Sweet 16: No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Xavier, Thursday, 7:27 p.m., CBS
| PITTSBURGH | XAVIER | |||
| Jamie Dixon can cement his legacy by advancing Pitt past the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1974. | X | Coaching | To make it consecutive Elite Eights for the Musketeers, Sean Miller will have to beat his alma mater. | |
| Levance Fields is unshakable and a nasty passer (7.6 apg), especially in transition. | X | Guards | Pass-first sophomore Dante Jackson plays heavy minutes and rarely scores in double-figures. | |
| If he stays out of foul trouble, DeJuan Blair (15.3 ppg, 12.3 rpg) is the key player in the tourney. | X | Forwards | Derrick Brown (13.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg) is Xavier’s most important inside presence. He must rebound well. | |
| Ashton Gibbs had three 3-pointers against Oklahoma State and 10 pts vs. ETSU. | Bench | X | The Musketeers get a huge lift when sturdy seven-footer Kenny Frease plays well. | |
| The Panthers are used to getting this far — and then losing. But being a No. 1 seed makes a difference. | Experience | X | Xavier is the East Coast version of Gonzaga — they’ve played tons of big games this season. | |
| There’s no good game plan to stop Sam Young (18.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg), his pump fake will beat you. | X | X-Factor | Swingman B.J. Raymond needs a big game, and the Musketeers have to avoid a track meet. | |
| Young and Blair showing their best at just the right time means new, greater history for the Panthers. | X | Overall | Xavier isn’t overmatched, but sustaining a superior level defensively for 40 minutes is a tall task. |
Other Sweet 16 games
» East • Sweet 16 » No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 Villanova
» West • Sweet 16 » No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 5 Purdue
» West • Sweet 16 » No. 2 Memphis vs. No. 3 Missouri
» East • Sweet 16 » No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 Villanova
» West • Sweet 16 » No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 5 Purdue
» West • Sweet 16 » No. 2 Memphis vs. No. 3 Missouri
