With the sweet 16 matchups all set, let’s take a look at each game and see what we can expect. With a mostly chalky lineup, expect action from all of the best teams this week.
Starting with the first matchup, the West’s sixth seed, Clemson, and second seed, Arizona, bring an exciting matchup. While Clemson looked great against Baylor and beat the talented squad, Arizona should overpower the Tigers in this matchup. Guard play is huge in March, and with Caleb Love, Arizona is excellent at the guard positions.
In the East, the first overall seed, UConn, is set for a championship game rematch from last year against the fifth seed, San Diego State. UConn’s mix of post-play with Donovan Klingan and perimeter shooting from Alex Karaban will overpower the Aztecs. San Diego’s run should end here, but expect a good battle from them.
Back in the West, the first-seeded North Carolina is set for a matchup against the fourth-seeded Alabama. As mentioned before, guard play is huge in March. Both of these teams have great options at the position. UNC’s RJ Davis has been huge this season, and Alabama’s Mark Sears dropped 26 points on GCU. While Alabama certainly has talent, Armando Bacot of UNC should dominate in the paint. Expect UNC to come out on top.
Once more in the east, the second-seeded Iowa State and the third-seeded Illinois bring a great matchup. Iowa State was second in the country in defensive efficiency, while Illinois was fifth in offensive efficiency this season. Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. has been on a reign of terror, scoring 26 or more points in the last five games. While I do trust Iowa State’s defense, Shannon should force double-teams and help teammates get open. Expect Illinois to come out on top.
Moving to the South region, second-seeded Marquette is set to play the eleventh-seeded N.C. State. Players that stand out are N.C. State’s Dj Burns and Marquette’s Tyler Kolek. Kolek is one of the best passers in the country, and you can expect this trend to continue. His ability to pass the ball will help a ton with N.C. State’s pressure, as they will likely look to trap Kolek, leaving his teammates open. Marquette should take this one.
In the Midwest, the first seed, Purdue, will face the fifth seed, Gonzaga. Gonzaga’s forward play with Graham Ike will be a key factor in this matchup. Adding to their talent, Ryan Nembhard’s scoring and playmaking will also be huge in this game. However, Purdue’s star Zach Edey is a dominant force in the paint and can shut Ike down. Purdue’s biggest change from last year was their perimeter shooting, as they’re first in three-point shooting at 40.8 percent. I believe this will be the tipping point. Expect Purdue to emerge victorious.
Down to the south, the first seed Houston is set to play the fourth-seeded Duke. Duke’s Jared McCain lit it up in the JMU game, dropping 30 points, including eight threes. Kyle Filipowski played a key role as well, scoring 14 points and adding five rebounds. Houston played Texas A&M and almost lost, allowing the Aggies to come back and force overtime. Houston had many key players foul out, leading to a horrendous collapse. With Houston flustered, watch out for Duke to pounce on the opportunity.
Back to the Midwest region, the second seed The Tennessee Volunteers are set to play third-seeded Creighton. Both teams have excellent guard play, with Dalton Knecht on Tennessee and Baylor Scheierman on Creighton. Creighton’s post-play certainly comes to mind as well, with Ryan Kalkbrenner always dominating the glass. His five blocks against Oregon were huge in their victory as well. Jonas Aidoo will be huge in Tennessee’s rebound game, as his 7.6 rebounds per gamelead the team. This game is quite a tossup, as both teams are excellent. The team that shoots the best from the perimeter should come out on top in this game.
Overall, this March Madness has quite the sweet sixteen in store for us. For now, we can only wait and see what happens next.
