Sweet 16, Midwest & South

#12 Villanova vs. #1 Kansas- Well I am a Kansas guy all the way, I have been to Phog Allen Fieldhouse and I have played them in a home matchup and they may have the scariest uniforms in the world. You see Kansas and you automatically think you can’t win. I got news for Scottie Reynolds; he is going to have Mario Chalmers in his jockstrap, and the Russell Robinson, and then Sherron Collins. I just think they Jayhawks have too much inside and outside for a team like Villanova, who lets be honest, are just lucky to be here. Kansas is the most complete and consistent team on offense and defense. Plus I have had a man crush on Brandon Rush for even longer than my man crush on Stephen Curry. If you get a chance just watch Rush, everything is smooth and easy, he is never in a hurry.


#10 Davidson vs. #3 Wisconsin- Everyone’s darling versus one of the least like teams in the country. People never like Wisconsin because they play an “ugly” bran of basketball. Well what I know about Wisconsin is the play hard, all the time and they guard your ass on every possession. Offensively they are better than you think. This year they are more balanced than last year when their offense revolved around Alando Tucker. The big guy Brian Butch leads them in scoring, while Guards Trevon Hughes and Michael Flowers also hit double figures along with Forward Marcus Landry. Their balance extends to the bench where Bohannon and Krabbenhoft have both hit double figures 12 times this year. We all know what Davidson does, gets the ball to Stephen Curry and gets the hell out of the way. Well that is not true, Jason Richards the nations leader in assists also scores 13 a game. The rest of the team plays their roles and scores usually off plays to the basket, fast breaks and offensive rebounds. Davidson is also solid defensively so this game should be low scoring, but I think the Badgers have enough go to guys on offense and a solid combo of Flowers and Hughes guarding Curry that they will squeak out a win.


#5 Michigan State vs. #1 Memphis- Michigan State has to play close to perfect, especially on the offensive end. No team left in the tournament can be as anemic on offense as the Spartans, especially when Drew Neitzel is not scoring. The Spartans will counteract their lack of offense by throwing a bunch of big bodies and lots of physical play at Memphis. Memphis will definitely look to speed the game up and use their guards and wings to shoot and bring the ball to the tin. When I look at the matchups I just don’t see anyone on Michigan State who can keep Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose out of the lane. When they can penetrate and score off of the bounce everything else opens up for the Tiger offense. Here Memphis is just too talented for a hard nosed but thin talent Spartan squad.


#3 Stanford vs. #2 Texas- On paper this is the most intriguing matchup especially because of their diametrically opposed styles of offense. Everyone knows what Stanford has in the Lopez boys, and they try and pound it in to them all the time. Brook Lopez is a big time player as evident by his game winning shot in their second round overtime win over Marquette. Texas is guard oriented with DJ Augustin and AJ Abrams accounting for over 35 points a game. But the difference here is Texas will play small and quick and force Stanford to matchup with them. The Cardinal don’t play too much zone defense but trying to man Texas may be hard. The Lopez twins may have to guard Connor Atchley and Damion James who average more than one three pointer made per game. That will force the Lpoez’s to the perimeter and open up driving lanes for the guards. If Stanford tries to go zone the Longhorns will shoot them out of it in a hurry. In all I think Texas has too much versatility on offense and will win the game.