MIDWEST
No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 5 West Virginia
All year long, media and fans have theorized what it will take to bring down the jet-fueled bulldozer that is Kentucky. Stretch forwards, pack-line defense, force them into isolation offense—many things have been tried. With West Virginia, another theory will be tested: push a full-court press on the Wildcats’ less talented guards, speed the game up and don’t get destroyed on the boards.
West Virginia leads the NCAA in steal rate thanks to that press and is in the Top 5 for offensive rebounding percentage. When playing a better team, you want to create chaos, maximize possessions and try to negate talent, and the Mountaineers are equipped to do just that.
Oh, who am I kidding? Kentucky’s winning by 30.
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Wichita State
After an extraordinarily cathartic upset over intrastate rival, too-good-for-you Kansas, Wichita State will now take on Notre Dame, one of the offensively elite teams in the country. The Shockers’ 7-seed may go down as one of the committee’s worst decisions, as WSU is more than experienced in the Madness that is March and is extremely balanced and well coached.
The Shockers rank in the Top 20 for both offense and defense in kenpom.com. Notre Dame, meanwhile, ranks outside the Top 100 in defense, but makes up for that with a truly ridiculous interior scoring attack.
This matchup features what has got to be the best backcourt combination in any game this round, with Notre Dame’s likely All-American Jerian Grant taking on Wichita State’s Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet, two players who have been among the nation’s best at their positions for years.
As far as Sweet 16 matchups go, this could easily be one of the most entertaining.
—Jack Baer
WEST
No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 4 North Carolina
Wisconsin survived a major scare from Oregon to advance to its fourth Sweet 16 in the last five years, thanks largely to the efforts of its starting frontcourt of Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes.
The trio has shouldered the load for the offense through the first two games, scoring 109 of the team’s 158 points.
Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are coming off a win against Arkansas, but could be without forward Kennedy Meeks, who suffered a sprained left knee against the Razorbacks and is doubtful.
Without the 6-foot-9, 280-pound Meeks, North Carolina’s already daunting task of trying to slow down the UW frontcourt could be made that much more difficult.
No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 6 Xavier
The Wildcats are one of just two teams in the country, the other being Kentucky, that rank in the Top 10 of Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency ratings.
Led by stars Stanley Johnson and senior guard T.J. McConnell, Arizona is a trendy pick to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2001.
Meanwhile, the Musketeers are anchored by senior center Matt Stainbrook, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. He had just nine points and six rebounds in Xavier’s win over Georgia State in the Round of 32, and will need to play far better if the Musketeers are going to keep Arizona from a potential Elite Eight rematch with Wisconsin.
—Zach Rastall
EAST
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 8 NC State
NC State has played two of the tournament’s best games to get to the Sweet 16. In their opener, the Wolfpack came back from a 16-point deficit to beat LSU on a buzzer beater, then beat top-seeded Villanova thanks to frigid shooting by the Wildcats. Louisville squeaked out a victory over the Anteaters of UC Irvine and then coasted against Northern Iowa to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year.
Players to watch here include Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier for Louisville, and Anthony “Cat” Barber and Trevor Lacey for NC State. One never really knows what they’re going to get out of the Wolfpack, but I think they will survive and advance.
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Michigan State
UW fans should know just how good Michigan State can be after watching the Big Ten Tournament final. After taking care of Georgia, the Spartans stayed composed and beat Virginia thanks to timely shots by Travis Trice. Oklahoma struggled with Albany in the opening round and went the distance with Dayton before delivering the knockout blow to a team that was playing its sixth game in 10 days.
Players to watch for the Sooners include Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield and Ryan Spangler, who is one of the conference’s best defenders and rebounders. For the Spartans, Trice and Branden Dawson both have the ability to change a game. If Trice is hitting shots and Dawson is engaged, then the Spartans will be moving on.
—Brian Weidy
SOUTH
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Utah
This game features a critical matchup between a pair of freshman centers. You may have already heard of Duke’s big man, the much celebrated Jahlil Okafor, but Utah’s less heralded Jakob Poeltl is certainly no scrub either, leading the Utes in rebounds while shooting over 67 percent to score nearly 10 points per game.
However, the real leader of the Utes is standout senior guard Delon Wright. He serves as the team’s primary scorer and facilitator, leading Utah with almost 15 points and over five assists per game.
Shockingly, the Blue Devils also have some talent on hand besides Okafor. Freshmen Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones and senior Quinn Cook have all had standout years.
When Duke has it going, they might be the best team in the nation. However, the Blue Devils have shown in boneheaded losses to Miami and NC State that they do not always perform at their talent level, leaving the door ajar for the Utes to score an unlikely upset.
No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 UCLA
Gonzaga will face a resurgent Bruins team in a rematch that UCLA hopes is a little closer this time. Seriously, otherwise they are out. The teams played each other back in December at UCLA, and Gonzaga coasted to victory.
The Bruins are fortunate to even have the opportunity for this rematch. After barely making the tournament, the Bruins eked out a 60-59 win over SMU on a 3-pointer called good thanks to a controversial goaltending violation.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs, led by an on-fire stretch forward in Kyle Wiltjer and their point guard Kevin Pangos, are arguably the best team of the Mark Few era as they look to earn the longtime coach his first Elite Eight appearance.
—Rushad Machhi
