There is some distractions of other sports that are involved on Thursday and Friday. Whether that be the beginning of Baseball Season in the MLB with Bryce Harper with the Phillies or Manny Machado with the San Diego Padres.
But March Madness is in full swing as the teams that hoped to be playing in April have a shot at doing exactly that with winning their games in the sweet sixteen.
Whether it be players with the names of Nassir, Cassius or Tremont, the goal is to be playing in their neutral site once again.
#2 Michigan State vs. #3 LSU 7:09 EST
LSU played a back and forth tight game against Maryland and ended up with a game winning layup from G Tremont Williams. Naz Reid should have a really big game in this contest as Michigan State isn’t a very tall team.
The guards should be able to run as they turned the ball over 20 times in their 2nd round game against Minnesota. The problem with LSU is that they have had to play 2 really close games against some solid teams, but none to the level of Michigan State.
Michigan State was able to handle Minnesota by 20 and have lost one game in the last near 2 months and that was a one point road game against Indiana. Cassius Winston will need to step up in a big way in this game and get some reliable bench points from guys like Nick Ward and Gabe Brown.
Both teams have their weaknesses, but Michigan State has been a better overall team throughout the year and are the better team right now. Michigan State 74, LSU 67.
#1 North Carolina vs. #5 Auburn 7:29 EST
UNC fans are having a lot of hope that they’ll be returning back to the Elite 8. But, Nassir Little is considered questionable for the contest, and although he is not the best player on the team, he brings energy to the team and is an important asset.
North Carolina was stout in the 2nd half as they outscored a solid Washington team 40-26 and Luke Maye led the way with a dominant 20 Points and 14 Rebounds.
A crazy stat to look into is that North Carolina has only lost 2 games over the past 2 months. Both were to Top 5 teams in Duke and Virginia. If Duke didn’t have a pair of transcendent talents, UNC could be the talk of the conference, but have been overlooked as the Top team.
Auburn doesn’t have quite the criteria over the past month, but still very impressive what they are doing. Since February 20th, Auburn only lost one game (on the road against Kentucky). They have beaten UT twice and been winners of 10 straight contest. Including a 14 point win over 4 seed Kansas.
Nassir Little being out brings up some questions and having an amazing 6th man out of the contest could be game changing. If UNC has Little, I think they win this game. North Carolina 82, Auburn 75.
#1 Duke vs. #4 Virginia Tech 9:39 EST
Some people consider Duke/UCF as an all time NCAA Classic. That is a fair assessment, but it could also be a sign that Duke struggles against a shot blocking force down low and extremely talented guard play.
UCF dared Duke to shoot 3’s and they didn’t do that well. That is something Virginia Tech could look into. Duke was okay from 3 against UCF (40%), but will have to shoot better against a better VT team and a more familiar foe.
The most recent matchup actually was a VT win in late February. Zion didn’t play in this contest, but VT got 23 from Kerry Blackshear Jr. and 13 Points and 6 Assists from Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
VT was poor from 3 in the first game, as they’ll need to switch that with Zion returning for this game. That is already a minimum 16-20 point difference in any game.
This is a game where Virginia Tech could be really competitive and wouldn’t be too surprised if this was a single digit game late. But Duke will pull away in the end and advance to the Elite 8. Duke 83, Virginia Tech 71.
#2 Kentucky vs. #3 Houston 9:59 EST
This is a game that Houston could steal. Kentucky was dominant in their first round game, but struggled to score against Wofford (shooting just 40% from the field).
But Kentucky’s defense stifled Wofford’s offense that was #1 in 3 Point %. Wofford was just 29% in the 2nd round and Terrier great Fletcher Magee had just 8 Points on 0-12 shooting from beyond the arc.
Houston isn’t a very tall team, but have guard play that is the same, if not better, then Kentucky’s. Corey Davis Jr. and Armoni Brooks should be a great challenge for Ashtan Hagans and Tyler Herro. Herro struggled in his last game against Wofford in which he only went 2-11 from the field.
F Reid Travis should play well with the lack of height down low and should create space to hit some mid-range jumpers as well. If Kentucky shoots like they did against Wofford (40% from the field), then Houston is beating the Wildcats.
I think the upset is pulled off as one of the more surprising results of the Sweet 16 happens as UH continues their magical season to the Regional Finals. Houston 75, North Carolina 73.
