A super sweet 16

With only 16 teams and 15 games left in the entire college season, each contest becomes a life and death situation for the teams involved. Put everything on the line to win or go home. One team will win their next four games. The other 15 will end the season on a losing streak. With that said, it’s time to break down the eight matchups that will be played on Thursday and Friday.

MIDWEST
1) Florida vs 4) Butler
Common sense says the Gators should kill Butler in this game. Florida is bigger, faster, more athletic and more experienced then the Bulldogs are. They won it all last year and they return everybody in their lineup to make a run at a re-peat. But there will be no killing in this game. Butler will play tough and won’t be eliminated easily. I think this game will come down to the last five minutes, where Florida will just have too much power for the boys from Hoosierland. Gators 80-68

3) Oregon vs 7) UNLV
Before the season started, not many people expected the Ducks and Rebels to be among the final 16 teams left. But both these squads have played tough defense and gotten great play out of their senior point guards. UNLV’s Kevin Kregur and Oregon’s Aaron Books have both played great so far during the tournament, and whoever wins that matchup will win the game. My money is on the boys from the Pacific Northwest. Ducks 77-70

WEST
1) Kansas vs 4) Southern Illinois
A very interesting matchup of two teams who play completely different types of ball. KU likes to run up and down the floor, play in transition, and use their size and speed to wear their opponents down. SIU wants to grind the game out, minimize the number of possessions and use their excellent defense to lead them to victory. This game will be a lot closer then people say, but in the end, the Jayhawks style of play will win it. Jayhawks 68-59

2) UCLA vs 3) Pittsburgh
These are the kind of games that the NCAA, CBS and the rest of the media love to have. UCLA coach Ben Howland used to coach at Pitt, where his best friend, Jamie Dixon, is now the head man. Add to that that Howland’s daughter is a student in the Steel City. (The over / under on how many times CBS shows her tonight is seven) In the actual game, this one will be low scoring and physical. Aaron Grey poses a big problem for the Bruins, but the UCLA guards will be a bigger hassle for the Panthers. Bruins 58-52

EAST
1) North Carolina vs 5) USC
Not many people expected the Trojans to be able to get past the Fighting Durant’s, but they handled Texas rather easily. North Carolina will be an even bigger challenge. Tyler Hansbrough is playing really well, and USC doesn’t have enough big men to stop him and Brandon Wright. The matchup on the wing between Nick Young and Reyshawn Terry will be very fun to watch. Tar Heels 85-72

2) Georgetown vs 6) Vanderbilt
There is no doubt that the Commodores are a good team. Guard Derrick Byars beat Washington State in a second round thriller pretty much single handedly. Kevin Stallings is an up and coming coach who has turned Vandy into a legitimate team. Unfortunately, they don’t have anybody who is 7 foot 2 like Georgetown does. The Hoyas Roy Hibbert, along with 6-9 swingman Jeff Green, will be too much for Vanderbilt to contain. Hoyas 77-65

SOUTH
1) Ohio State vs 5) Tennessee
When these two teams met on January 13 in Columbus, the Buckeyes won 68-66. OSU center Greg Oden, who at the time was still playing only with his left hand, put up 24 points and 15 rebounds. Two months later Oden is healthy, meaning in theory he should be able to play better. But as we saw in the Xavier game, Ohio State has trouble with small teams that pull all their guys away from the basket. That’s exactly what Tennessee does, meaning Oden’s defensive skills will be minimized. I think the Vols will get revenge against a Buckeye team who is 18-0 since they last saw Tennessee. Volunteers 68-65

2) Memphis vs 3) Texas A&M
I think the Aggies got the toughest draw of any number three seed, even though they were probably the best of the four teams at that seed. They had to face Louisville, a team that had been playing very well at the end of the season, in nearby Lexington, making the game pretty much a home contest for the Cardinals. Yet A&M pulled out a close victory, which allows them to have a home contest against Memphis. Even with all their talent, I don’t see the Tigers beating Acie Law IV and Co. in San Antonio. Aggies 73-66




Enjoy the games