1 Duke vs. 4 Purdue
The fourth seeded Purdue Boilermakers are the cinderella of this years tournament. You might think it is odd for a team seeded so highly to be a cinderella, but this is due to the Boilermakers losing their star player Robbie Hummel for the year. Purdue had to completely reinvent themselves down the stretch and are now a grittier, blue collar team. Chris Kramer and JaJuan Johnson have done a great job of keeping the Boilermakers together, but I do not think Purdue has enough firepower to take down a very hot Blue Devil team. Look for the experienced big three of the Duke to keep up their consistent play and kick Cinderella out of the dance. And if Brian Zoubek continues to play well, then the Dukies have a very good shot of winning it all.
Winner: Duke
3 Baylor vs. 10 St. Mary’s
I think this will be one of the better sweet 16 matchups between a very talented Baylor Bear team and the streaking St. Mary’s Gaels. The key to this game will be if the athletic big men of Baylor are able to contain Omar Samhan who has been unstoppable thus far in the tournament averaging 30.5 points a game. Even though Samhan (pictured below) might be the ugliest and least athletic-looking man I have ever seen, I think he is right in his predication that the Gaels will upset Bears. And though the game is in Houston, which is just a few hours from the Baylor Campus, I think the Gaels will do a great job of handling Baylor’s athleticism and will be able to squeak by in the end.
Winner: St. Mary’s
West Region:
1 Syracuse vs. 5 Butler
This is a very intriguing game because Butler is a very good three point shooting team, which is the one weakness of Syracuse’s infamous 2-3 zone. Butler has the longest winning streak in the nation and has not lost a game since December 22 because of the great play of the versatile Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack. But look for that streak to come to an end Thursday night at the hands of the powerful Orange. Syracuse is clicking on all cylinders right now and with Wes Johnson finally looking for his own shot I think the Orange will cruise to victory. If their big man Arinze Onuaku can return to form and Wes Johnson can continue his fantastic play, then I think the Orange are one of the favorites to win it all. Even if Jim Boeheim and his Orange overcome the field to cut the net down for a second time, nothing compares to his greatest feat… somehow managing to make this happen:
Winner: Syracuse
2 Kansas State vs. 6 Xavier
These two teams met earlier in the season and K-State routed Xavier by 25 points. Since then Xavier has become a much better basketball team behind the play of Jordan Crawford, who is having a great tournament averaging 27.5 points a game. I think this game will be much closer than 25 points but I still do not think that Xavier has an answer for Jacob Pullen, Denis Clemente, and the athletic bigs of the wildcats. And we must remember rule #31 of picking teams in the tournament, always side with the beard.
Winner: Kansas State
Midwest Region:
5 Michigan State vs. 9 Northern Iowa
I don’t think that anyone had this matchup in their bracket except for the autistic kid from Illinois. Northern Iowa shocked Kansas last week behind the shooting of the unforgettable Ali Farokhmanesh. Michigan State had to hit a last second three to advance to the Sweet 16. But in their win, the Spartans lost their star player Kalin Lucas for the rest of the tournament. My brain is telling me to never pick against Tom Izzo and his Spartans in the tournament, but my gut is telling me to side with the Mid-Major Panthers. I think Michigan State sneaks by Northern Iowa and advances to the Elite 8.
Winner: Michigan State
2 Ohio State vs. 6 Tennessee
Tennessee has probably had more highs and lows than anyone in the nation this year. The Vols beat two number one ranked teams this year but also got blown out by some sub-par teams. So far in the tournament Bruce Pearl has gotten his Vols to really play together and they have coasted to the Sweet 16. But I do not think the Tennessee goes any further in the tournament as they face the Buckeyes, who are arguably the hottest team still playing. The Buckeyes win because they have the best player in the nation in Evan Turner and I do not think Tennessee stands a chance at containing him.
Winner: Ohio State
East Region:
1 Kentucky vs. 12 Cornell
This game is truly the David versus Goliath match-up. It is the nerds from the Ivy League versus the superior athletes from the basketball powerhouse. Cornell has some great perimeter players and a 7-footer inside, which is something not too many mid-majors have, but I think Kentucky dodges the stone cast by David here. Kentucky just has way too much talent and is full of superior basketball players and dancers. I think Cornell keeps it close for a while but in the end Kentucky pulls away.
Winner: Kentucky
2 West Virginia vs. 11 Washington
The Mountaineer Faithful received devastating news yesterday that their starting point guard Darryl Bryant broke his foot in practice and will miss the remainder of the tournament. This blow to West Virginia could not come at a worse time as they face the red-hot Washington Huskies. Don't be fooled by the 11 next to Washington, they are just as talented as West Virginia. Yes West Virginia’s Da’Sean Butler is a great scorer and he is going to get his, but I am going to pick a little upset special here. The tournament has been crazy thus far and I hope the trend continues.
Winner: Washington
-The Southern Gentleman
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