South Region Sweet Sixteen Game Breakdowns
Despite all of the thrilling finishes in the Round of 32, Kansas and Maryland both were able to win by double-digits. The Jayhawks beat ninth seeded Connecticut 73 to 61 thanks to 22 points from Wayne Selden and 21 from Perry Ellis. Hawaii stuck around with Maryland for most of the game, but Melo Trimble and company pulled away in the end to win 73-60. Trimble still struggled from long range and went just 1-for-10 from beyond the arc in Spokane. Maybe a change of scenery and the trip to Louisville will help Trimble and the Terps get going from beyond the arc. The team as a whole was just 1-of-18 from three-point territory in the win over Hawaii.
And Maryland will need to make shots if they want to advance past Kansas and reach the Elite Eight. The Terrapins will not be able to attack the basket effectively with Ellis and Landen Lucas manning the paint for KU. They must loosen up the stingy Jayhawk defense by hitting those outside shots. Just like during the regular season, the Jayhawks have been very efficient shooting the ball during the NCAA Tournament. However, Robert Carter, Jr. and Diamond Stone can block some shots and those two will have to contain Ellis and stop the Kansas slashers from getting easy buckets by attacking the basket. This is Kansas’ game to lose, but if Maryland can hit their outside shots and take care of the basketball, which they have done pretty well so far during the NCAA Tournament, the Terrapins will make things very interesting.
#2 Villanova vs. #3 Miami (FL)
Of all the teams in the Sweet Sixteen, none have been as dominate from beginning to end as Villanova. The Wildcats crushed UNC-Asheville 86-56 in the Round of 64 and dismantled an Iowa team riding high by a score of 87-68. And that score line against the Hawkeyes was not even as close as it sounds. The Wildcats were up 25 at the half and just cruised from there. Miami also got out to a big lead in their Round of 32 contest against Wichita State. The Hurricanes were up 32-19 at the break and held on to win 65-57. Angel Rodriguez scored a game high 28 points and Sheldon McClellan added 18.
Rodriguez and McClellan are having great NCAA Tournaments so far and those two will be key for Miami if they are going to beat a very confident Villanova squad. Both Rodriguez and McClellan are hitting their shots right now, but the Wildcats have a strong defense. Villanova is a much more balanced team offensively and they can play their tough defense and ride the hot hand. Against Iowa, it was Josh Hart who led the way with 19 points. However, Ryan Arcidiacono, Jalen Brunson and forward Kris Jenkins have been the bigger outside shooting threats for Villanova recently. Miami does have a shot blocker in the paint in Tonye Jekiri, so it will be important for Villanova to continue to hit three-pointers. Somebody will be hitting shots for Villanova though and having all those scoring threats will continue to pay off for the Wildcats. Miami must rely on Rodriguez and McClellan and if either is having an off night, Villanova could pull away quickly.
Midwest Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
East Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
West Region Sweet 16 Game Breakdowns
