| WEST REGION Where » Energy Solutions Arena, Salt Lake City |
EAST REGION Where » Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y. |
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No. 1 Syracuse X-factors » Syracuse’s 2-3 zone. It helps Butler that it has had extra time to prepare for this defense, and it also helps that the Bulldogs run a patient offense with good shooters. They must somehow penetrate and kick the ball back outside for 3s. Syracuse has length, which often forces teams to shoot deeper and quicker. Why Syracuse will win » Because the Orange are one of the top teams left in the tournament and their special player, Wesley Johnson, is off to a terrific start. He and Andy Rautins, if both are playing well, are a formidable combination. It’ll be tougher if injured Arinze Onuaku is unable to play, but the Orange remain big enough inside to win. Why Butler will win » Defense and continuity. The Bulldogs have started the same lineup in 61 of the past 66 games, an astounding statistic. That leads to great trust and confidence in one another — and it’s one reason they’ve won 22 straight games. Their man-to-man defense has held teams to 41.5 percent shooting for the season. The Examiner predicts » The Bulldogs are a nice story and will make this an interesting game; forward Gordon Hayward can be a stud. But the Orange border on being a great team, especially when Rautins is hot from outside. So we like the Orange. But we’ll also predict more Butler sightings next season: The Bulldogs lose one senior starter. No. 2 Kansas State vs. No. 6 Xavier X-factors » Kansas State’s depth could be key. Its reserves played 71 minutes (15 points, 15 rebounds) Sunday, while Xavier’s played 45 minutes (six points, three rebounds). Don’t count Chris Mack’s rookie status against the Xavier coach. He has been as quick a study as his predecessors: Skip Prosser, Pete Gillen, Thad Matta and Sean Miller. Why Kansas State will win » The Wildcats have defense, perimeter threats in Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente and inside presence, ranking No. 2 in the nation in offensive rebounding. In Dominique Sutton and Pullen, the Wildcats have lockdown defenders who can deal with Xavier’s Jordan Crawford. They shut down BYU’s Jimmer Fredette on Sunday. Why Xavier will win » This is the Musketeers’ third straight trip to the Sweet 16, while it is the Wildcats’ first in 22 years. Xavier will use this edge against a KSU team that will be too amped up under Frank Martin. Crawford (55 points in the tournament) is the best guard left in this region. The Examiner predicts » It’s a bad matchup for Xavier. The Musketeers don’t defend the perimeter and are susceptible to turnovers, both areas KSU will exploit. When Xavier visited KSU in a snowstorm in December, it shot 29 percent in a 71-56 loss. Three months later, Xavier is improved but not by 15 points. |
No. 2 West Virginia X-factors » The focus will be on the point guards after West Virginia starter Darryl “Truck” Bryant broke his foot in practice this week. It could be a blessing in disguise; backup Joe Mazzulla carried the Mountaineers in the Big East Tournament. But matching up with the Huskies’ Isaiah Thomas (17.1 ppg, 3.1 apg) will be a huge challenge. Why West Virginia will win » Washington was impressive offensively in its two tournament games, but the Huskies haven’t faced a Big East defense since December, when Georgetown forced them into 25 turnovers. The athletic and aggressive Mountaineers will be even more disruptive, keeping Washington’s quick strike group at bay. Why Washington will win » The Huskies are as hot as any team in the country, and the ragged West Virginia offense is unpredictable, often carried by Da’Sean Butler (17.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg). If Quincy Pondexter (19.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and the Huskies bang on the boards and get their quick backcourt out in transition, they’ll stay right with the Mountaineers. The Examiner predicts » The Pac-10 has been maligned all year, but Washington’s reputation won’t be sullied after hanging tough for all 40 minutes with the Mountaineers. The problem is, even if the Huskies can match Devin Ebanks (12.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Kevin Jones (13.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg) inside, Butler won’t be denied with the game on the line. If he’s on the floor, West Virginia advances. No. 1 Kentucky When » Thursday, 9:57 p.m. X-factors » For Kentucky, look out for guard Darius Miller. With so much attention paid to the outstanding frontcourt and super freshman John Wall, defenses can lose Miller. He scored a career-high 20 on Saturday vs. Wake Forest. Cornell 7-foot senior center Jeff Foote (8.1 rpg) needs to hold his own against the Wildcats’ bigs. Why Kentucky will win » Too much talent. Wall and forwards DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson are lottery picks. Even freshman guard Eric Bledsoe might make it if he enters the draft. The Wildcats’ only losses this season have come at hostile SEC arenas. Just five Division I teams have larger rebounding margin, and only eight score more points (80.1 ppg). Why Cornell will win » The Big Red are the best 3-point percentage team in country. They made 17 of 38 3-pointers in first two rounds. But Cornell also must force Kentucky to settle for perimeter jumpers. It is the Wildcats’ big weakness at 34.7 percent from beyond the arc. And home cooking helps. Cornell is just 53 miles from the Carrier Dome. The Examiner predicts » Kentucky. Cinderella’s coach is turning into a pumpkin in Syracuse. The Big Red just don’t have the athletes to compete — even if they can shoot the lights out at the Carrier Dome. The Wildcats have been solid at stopping that weapon anyway, ranking 40th in Division I in 3-point defense (31.1 percent). |
