Breaking Down the Sweet 16

I think it's safe to say my bracket is completely garbage, but I would be willing to bet I'm not the only one who's suffering. You have to pick upsets when filling out your tournament bracket, and those who choose the right upsets, generally go on to do pretty well. As for me, I wasn't correct on anyone of my upset picks. At least I still have all four of my Final Four teams left in the tournament. If you're willing to listen, here's my predictions on the Sweet 16.

EAST REGION: This is the only region where each one of the top four seeds have advanced to the regional semifinals.

#4 Washington State vs. #1 North Carolina: I actually predicted this matchup in my tournament bracket. In my opinion, this has all the potential to be the Sweet 16's most exciting game. WAZZU comes in with the tourney's best defense allowing just 81 points in the first two games (52 in their last 60 minutes) while holding Notre Dame, a team who averaged 79 points a game heading into the tourney, to just 41. Meanwhile, North Carolina is playing out of its mind offensively. The Tar Heels have scored 221 points in their first two contests which ranks third most in tournament history. The key to this matchup is which style of play will perservere. I believe it's much harder for a team who's used to running up and down the floor like North Carolina to have to slow it up rather than for a team like the Cougars, who like to play a slow tempo style of game, to have to speed it up. However, the Tar Heels will have the edge in the fact that this game will be played in Charlotte, which is roughly 160 miles away from their hometown of Chapel Hill. Knowing from experience, Cougar fans love to travel, so don't expect to see the crowd painted in Carolina blue. I'm still sticking to my orginal point that Washington State needs their junior center, Aron Baynes to have a huge game in order to beat Carolina. WAZZU has the experience and depth in their backcourt to counter the Tar Heels' athleticism, but I'm not sure if the Cougs have anyone who can stop Tyler Hansbrough. Then again, who has this year?
PREDICTION: Call it a biased pick, which it is, but I'll take my alma matter to beat North Carolina in a slug fest, 72-69.

#3 Louisville vs. #2 Tennessee: This is another matchup I predicted in my Sweet 16, and I'll stick with my original gut feeling. I like Tennessee, but not as much as I like Louisville. The Cardinals' Rick Pitinio has the edge in experience over Bruce Pearl, which should help Louisville upset the Vols. As we've seen time and time again this year, Tennessee lives and dies by the 3 ball, and generally seems to dominate their opponents because their superiority in athleticism. However, they'll meet their match Thursday night when they take on Louisville who had four players this year who all averaged in double figures. The Cardinals have yet to be tested in this tournament, as they've beaten the first two teams they've faced by a combined margin of 48 points, which means, their confidence is at an all time high.
PREDICTION: I think this game will be close for the first 30-35 minutes before Louisville pulls away down the stretch. This is a team who likes to play defense, holding their opponents to 60 points or less in 18 of their games thus far this season, which will ultimately be the difference. The Cardinals are moving on to the Elite 8, 72-63.

MIDWEST REGION: Upsets seemed to be the theme in this region, as 4 of the 8 higher seeds moved on to the second round, and two remain including everybody's Cinderella favorite, Davidson.

#12 Villanova vs. #1 Kansas: I'll admit that I had NOVA out after the first round, but the Wildcats surprised me, coming back from an 18 point deficit to defeat 5th seeded Clemson before easily taking care of Siena en route to their first Sweet 16 appearance in 2 years. Now they get to face Kansas, who is perhaps the most talented team they've had to face all year long. If the Wildcats get down early, they won't be able to come back against the Jayhawks like they did against the Tigers. However, Kansas is a team who likes to jump out early on their opponents considering all five of their starters have the talent to play at the next level.
PREDICTION: The Big East will be down one less team after Kansas outplays the Wildcats in another solid performance, 72-57.

