South and Midwest Regional Finals Preview

First things first, congratulations to Butler and West Virginia. Bob Huggins reached his second Final Four, his first since 1992, and WVU's first since 1959. Butler reached their first Final Four ever, and they get to play in Indianapolis. I don't know how you couldn't be rooting for Butler. I was incredibly happy for them. I was also incredibly happy that Kentucky lost. Maybe if you weren't dicks Kentucky fans, people would like you. Let's recap and predict.

West
5 Butler Bulldogs 63 2 Kansas State Wildcats 56 - Butler pulled off nearly the same game they did against Syrcause. They got off to a good start, had a solid halftime lead, and fell behind late. Kansas State rallied for the lead, but the Bulldogs would not quit. A Gordon Hayward lay up with a minute left sealed the deal. Kansas St was locked down by the tough nosed defense, held to 38% shooting, just 5 threes, and 7-14 at the free throw line. Gordon Hayward put up 22-9 for the winners, while Denis Clemente had 18 for the Wildcats.

East
2 West Virginia Mountaineers 73 1 Kentucky Wildcats 66 - West Virginia made 8 threes for their only field goals of the first half. When they made twos, they put Kentucky away. The Mountaineer defense held Kentucky to only 34% shooting, 4-32 from 3. Kentucky was also 16-29 at the free throw line. West Virginia hit 23-34 at the stripe, and that helped them advance. Da'Sean Butler led the way with 18-6, while in his last game at UK, John Wall had 19-6-5 assists-4 steals-5 turnovers. Once again, congrats to WVU. Represent the Big East well.

Predictions

2:20 PM
6 Tennessee Volunteers v. 5 Michigan State Spartans - Tennessee has played tough, slow down games in 2 of their 3 wins. Michigan State has played the same. Both had second round offensive explosions, MSU over Maryland, and Tennessee over Ohio. I fully expect another slow down game here. It's going to be a toss up. Michigan State didn't seem to miss Kailin Lucas too much against Northern Iowa, but I think this is the game that does it. I like how Tennessee is playing, even though they could have very well lost to San Diego State.

Prediction: Ken Pom likes Sparty by 1, winning 52% of the time. It's a toss up. I like the Orange to crash the Final Four.
Tennessee 65 Michigan State 61

5:05 PM
3 Baylor Bears v. 1 Duke Blue Devils - Baylor is coming off a great performance, and has the home crowd. That's good, but I think that they lose. Duke has locked everyone down so far in the tournament, and I think they'll take advantage of Baylor's good, but not great defense. I hope LaceDarius Dunn has a big game. Yes, I wanted to type LaceDarius. I hope Baylor fights the good fight and wins, but I think Duke will be the only 1 seed to advance.

Prediction: Ken Pom likes Duke by 6, winning 72% of the time. Sounds about right.
Duke 73 Baylor 69

East and West Regional Final Previews

The NCAA Tournament is quickly winding down to the it's end sadly. We are left with just 8 squads. Before we look at the match ups for today, let's rewind and look at who were the big winners last night.

Midwest
6 Tennessee 76 2 Ohio State 73 - The Buckeyes couldn't keep the Volunteers off the offensive glass, as the Vols grabbed 18. The Buckeyes also couldn't stop Tennessee inside. They did have a chance to win, as Player of the Year in the Big 10, and probably America, Evan Turner got a pair of looks from 3. He missed the first and had the second blocked by JP Prince to send the Buckeyes packing. It's Tennessee's first ever Elite 8. Wayne Chism had 22-11, and Brian Williams 9-12, including the tip in for the lead. Evan Turner had 31-7-5 assists in his last game as a Buckeye.

5 Michigan State 59 9 Northern Iowa 52 - Northern Iowa didn't score a field goal in the last 10 minutes against the Spartans. Those types of things tend to cost you games. Michigan State continues to be a team that always advances to the late stages of the NCAA tournament. Even though many thought they would reach this point in November, none thought it would come this way. For UNI, Adam Koch  had 13, while for the Spartans, Durrell Summers put up 19-7.

South
3 Baylor 72 10 St Mary's 49 - This was an all out rout in Houston. Baylor shot 45%, pounded the glass, and played tough defense. LaceDarius Dunn went for 23 to power the Bears, while Ben Allen had 16-7 for the losers.

