Now that pretty much every bracket is busted (except this one) it's time to simply focus on good basketball. In that light, let's look at the Sweet Sixteen Match Ups for tomorrow night.
Butler vs Syracuse
This game is both more appealing and less appealing with the absence of Arinze Onuaku. As much as you want to see each team at their best come tournament time, a full Syracuse squad might have sucked the life out of this game. As much as Butler has the ability to capitalize on the Syracuse 2-3 zone with their outside shooting, they lack the presence inside to exploit the injury to Onuaku. Without having to worry about their lack in the paint, the Orange will be able to play their typical game. Butler took care of a UTEP team that couldn't hit a shot in the second half and was able to edge an upstart Murray State squad in the closing seconds, but they are just not playing well enough to beat a team with the kind of talent and scoring ability that Syracuse has. Butler hasn't given up 70+ points since a December 8th loss to Georgetown. They have won games with scores as low as 48 points (48-47 over Loyola IL). In the tournament thus far, they have held their two opponents to an average of 55.5 pts/game. They will not be able to win that way against the Orange. Look for Wes Johnson to have his way and Andy Rautins go continue to be a firm leader. Jim Boeheim will have his kids up and ready to play, and hopefully the will have Onuaku back for their Elite 8 contest. Syracuse takes this one: 75-64
Washington vs West Virginia
This game certainly got interesting yesterday when West Virginia lost PG Darryl Bryant. That combined with a hot Huskies team, and it could be a long night for the Mountaineers. Bob Huggins and company certainly can't be counted out. Devin Ebanks, Da'Sean Butler and Kevin Jones will still be in the line-up. If Joe Mazzula can provide consistency at point guard, the rest of the talent on this roster has a chance to compensate for the loss. Washington bring Senior forward Quincy Pondexter and company to Syracuse, coming off two big wins. The Huskies edged a tough Marquette team in the first round before putting a hurting on New Mexico. Washington is going to run up and down the floor, which puts them in position to take advantage of a team missing its field general. The key is going to be for West Virginia to slow the game down. Expect to see multiple Mountaineers bringing the ball up the court early in the game. Butler actually leads the team in assists at 3.3/game. This should be the most fun to watch of the four game slate tomorrow night, and also the only upset foreseen. Expect Washington in a thrilling one: 83-79
Xavier vs Kansas State
Xavier has made a little noise with their (especially coach Chris Mack) disapproval of the mid-major title. As much as these titles don't matter when it counts, you have to agree with them. Xavier is one of 2 teams that have made the last 3 Sweet 16s (Mich State) and has earned NCAA births in 9 of the last 10 seasons. They finished tied for the regular season A-10 title (a legit conference), and their only loss since February 6th was an overtime loss to Richmond in the A-10 tournament. Xavier has everything you need to win in the tournament: great guard-play from Terrell Holloway and Jordan Crawford, a force inside in Jason Love (11.8 pts, 8.5 boards) and a little tournament experience to go with it. However, this is a Kansas State team that comes ready. They have outstanding guard-play from Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen, as well as size and experience. They also have the "experience" of having beaten the Musketeers 71-56 on December 8th. The Wildcats used strong work on the offensive boards, dominating Xavier inside. Despite a poor day from 3 and the FT line, the Wildcats were able to capitalize on weak shooting from the Musketeers and end up with an impressive victory. Jason Love is a quality basketball player, but it simply will not be quite enough inside to compete with the likes of K-State, as Xavier falls 76-70.
Cornell vs Kentucky
In this match-up, we have two of the teams in the tournament that have, surprisingly enough, had the easiest time advancing thus far. Kentucky absolutely torched Wake Forest in the round of 32 after disposing of East Tennessee State. Cornell took care of a very good Temple squad and an equally formidable Wisconsin team by a total of 31 points. The Big Red are led by Forward Ryan Wittman, but with the size of DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson, Kentucky has the ability to neutralize Wittman in the paint, but he should be able to succeed on the perimeter. The issue in this game, however, is going to be the speed of Kentucky. Cornell took on two very methodically run offenses in the first two rounds and were able to stick with them defensively, but the way that Kentucky gets down the floor behind John Wall could be too much athletically for the Big Red. The one thing Cornell has going for them is their refusal to beat themselves. From what I've seen of Kentucky, they are very impressive physically and skill-wise, but they still show their youth at times in their over-zealousness and poor decision-making. Cornell's only chance is to keep it close and hope to capitalize on these errors during crunch-time. However, these kids, despite their youth, seem to find away to eradicate this reckless style when it matters. Credit that to coach John Calipari and credit Kentucky with what will be an Elite 8 birth: 88-71
-APT
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