#10 Davidson vs. #3 Wisconsin: The Davidson Wildcats are the feel good story of the 2008 NCAA tournament. Everybody seems to be falling in love with their sophomore guard, Stephen Curry. And why not? This kid is incredible. He's scored 70 points in their two tournament games this year, which almost equals the total number of points that Washington State has allowed as a team (81). Curry seems to be able to score from anywhere on the court. He can shoot it all along the arc, and somehow finds creases amongst the defense that no other player seems to find. That being said, Davidson is going up against one of the best defenses they've seen this season. The Badgers pride themselves on the defensive side of the ball, and you better believe they know which number Curry is wearing, which is 30 if anyone cares. I just can't see Stephen Curry carrying this team game in and game out. Sometime, this kid will have to break, and when he does, so will Davidson.
PREDICTION: Curry plays great, scoring 25 points, but the rest of his team adds just 30 as Wisconsin has a date with Kansas in the Elite 8, 68-55.

SOUTH REGION: Three of the top four seeds remain in the South Region, which is headed to Houston, Texas. The number two seed in the region just so happens to be the University of Texas.

#5 Michigan State vs. #1 Memphis: Michigan State has turned into the dark horse of the tournament beating Pitt who many had in their Sweet 16. The Spartans return all five of their starters from last season who lost in the second round of the tournament, which means this could be the most experienced squad in the Big Dance. They also have Tom Izzo as their head coach who knows a little bit about winning considering he's led Michigan State to the Final Four, four times in the past nine years including a national championship in 2000. Izzo and the Spartans get Memphis in the Sweet 16, who in my opinion, is least likely out of all the number one seeds to reach the Final Four. The Tigers have an explosive and very talented cast of players, but they can't make a free throw to save their lives. They made 15 of their 32 attempts against Mississippi State in the second round, and almost gave that game away. If they shoot just as poorly at the line against the Spartans, they will give the game away.
PREDICTION: Tom Izzo has his Spartans playing too well for Jim Calipari and his Memphis Tigers. It should be a great game with a great finish, but the Spartans pull away late since they can shoot free throws. Michigan State wins, 76-71.

#3 Stanford vs. #2 Texas: This is a very intriguing matchup because both teams come in with two different styles of play. Stanford loves to go down low to one of the Lopez twins who are giants inside. Both Brook and Robin Lopez are listed as 7-3 on the roster. Meanwhile, Texas has two outstanding guards in D. J. Augustin and A. J. Abrams. This game should settle the debate as to which is more vital: a power post game, or a solid backcourt.
PREDICTION: While I thought neither team looked unstoppable in their second round matchups, I'll stick with my original pick, Texas wins in a defensive battle, 62-60.

WEST REGION: This region has caused the most havoc on our brackets, with just two of the top three seeds remaining. However, UCLA still has an easy road to the Final Four, as long as they aren't the next victim of an upset.

#12 Western Kentucky vs. #1 UCLA: There's no telling where the Bruins would be right now without benefiting from conterversial officiating. UCLA blocked 11 shot attempts, while committing just 16 fouls in their second round matchup against Texas A&M, but if you look closely, there was a lot of contact involved. Either way, the Bruins are headed back to the Sweet 16 where they'll meet another fortunate squad in Western Kentucky who's still thanking Ty Rogers who hit that incredible 3 point shot from NBA range to defeat Drake at the buzzer. So far, that has to be the most memorable moment of the tournament. While the Bruins pride themselves on defense first, nearly any one of their players can score which makes them so lethal. On the flip side, Western Kentucky has one of the most impressive offenses amongst any one of the Sweet 16 teams. The Hilltoppers scored 183 points combined in their road to the regional semis.
PREDICTION: As they say, defense wins you championships, and I can't disagree in this matchup. While I love Western Kentucky's inspiration, I believe UCLA is just too good, and if they continue to receive beneficial calls, there's no way this team will be beat. After another sluggish start, the Bruins prove to be too much, 70-58.

#7 West Virginia vs. #3 Xavier: It's tough to pick against the Mountaineers right now who are playing their best basketball of the season. Coming off impressive back to back wins against Arizona and Duke, they could present a very scary matchup for UCLA in the Elite 8. However, they can't overlook Xavier who stands in their way. The Muskateers are built around their offense, who hung 50 second half points against a Purdue team who allowed just 61 a game heading into the contest.
PREDICTION: West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins is very good at exploiting his opponent's weaknesses. The Mountaineers outrebounded a guard-heavy Duke team, 45-19. He'll do it again to Xavier, 78-71.