So, after suffering a short three (3) day withdrawal for us to catch our breath and get to all those other things we conveniently forgot about last week, here we go again. Here is the first of my Sweet 16 reports and predictions …
#2 Miami vs #3 Marquette at 7:15 ET in Washington DC (East Region)
First and foremost is the news that Reggie Johnson is out for the rest of the Big Dance after succumbing to a knee injury, thus requiring surgery. His loss will mean that the Hurricanes will need to make up his 6.7 Points and 4.8 Rebounds against Marquette, who is 3rd in Big Dance rebounding.
The Golden Eagles have won their two (2) earlier games by a total of three (3) points, so they will need to find a way to produce enough to get past Miami.
Miami will simply need to step it up on the boards and that falls on Kenny Kadji while point production will have to be picked up by Shane Larkin. That’s not to say that Kadji is not capable of producing, but it might be the case as Larkin draws Vander Blue, who is averaging 22.5 for the Big Dance.
I’m an ACC guy, so my heart and prediction will go to Miami in a close one.
#2 Ohio State vs #6 Arizona at 7:47PM ET in Los Angeles (West Region)
Sean Miller and Thad Matta have a friendship that goes back decades, which is common amongst the CBB Coaching Fraternity. A win by Wildcats cements the awkward decision making process Arizona went thru to finally decide on him. Both men are class acts and either will be happy for the other to win.
Arizona’s road was easy as they dispatched Belmont, then Harvard before anyone could yawn too incessantly, and with the #9 and #13 seeds playing on the other side of the bracket, this game might seem more like the natural Region Final. Just another example of the terrible job this Selection Committee did this year.
Another foible of the Selection Committee revealed in this game is that Arizona has a defacto home court advantage as the higher seed.
The Wildcats will bring Mark Lyons, a 6’1” Senior, who averaged 15.4 PPG during the season and has blossomed into a 25 PPG so far in the Big Dance. Down low, Solomon Hill, another Senior at 6’7” and a 13.3 PPG and 5.4 RPG in the regular season will take over.
They will be matched against PG Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas, a 6’7” Junior who scored 19.7 PPG during the season, increasing his production to 23 PPG in the Tourney.
While these two (2) kids bang it out, the stage is open for someone else to take over.
To get to this game, Ohio State needed some last minute heroics from PG Aaron Craft. I think he has now put that behind him and not only he, but the whole team knows that they can get to the Final Four.
Ohio State is riding “Uncle Mo” thru the Big 10 Tournament and so far … I like them to continue in a well played game.
#1 Indiana vs #4 Syracuse at 9:45 PM ET in Washington DC (East Region)
Everything about this game indicates that Indiana ought to do well with Yogi Ferrell and Victor Oladipo running the court and setting up Cody Zeller for a big game. The problem is that the Hoosiers have not come up against the likes of Syracuse’s 2-3 Zone. A zone defense that Coach K was so impressed with, that when Duke runs it, they call it “Orange” in homage to Jim Boeheim.
The fact that Syracuse got badly beaten by Georgetown the last time in this building and they also lost to Louisville a week later. Those teams see the Orange’s zone all the time. Indiana doesn’t and that means plenty.
I have thought that Indiana was full of themselves when they cut down the nets after a loss to Ohio State on March 5th. Yes, they officially had clinched a share of the Big 10 regular season title, and wanted to share it with their fans, but this was in the poorest of form.
I think Jim Boeheim rides his entire team to a win and takes out the next #1 Seed in the Big Dance regardless of being a six (6) point underdog.
#9 Wichita State vs #13 LaSalle at 10:17 PM ET in Los Angeles (West Region)
Some people think this game should have been an undercard game because of how LaSalle got here – via a play-in win against Boise State.
Many don’t have a clue where either team is from, so here goes:
The Wichita State is located in Wichita, Kansas. It is an urban-servicing research school and is one of six (6) state universities in Kansas. The “Shockers” play in the Missouri Valley Conference.
LaSalle is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Communication, Nursing, and Education are the largest majors at La Salle. The “Explorers” play in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
State had a markedly easier time with PITT and Gonzaga, which was not surprising. I like the fact that LaSalle showed a great deal of poise in beating Kansas State and Ole Miss by two (2) points each.
I like LaSalle to win in another nail biter, despite what the odds-makers think.
So, if I’m correct, on Saturday the East Regional will feature #2 Miami and #4 Syracuse at 4:20PM ET, with the West Regional between #2 Ohio State and #13 LaSalle at 6:53PM ET.
Bermuda Bob is a contributing writer for the Duke Sports Blog and an avid Duke Basketball fan. You can follow him on Twitter @TheBermudaBob