1 Duke 70 5 Purdue 57 - This game went exactly as I predicted, which never happens. Purdue tried their best, but had no offensive answers for the Dukies. This game was ugly for a long time, but the Blue Devils will take ugly as long as they advance. Duke outrebounded Purdue by 22, pulled in 15 offensive boards and held Purdue to just 4. Kyle Singler had 24-8 for Duke, while JaJuan Johnson had 23 for Purdue.

Previews and Predictions

4:30 PM
5 Butler Bulldogs v. 2 Kansas State Wildcats - Butler has been grinding down defensively in their last 2 wins, while Kansas State has shown off their offensive firepower in blowing by BYU and Xavier. It's going to be interesting to see who on Butler can contain Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente. The Bulldogs are going to need Shelvin Mack and Gordon Hayward to continue their strong play. At least strong play in the last game by Hayward. Ken Pom thinks that Kansas State wins by 3 62% of the time. I really like Butler, but I don't know if they have enough. Kansas State is coming off a tough game yes, but I think they have more.

Prediction: Kansas State 68 Butler 60

7 PM
2 West Virginia Mountaineers v. 1 Kentucky Wildcats - The best of the Elite 8 games in being played tonight. The Wildcats and Mountaineers are two very good defensive clubs, who have a tendency to miss shots. Both rebound the hell out of the offensive glass. It's going to be interesting to see if Hugs puts Devin Ebanks on John Wall like everyone is predicting. I think that he will, but that WVU will play a lot of zone. That leaves the game in the hands of the Kentucky guards. Eric Bledsoe could murder WVU if they leave him open, as could Dobson or Darius Miller. Kevin Jones and Ebanks could have their hands full with Patterson and Cousins. I think Butler will be guarded by Miller, and it's going to be a challenge for Darius. I'm looking forward to this game very much. It should be great. Ken Pom has UK by 2, winning 58%. Even the computers think it's a toss up. Of course, I'm pulling for Bob Huggins. Final Four track suits everyone!

Prediction: West Virginia 72 Kentucky 68

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Friday Preview

What a night Thursday was for basketball. The amazing Kansas State-Xavier game was a sight to behold. That's another reason why we love college basketball. Especially the NCAA Tournament. It was a big day alright, as the West region also saw top seed Syracuse fall to Butler. Before we go to the Duke-Purdue, Baylor-St Mary's, Ohio State-Tennessee and Michigan State-Northern Iowa predictions, let's take a look back at Thursday's action.

West
5 Butler 63 1 Syracuse 59 - The little Butler Bulldogs knocked off top seeded Syracuse in another let down for our Big East brethren. Butler had a 10 point lead at the half, but saw the Orange take the lead by as much as 4 in the second. Ronald Nored hit a 3, and Matt Howard got a tip for the lead, and Willie Veasley scored 5 of his own with a Gordon Hayward free throw and an 11-0 run to ice it. Hayward led the Bulldogs with 17, while Wes Johnson had 17-9 for the Orange.

2 Kansas State 101 6 Xavier 96 (2 OT) - I'm not the only one who thought this was an instant classic, and in fact, there are really no words I can add to this great game. Down the stretch it was Jordan Crawford, Jacob Pullen, Terrell Holloway, Curtis Kelly, Terrell Holloway, Jamar Samuels, JORDAN CRAWFORD, Curtis Kelly, JACOB PULLEN, and JACOB PULLEN again. Dante Jackson had a look to tie at 99, but came up short. Crawford had 32, Holloway 26-6 assists, and Jason Love 11-15 for X, while Pullen had 28, Denis Clemente 25-5 assists and Curtis Kelly 21-8. Watch the highlights, hell watch the game on March Madness on Demand.

East
1 Kentucky 62 12 Cornell 45 - This game seemed like it sucked for a long time. Kentucky pulled away in the first half, then never scored in the second. Cornell cut the lead to 6 at one point, but Kentucky pulled away, just like I predicted. Louis Dale had 17 for the Big Red, while DeMarcus Cousins had 16-8-4 steals for Kentucky.

