Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed have made enormous strides since the beginning of Big XII play.
Michigan State is a deep and athletic team, with players like Kalin Lucas, Raymar Morgan and Goran Suton to rely on. But when it comes down to it, I just don’t expect the Spartans to have the scoring punch necessary to knock off the Jayhawks for a second time, and I expect Collins to outplay Lucas at the point down the stretch. That combination should allow the defending champions to live to fight for at least one more game.
The pick: Kansas
SOUTH REGION
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Gonzaga
There is talk from many that with a healthy Ty Lawson, the Tar Heels are the best team in the country. It’s a good argument, too. But just how healthy is Lawson? It’s hard to say. The junior has said things like he’s “going to have to play through the pain” and similar things this week. So just how much pain is he in? How much is it going to affect him?
On the other hand, Gonzaga also hasn’t been playing very well, squeaking through their first two games against Akron and Western Kentucky. It screams a big Carolina victory, and impressive statement that the Tar Heels are real players for the title.
But I just can’t pull the trigger. I’ve liked Gonzaga to win this game since the brackets first came out. Between Austin Daye and Josh Heytvelt, the Bulldogs have a combination inside that is able to combat with Tyler Hansbrough – something most teams can’t come close to doing.
But even more important than that is Gonzaga’s pair of outstanding guards, Jeremy Pargo and Matt Bouldin. Lawson looked very good in the second half against LSU, but the Tigers also have no one nearly as effective as either of those players at guard spots. Combine that with the thing LSU was able to exploit with Marcus Thornton and Tasmin Mitchell’s athleticism on the wings (which Gonzaga can replicate with Daye), and Heytvelt’s scoring ability inside, and I like the Bulldogs to leave Roy Williams cryin’ once again, and advance to the Elite Eight.
The pick: Gonzaga
No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Syracuse
The Sooners have the nation’s best player in Blake Griffin, and they also may have the nation’s best freshman in Willie Warren. In the end, that combination should be able to get them past the Orange.
While Syracuse has several excellent perimeter players in Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf, Andy Rautins and Paul Harris, the thing that has made the Orange so dangerous of late has been the improved play of Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku inside. When those two are playing well, that allows the Orange to play both inside and out on the offensive end, and that makes them much more dangerous.
But the combination of Griffin and his brother, Taylor, should at the very least neutralize Jackson and Onuaku, if not leave them saddled with foul trouble on the bench. Either way, that should allow them both to dominate the paint, and force the Orange into solely a 3-point shooting team. That is a combination that of events that should spell doom for Syracuse’s season.
The pick: Oklahoma
