2016 NCAA Tournament: Sweet Sixteen Preview

2016 NCAA Tournament: Sweet Sixteen Preview:

We went from 68 down to 16 last weekend. After this weekend we will have the Final Four. Are your brackets shot? Mine too! All the more reason to play the round by round games!

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I went 30-18 through the first 48 games. You don’t need me to tell you that that is not a good total. Then again, there are a lot of people that are worse off than I!

South Region:

(1)Kansas vs. (5)Maryland:

Kansas made pretty short work of UConn and withstood a run later in the game. Maryland had a fight with Hawaii early on, but was able to pull away.

This Kansas team could be the most complete team left in the tournament. They aren’t great at anything, but they are good at everything. They are balanced and well rounded. That said, Maryland is pretty close to a mirror of Kansas. They have star players which Kansas does not, but the tournament is different than it used to be. One player can’t take over a tournament anymore.

Kansas does have the players to guard Melo Trimble and Rasheed Sulaimon whereas South Dakota State and Hawaii did not. That will be the deciding factor.

Pick: Kansas

(2)Villanova vs. (3)Miami(FL):

Villanova dominated Iowa to get through to the Sweet Sixteen this year. Miami withstood a furious second half by Wichita State to hang on for a win.

Angel Rodgriguez’s dominant tournament continued against Wichita State. He dumped in another 28 points to bring his first weekend total to 52 points. Villanova will need to stop Rodriguez and make someone else beat them.

Miami’s defense will need to play tough, especially on the perimeter. The Wildcats are averaging 82 points per game over the last month. It will take a great defensive effort – much like they had against Wichita State – to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time ever. The odds are against them.

Pick: Villanova

Next: West Region

West Region:

(1)Oregon vs. (4)Duke:

Oregon had all they could handle from a tenacious St. Joseph’s team. Duke got the same kind of push from a feisty Yale team. Which team will it motivate, or will it motivate both?

Duke caught a break when they didn’t have to face a physical Baylor team, and honestly, they get a break with Oregon too. Oregon’s up-tempo style and lack of size fits the type of game that Duke needs to play. That said, here is where Duke’s lack of depth becomes an issue. Only going six teams against a team like Oregon that likes to get up and down the court could wear on them. If they call the game tight, it favors Duke. It might be the only chance they have.

Duke has more all-around talent, but Oregon is a more well-rounded team. I do expect a great game here, and it is really hard to pick a winner. By some miracle, I still have a shot in my pool, but only if Duke loses. It that a good enough reason to go against them? You will have to be the judge of that.

Pick: Oregon

(2)Oklahoma vs. (3)Texas A&M:

Oklahoma got off to a great start with little to no contribution from Buddy Hield, but the Rams weren’t going quietly. They stormed back and made Oklahoma work to put them away. Texas A&M made as many field goals in the last 35 seconds of regulation (6) as they made the entire first half against Northern Iowa. That was the single worst meltdown I have seen. The Aggies erased a 13 point lead with less than a minute to play. How does that happen?

I was really hoping Northern Iowa would hang on because Oklahoma matches up better with them. Texas A&M is a physical team, but I saw a different side of Oklahoma against VCU. They took control of the game when the Rams took Hield out of it. Hield still dominated the second half, but the Sooners proved that they could stay afloat without him. They hadn’t shown that at any time this year.

Oklahoma’s defense is good enough to make Texas A&M cold from the field like Northern Iowa did. They also have a penchant for letting teams come back. There are plenty of warning signs here, and if I weren’t an Oklahoma fan, A&M is probably the safer bet.

Pick: Oklahoma

Next: East Region

East Region:

(1)North Carolina vs. (5)Indiana:

For all of the upsets, this was the first bracket where chalk didn’t hold!

The Tarheels sleepwalked through most of the first 30 minutes against Providence like they did against Florida Gulf Coast. Then they showed why a lot of people picked them to win the whole thing. They put on a show in the last ten minutes that would blow anyone out of the building. Indiana played a really good game against Kentucky and was able to control them for the most part. They will have to hope they can do the same to North Carolina.

If the Tarheels start slow against Indiana, they may have problems. Indiana will need another big game from Thomas Bryant to stick with North Carolina. Yogi Ferrell can play with anyone, but it was really Bryant that changed the game against Kentucky.

North Carolina is such a balanced team that they great problems for anyone. Indiana will be no exception. the only way the Tarheels lose this is if they are lethargic again for much of the game, and even then, it isn’t a given.

Pick: North Carolina

(6)Notre Dame vs. (7)Wisconsin:

Notre Dame was practically given the game by Stephen F. Austin, but what a game it was! I felt sorry for the Lumberjacks. They really did play well enough to win. Wisconsin used their physical nature to control much of this game, but Xavier was the team that looked to be in control going down the stretch. Then Bronson Koenig beat the buzzer to send the Musketeers home.

Zach Auguste will need to have another big game for the Irish because of Wisconsin’s size and their ability. The Badgers will slow you down. It’s going to happen. You just have to try to confident enough in your game that you can play within their parameters.

The Badgers are playing about as well as anyone right now. It’s really hard to pick against them, especially against a team I’m not sold on. I expect a great game, but I don’t know if the Irish can pull it off again.

Pick: Wisconsin

Next: Midwest Region

Midwest Region:

(1)Virginia vs. (4)Iowa State:

All four number one seeds survived the first weekend, but Butler did put a little scare into Virginia. The Cavaliers did show the main difference between last year’s squad and this year’s though. They can score when the need to. Iowa State wasn’t pestered a whole lot against Little Rock. They have a fight in store against Virginia though.

Malcolm Brogdon’s ability to shut down Georges Niang will decide this game. He locked down Butler’s Andrew Chrabascz after he scorched Virginia in the first half. London Perrantes should be able to handle Monte Morris. If he can, Iowa State will have to find some other way to win the game. Do they have it in them?

Pick: Virginia

(10)Syracuse vs. (11)Gonzaga:

Neither team was challenged in the second round. Syracuse dominated Middle Tennessee State, and Gonzaga did much of the same to Utah.

I said at the beginning of the tournament that Gonzaga was the most dangerous double digit seed in recent memory. They also got a break with Michigan State losing. That said, Syracuse is playing their best basketball of the year right now. They have allowed just 101 points in two games.

Gonzaga is going to have problems with Michael Gbinije. Syracuse is going to have a problem with the outside shooting of Gonzaga. The Orange really haven’t had to deal with a good shooting team yet. They will have to here.

Pick: Gonzaga

Next: 2016 Colorado Rockies Fantasy Outlook

Stay tuned for more round by round picks, NBA FanDuel picks, and baseball previews!