2 West Virginia 69 11 Washington 56 - This was a game for a half, but once West Virginia found a rhythm, the Huskies couldn't hang. The Mountaineers pulled down 19 offensive rebounds. Justin Holliday, J'Rue's brother, had 14-8-5 steals in the losing effort, while Kevin Jones had 18-8 for the winners.

Previews and Predictions

Midwest
7:07 PM
6 Tennessee v. 2 Ohio State

2 Ohio State Buckeyes 29-7
How they got here: Big 10 Tournament Champions
Round 1- 68-51 over UC Santa Barbara

Round 2- 75-66 over Georgia Tech

Best Players: Evan Turner 20-9.2-6 assists William Buford 14.4-5.7-3.1 assists 

Ken Pom Off/Def Rank: 7/23

6 Tennessee Volunteers 27-8

How they got here: At large (SEC 3rd place)

Round 1- 62-59 over San Diego State

Round 2- 83-68 over Ohio

Best Players: Scotty Hobson 12.5-3.3  Wayne Chism 12.3-7.3-1.3 blocks 

Ken Pom Off/Def Rank: 90/8

Prediction: Ken Pom has Ohio State by 5 with a 71% chance of winning. I like Ohio State by a little more than 5. Ohio State 71-63

9:37 PM (Estimate) 30 minutes after game 1

9 Northern Iowa v. 5 Michigan State

5 Michigan State Spartans 26-8

How they got here: At large (Big 10 3 way tie Co-Champions)

Round 1- 70-67 over New Mexico State

Round 2- 85-83 over Maryland

Best Players:  Raymar Morgan 11.6-6.2 Durrell Summers 10.7-4.5 

Ken Pom Off/Def Rank: 35/30

9 Northern Iowa Panthers 30-4

How they got here: Missouri Valley Tournament Champions

Round 1- 69-66 over UNLV

Round 2- 69-67 over Kansas

Best Players: Jordan Egsleder 12-7.3 Adam Koch 11.6-4.9

Ken Pom Off/Def Rank: 53/14

Prediction: Ken Pom has Northern Iowa by 1, with a 51% chance of winning. This is a pure toss up, as MSU has Kailin Lucas out for the tournament with a Achilles injury. Even with Lucas, this would probably be a toss up. I think that the Panther run continues. Northern Iowa 69-68.

South

7:27 PM

10 St Mary's v. 3 Baylor

3 Baylor Bears 27-7

How they got here: At large (Big 12 2nd place 3 way tie)

Round 1- 68-59 over Sam Houston State

Round 2- 76-68 over Old Dominion

Best Players: LaceDarius Dunn 19.4-4.9 Tweety Carter 15.1-6 assists 

Ken Pom Off/Def Rank: 5/39

10 St Mary's Gaels 28-5

How they got here: WCC Tournament Champions 

Round 1- 80-71 over Richmond

Round 2- 75-68 over Villanova

Best Players: Omar Samhan 20.9-11-3 blocks Mickey McConnell 13.7-5.2 assists 

Ken Pom Off/Def Rank: 16/81

Prediction: Ken Pom has Baylor by 4, with a 68% chance of winning. I think that we get an upset here. I don't buy into Baylor. They let SHS stay close, and they let Old Dominion come back on them. I'm going St Mary's 77-75.

9:57 PM (estimate) 30 minutes after game 1

4 Purdue v. 1 Duke

1 Duke Blue Devils 31-5

How they got here: Won ACC Tournament

Round 1- 73-44 over Arkansas Pine Bluff

Round 2- 68-53 over California

Best Players: Jon Scheyer 18.1-4.9 assists Kyle Singler 17.7-7

Ken Pom Off/Def Rank: 2/3

4 Purdue Boilermakers 29-5

How they got here: At large (Big 10 3 way Champions)

Round 1- 72-64 over Siena

Round 2- 63-61 (OT) over Texas A&M

Best Players: E'Twan Moore 16.4-3.8 JaJuan Johnson 15.7-6.9

Ken Pom Off/Def Rank: 67/4

Prediction: Ken Pom has Duke by 7, with a 79% chance of winning. I think that's about right. I don't know how Purdue scores on Duke. I think the Blue Devils lock them down, like they did California. Duke 66-52.