NCAA basketball: Sweet 16 preview
NCAA basketball: Sweet 16 preview
The first two rounds of the NCAA basketball championships were filled with the typical dominating performances and shocking upsets of March Madness.
The stage is now set for the Sweet 16, which kicks off on Thursday. Here’s a look at the matchups:
East Regional
Washington (11) vs. West Virginia (2):
The Washington Huskies’ first round buzzer-beater victory over No. 6 seed Marquette and subsequent 82-64 dismantling of No. 3 seed New Mexico makes them one of the great Cinderella stories in the East.
But their dance with the West Virginia Mountaineers might be their last. Led by forward Da’Sean Butler, the Mountaineers held off No.10 seed Missouri Tigers 68-59 in the second round on Sunday.
Washington is the only remaining hope for Pacific-10 conference teams in this year’s tournament. But they will need another strong performance from Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas if they want to climb past the Mountaineers.
Kentucky (1) vs. Cornell (12):
With the Kansas Jayhawks already out, Kentucky is the clear favourite left in the tournament. The Wildcats, led by three freshmen with NBA futures — John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe — boast a 34-2 record this season. Add Patrick Patterson to that list of future millionaires, and it appears midnight is nearing for Cornell.
But don’t expect the Big Red to accept their fate as Wildcat bait. Cornell averaged 82.5 points per game in first-round upsets over 5th-seeded Temple and 4th-seeded Wisconsin.
And their Thursday date with the Wildcats is in Syracuse, just an hour away from their home in Ithaca, N.Y., so expect lots of red in the Carrier Dome.
Cornell’s Cinderella scholars are the sentimental hope in an already upset-filled tournament. But Kentucky is a team that’s built to last — fuelled by sheer athleticism and groomed for the NBA.
West Regional
Syracuse (1) vs. Butler (5):
With no major upsets in week one, the West may boast some of the most exciting basketball in the Sweet 16.
Syracuse is the favourite to survive this round, but the competition will be tough. The Orange have been without their starting centre, Arinze Onuaku, who injured his right quadriceps in the Big East tournament.
But Wes Johnson, the Big East player of the year, led them easily through the first week in romps over Vermont and Gonzaga. He appears to be back in NBA-prospect form after injuring his hand earlier in the season.
Canadian Andy Rautins (son of Leo Rautins, the coach of Canada’s national basketball team) scored 24 points and added four assists in Syracuse’s victory over the Zags.
The Butler Bulldogs hold the nation’s longest winning streak with 22 straight victories this season. But they will be in tough against the top-seeded Orange.
The Bulldogs narrowly survived No. 13 Murray State (who knocked off No. 4 Vanderbilt with a jump shot at the buzzer to survive the first round).
They will need Horizon League MVP Gordon Hayward to step up if they are going to survive. Hayward shot 4-of-13 in the Murray State game, and hasn’t been himself since sustaining a back injury on Feb. 26.
Xavier (6) vs. Kansas State (2):
Jacob Pullen scored a career-high 34 points in Kansas State’s win over Brigham Young on Saturday. The No. 2 seed Wildcats are expected to meet Syracuse in a No.1 vs. No. 2 battle in the Elite Eight, but will have to claw past Xavier to get there.
Xavier is led by Jordan Crawford — a.k.a. “the guy who dunked on Lebron James.” Crawford scored 27 and 28 points against Minnesota and Pittsburgh respectively in the first two rounds.
But Kansas State met the Musketeers earlier this season, and held Crawford to just 16 points. If they can shut down on Thursday, Kansas State will likely move on.
The Wildcats finished second in the Big 12 this season, behind the Kansas Jayhawks, and they are making their first appearance in the round of 16 since Mitch Richmond led them there in 1988.
Midwest Regional
University of Northern Iowa (9) vs. Michigan State (5):
Ali Farokhmanesh secured Northern Iowa’s place in March Madness lore on Saturday.
With his team up one with 35 seconds left against the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks, nailed an open a three-pointer-after missing his previous seven shots. The swish handed the Panthers a birth in the Sweet 16 and the hearts of underdog fans everywhere. Farokhmanesh also hit a game winning three shot over UNLV in the opening round of the tournament.
With their place in future March Madness highlights already set, only one question remains: How far can Northern Iowa can go?
On Friday they meet the Michigan State Spartans, who will do their best to keep Farokhmanesh off the buzzer-beating highlight reels. The Spartans are without starting point-guard Kalin Lucas, but enter Friday’s match averaging 72.9 points per game.
But the Panthers are built on more than last-minute heroics. They boast a 30-4 record this season, have a solid core of veteran players, and rank second in the nation in scoring defence, averaging 55 points per game.
Tennessee (6) vs. Ohio State (2):
With Kansas out, Ohio State is the favourite to reach to the Final Four from the Midwest division.
And versatile guard Evan Turner will be the deciding factor in getting them there. Averaging 20 points and six assists per game, Turner is the piston that drives the Buckeyes’ engine.
Tennessee will try to match Turner with their tenacious, aggressive style. The Volunteers also boast a slightly deeper bench than the Buckeyes, who rely heavily on their starting five.
For those who love watching teams use the three-ball, this should be an exciting match as neither team presents a particularly dynamic inside threat.
South Regional
Duke (1) vs. Purdue (4):
Duke is deep.
They are a No. 1 seed in the tournament because of their strong defensive play and their ability to compensate when their three top players — Jon Sheyer, Nolan Smith, and Kyle Singler — are having an off night. (Sheyer missed 10 of 11 field goal attempts in Sunday’s 63-58 win over California.)
Purdue will need to rely on defence to shut down the Blue Devils varied offence. They are playing without their second-leading scorer, Robbie Hummel, putting the pressure on freshman D.J. Byrd to generate offensively.
Purdue walked over Sienna in the first round, but narrowly edged out Texas A&M 63-61 in the second round. Duke, on the other hand, walked through their opponents to get to the Sweet 16.
Baylor (3) vs. St. Mary’s (10):
Yet another Cinderella story, St. Mary’s disposed of No. 2 seed Villanova with a convincing 75-68 win on Saturday.
The Gaels have outside range in Mickey McConnell and Matt Dellavedova, and also boast an inside threat in centre Omar Samhan, who scored 32 points on Villanova.
But the 6 foot 11 inch Samhan will be in tough against Baylor’s towering duo of Ekpe Udoh and Josh Lomers, 6 foot 10 inches and seven feet, respectively.
Baylor also has a pair of speedy guards in Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn, who can shut down St. Mary’s three-point attack.
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