NCAA basketball has had a quiet few days off before the start of the next round. Players are recovering from their first two games of the tournament, but preparing for an even tougher road ahead, while fans speculate on teams sent back home and who will continue on to make it to the final four.
It is safe to say that no team is safe. Take 11th seed Dayton who has come further than anyone imagined, knocking out big teams Ohio State (6) and Syracuse (3) to make it to The Sweet Sixteen. What about Mercer, ranked 14th, who busted nearly everyone’s bracket by upsetting Duke (3) by seven points! North Dakota State (12) beats Oklahoma (5) by five. Stanford (10) holds strong as well fighting off New Mexico (7) and then Kansas (2) by three points to advance. Creighton (3) gets blown out by Baylor (6). Stephen F. Austin (12) beat VCU (5) in overtime after making a four-point-play to tie in regulation, and Harvard, yes Harvard (12), beat Cincinnati (5).
The tournament is moving quickly, but for now, a rest is necessary to calm racing hearts and regain focus in order to begin the next leg of the journey to the NCAA Championship. The Sweet Sixteen will tip off with the South and West regions tomorrow.
The South will start the next round at 7:15 p.m. when Dayton and Stanford take the floor in Memphis, Tennessee. Two teams who have beaten the odds to make it thus far will fight for a spot in the Elite Eight. Forwards Devin Oliver and DyShawn Pierre (Dayton) will go against Dwight Powell and Stefan Nastic (Stanford). Both teams will likely try to feed the inside on offense for maximum scoring opportunity.
Next up we head over to the West region with ranked number two Wisconsin and number six Baylor. Both teams had outstanding games in the round of 32. Each team had five players finishing with well over double figures. Although Wisconsin came back from a 12 point deficit against Oregon in the second half, they cannot have a slow start against Baylor tomorrow night, considering Baylor buried Creighton by 20 points in the first half alone. Frank Kaminsky, a forward from Wisconsin was one point short of 20 in his last game, and Traevon Jackson, a guard had an outstanding 16 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Baylor’s own Isaiah Austin (forward) and Brady Heslip (guard) would end their last game with 17 points each. Baylor’s intense defense may be the deciding factor at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Start time is 7:47 p.m.
SEC Champion Florida Gators make their appearance next in Memphis, Tennessee at 9:45 p.m. Likely to be the most anticipated game of the night since Florida is the favorite to win it all. This may be their hardest match up so far, facing UCLA. The Bruins may be ranked as the number nine best offensive team, but at the same time the Gators are ranked number three in defense, holding teams on average to 57.7 points per game. Keep your eyes on number five; Scottie Wilbekin is the player to watch, scoring 21 points against Pittsburgh in the last round. Senior Scottie has matured becoming a leader after being suspended for his first five games of the season. UCLA is making its first appearance in six seasons. They will look to Kyle Anderson to be a play maker. He is ranked number six at 6.5 assists per game.
Finally, the night ends back in Anaheim, California as the last game begins at 10:17 p.m. The Arizona Wildcats battle the San Diego State Aztecs for a spot in the next round. This is San Diego State’s second appearance in school history, but their only hopes ride on a nearly perfect performance from Xavier Thames. Thames had 30 points against North Dakota State last game. The guard will have to carry the team and control the pace with forward Dwayne Polee II in order to beat the Wildcats.
Arizona’s high energy and confidence can quickly take over the game, and they will come out very strong tomorrow night. Three players fell just short of 20 points in their last game against Gonzaga, five players cleared double figures. Forward freshman Aaron Gordon and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are exceptional be sure to witness what great abilities they offer. Arizona won earlier in the season verses San Diego State, will they repeat?
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