Then There Were Eight

This NCAA Tournament has had some great games and some major Cinderellas, but now it is down to the top eight teams. There will be two games today and two tomorrow. The game that I am most looking forward to seeing is the Florida/Michigan game on Sunday. Michigan had a historic comeback last night when Trey Burke went off in the 2nd half against Kansas. The clock struck midnight for FGCU when they faced the Gators. Florida Gulf Coast came out hot and went up double digits early, but Florida fought its way back. Here are my predictions and thoughts on the Saturday games. I will be back tomorrow to give the whole breakdown of the Sunday games. 

#4 Syracuse vs #3 Marquette 

Saturday 4:30 pm 

These two Big East teams have had different roads to get to where they are now. Marquette barely survived in the first two rounds of the tourney, where as Syracuse had a 47-point win in the first round and escaped California with a 6-point win. Cuse had a tougher test next, when they faced Indiana. The Orange came on strong and won by 12. Marquette had to face Miami in the Sweet 16. That was no problem as Marquette dominated the whole game. This game guarantees that a Big East team will be in the Final Four for the 5th straight year. Vander Blue and Junior Cadougan lead the Golden Eagles offense. Syracuse is killer from deep once they get going. The key to the game will be James Southerland and Brandon Triche. If they can hit some deep shots early, Cuse will feed off the momentum. This will be a good game, but I think Marquette will take it.

#9 Wichita State vs #2 Ohio State

Saturday 7:05 pm

Both of these two teams have been on fire as of lately. Ohio State has won their last eleven games and has had a balanced scoring attack. Wichita State has been connecting as of late from 3-point range. These two teams have had some scares in this NCAA Tourney. Ohio State handled Iona, but then they had a scare against Iowa State where Aaron Craft hit a three with basically no time on the clock. History almost repeated itself in the next round except there was a new killer and a new victim. LaQuinton Ross hit a deep three to beat Arizona 73-70. Wichita State beat Pittsburgh and then upset Gonzaga in the next round. Then on Thursday night the Shockers disposed of #13 seed La Salle. This game will be close throughout because of the Shockers ability to shoot from deep. However, I do think that Ohio State will come out on top. 

How Sweet it is!

After a long hiatus, I am back and ready to blog. We are currently in the middle of the NCAA Tournament. Four teams have already clinched a berth in the Elite Eight. Four more berths will be on the line tonight. Marquette manhandled Miami last night to seal their spot in the Elite Eight. Ohio State rallied back from an early deficit to beat Arizona 73-70 in thrilling fashion. Syracuse then shocked Indiana beating them by 11 in DC. Marquette and Syracuse will go at it in DC for a Final Four berth on the line. This will be the last time these two teams play against each other as Big East foes. It has the makings to be a great game. I will be going with Syracuse to win that game, though. The #9 seed Wichita State got up on #13 seed La Salle and stayed on them the whole game to cap off the night. They will face off against Ohio State at the Staples Center. I think Ohio state will beat the Shockers in an exciting game.

#1 Louisville vs #12 Oregon

Both teams like to run up and down the floor. It will be interesting to see how the Oregon guards handle the pressure from Russ Smith and Peyton Siva. I think Oregon will have a tough time inside trying to cover Gorgui Dieng. This game will be close, but I think Louisville will get by in the end.

#1 Kansas vs #4 Michigan

After a sensational performance from both teams in the Round of 32, this should be a great game. both teams came into the season with high expectations. It has been an up-and-down season for both, but right now they're both up. Trey Burke has been sensational in the Tournament. Kansas has been playing great, but they've been lacking in scoring from their Freshman star Ben McLemore. I think he will really step up tonight and that Kansas will survive.

#2 Duke vs #3 Michigan State

This game really seems like it will come down to the wire. These two teams are evenly matched and are   both well-rounded. I think that Keith Appling will play very well and put up big time numbers. This game will come down to the wire, but I have Michigan State moving on.

#3 Florida vs #15 Florida Gulf Coast

This game is officially the Battle for Florida. FGCU has been the talk of the tourney and has been playing great basketball lately. I think that everyone is forgetting about Florida and what they've done. They beat a very good Minnesota team pretty handily last round. The game will be close, but i think the difference is the Florida sharpshooters. Eric Murphy and Mike Rosario have been lighting it up from 3-point range this season. Expect them to hit some threes to help Florida move on to the Elite Eight.

One for the Ages

On Saturday, Georgetown will be playing their biggest home game ever against Syracuse. This is the last time these two teams will play each other as Big East rivals. Syracuse is moving to the ACC starting next year. Georgetown is sitting atop the Big East with Marquette and Louisville. A win would get the Hoyas at least a share of the Big East regular Season Championship. I will be live at the game in DC. Georgetown is coming off a tough loss against Villanova. The Orange got back on track with a win over DePaul. Otto Porter has been the go-to-guy for the Hoyas. He is in contention for POY. Syracuse doesn't have a real post presence. That has hurt them this year. Speaking of post presences, Greg Whittington will miss this game due to a suspension. This will definitely come down to the wire, but it is tough to pick against Georgetown at home with College Gameday being there. I will be tweeting and taking pictures of the whole event, so make sure you follow me @MM8sports. 

College Basketball Update

Bracketology

        Last Four IN                                  First Four OUT                           Next Four OUT

               Kentucky                                       Baylor                                            Maryland

                Temple                                       Ole Miss                                         Southern Miss

             Indiana State                                 St. John’s                                          Alabama

               Villanova                                   Arizona State                                   Boise State

#1 Seeds

Midwest: Indiana

West: Gonzaga

East: Duke

South: Kansas

#2 Seeds

Midwest: Louisville

West: Miami

East: Georgetown

South: Michigan State

Wooden Award Candidates

Top 5

1  Victor Oladipo, Indiana- Oladipo is arguably the best defensive player in the country. His athleticism makes him absolutely lethal.

2  Otto Porter, Georgetown- Porter has the ability to score from any place on the court. His 6'8" build makes him so versatile.

3  Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga- Olynyk is an absolute beast. He has been averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds a game. He also has the ability to hit an outside shot. 

4  Trey Burke, Michigan- Burke has had an up-and-down season. As a PG, it does not help that his team has been struggling as of late. Burke's explosiveness is killer. He has been averaging 18 points and about 7 assists per game.

5  Ben McLemore, Kansas- McLemore is the best Freshman in the country. He has been putting up 16 points per game and has a knack for exciting plays.

 Top 3 Coaches of the Year

1  Jim Larranaga, Miami- Larranaga has done an absolutely great job for Miami. The Canes are holding onto a two-game lead in the ACC.

2  Mark Few, Gonzaga- Few has one of his best teams ever this year. They have done a great job scheduling out-of-conference opponents.

3   John Thompson, Georgetown- The Hoyas were unranked to start the year. After a few tough losses to Big East opponents earlier this season, Georgetown is back on track and the hottest team in the country.