Friday, March 27, 2009

Sweet 16 Thursday Wrap; Friday Preview

Greetings..... Forgive my tardiness this morning...let's get it...
  • UConn puts away Purdue....Purdue was hanging until midway through the 2nd half when UConn turned the Jets on and blew away the hapless Boilermakers....just not enough talent for Purdue to beat a Huskies team that looks great the last 2 weeks...Chris Kramer for Purdue is certifiably nuts...just going AT Hasheem Thabeet....lol....4 guys in double figures for UConn....a ho-hum type victory
  • And they'll matchup WITH.....Missouri who ran virtual circles around Memphis in the first half (up 13 at half) and held their ground late in scoring 102 points in a regulation game...I predicted a game in the high 80s/90s...but jeez...5 guys scored 13 or more for Missouri in the win....the lone bright spot for Memphis? Freshman Tyreke Evans was awesome last night...33 points in the biggest game of his young career....That Missouri/UConn matchup should be quite good
  • Villanova pounds Duke into submission...this was a close game in the 1st half....and then it wasn't anymore? Lol...Duke shot the ball abysmally (27% FG, 19% threes, 4-32 from Scheyer and Henderson)....but Nova was very impressive on both ends especially in the 2nd half...scoring 51 points with balance....9 guys scored 4 or more points in the game for Nova....Impressive victory....and they'll face?
  • Pitt....who held off Xavier with a big-time 2nd half....first of all, this game was exceedingly ugly....both teams shot under 35% from the field...and while some of that is that both of these teams play defense....some of it was just poor offense....downright poor offense at that....Levance Fields hit the biggest shot of the night (again) on one of those "No...No....YES!" type of threes....vintage for him....I wasn't impressed....but my Tourney champion rolls on.....lol All-Big East regional final in the East bracket is sort of fitting....

To Friday.....First? The picks....9-7-1 entering Thursday....1-1 Thursday.....10-8-1 Entering Friday

  • Arizona +9 over Louisville...I don't think they win...but they hang around for 37 minutes or so....
  • Gonzaga +8.5 over UNC...I just can't see NOT taking the 8 points with the Zags....but I'm biased....
  • Michigan State -1.5 over Kansas

To the actual action...

  • Arizona/Louisville....The key matchup here? Nic Wise vs. Edgar Sosa...and no, that's not a joke....if Nic Wise plays well, Arizona hangs here b/c Edgar Sosa is their biggest liability....I see that happening...but not enough to win it outright....but hey, go Cats lol
  • Gonzaga/UNC....you know where I stand...I honestly think Gonzaga is the best matchup (outside of UConn maybe) for UNC in the entire field....the depth....the ability to score at every position on the floor...Pargo can handle Lawson....I love the Zags...would I be surprised if they lost? No....but I like them more than everybody else you'll meet
  • Cuse/Oklahoma....I honestly have no idea here....I know Blake Griffin has no match on the Cuse side of things....I know Johnny Flynn should go off against the Freshman guards of Oklahoma....but in the end I'm sort of clueless...this may be the most intriguing matchup of the night....I'll pick Cuse based on the fact that I just can't stand having Freshman guards on the other side...but when Blake Griffin puts up his 37 and 19...I'll run home
  • Mich. State/Kansas....These teams played in January....The Spartans dominated....take that for what you will...I think the bigger thing is this game is in Minneapolis....aka a home game for Michigan State....and the coaching advantage? Clearly with Izzo....the key matchup is between the best players on both teams who HAPPEN to play the same position...Kalin Lucas vs. Sherron Collins....if Lucas can play this to anywhere near a draw....Michigan State wins....and they will....

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