Men's NCAA Tournament West Region Sweet Sixteen Breakdown
#4 Louisville versus #1 Michigan State
Three out of the four top seeds held in competing for a Sweet 16 bid in the West Region. #1 Michigan State and #4 Louisville are two NCAA Tournament mainstays. They are led by Hall of Fame coaches. Both have been to Final Fours. There will be a lot of experience on the floor on Thursday when they face each other.
Louisville squeaked one out against a good New Mexico team on Saturday night, 59-56. New Mexico, the winner of the Mountain West conference, is a strong offensive team, but unfortunately Louisville was more efficient in the game. The Cardinals shot nearly 46% from the field and nearly 47% from three-point range. The Cardinals held the Lobos 5-23 from beyond the arc. In the end, the Cardinals got a lift from Russ Smith off the bench with 17 points. Pitino had four players log over 30 minutes. Louisville’s athleticism and depth were just a little too much for New Mexico.
Michigan State ran into a pesky St. Louis team on Sunday afternoon. After a while, it was easy to see why Michigan State earned a #1 seed. Though they never put the Billikens away, the second half of the game saw the Spartans executing solid team basketball. Three Spartans were in double figures, led by point guard Keith Appling (19 points). Team leader Draymond Green had another double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds). He also hit some key three-pointers whenever St. Louis would try to cut into the lead. Michigan State had too many strong performances from their best players for Rick Majerus’ Billikens to come out with a victory.
Thursday should be a scrappy battle. Both teams reflect their coaches, and both coaches are big on effort. In a game featuring two conference champions, there will be no lack of talent. Both teams have size and long-range shooters. The game will most likely come down to who is more effective shooting the ball. Both are good defensive squads, but they are also good at finding ways to manufacture offense. The team that goes cold from the field will find themselves in a difficult hole. Draymond Green versus Peyton Siva. Rick Pitino versus Tom Izzo. Michigan State versus Louisville. It oughta be good.
#7 Florida versus #3 Marquette
Two Final Four teams from the mid-2000s face off in the other half of the West Region Sweet 16 bracket. Marquette defeated previously 30-1 Murray State in a great game on Saturday. It was a game of runs for most of the 40 minutes. Marquette had the final decisive run to pull away late in the second half. Key rebounds and key buckets by their star, Jae Crowder, iced it for the Golden Eagles. Both Crowder and Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan played as advertised. Canaan had 16 for the Racers and Crowder had a double-double for Marquette (17 points, 13 rebounds). Marquette was just too strong defensively for the Racers. They were an abysmal 19% from long-range and only 31.3% shooting overall. Against a team as talented as Marquette, that’s not going to cut it.
Kyle O’Quinn and the Norfolk State Spartans were the West Region darlings after defeating Missouri in a strong performance on Friday. There must have been a hangover from that game because Norfolk State got run out of the building by the Florida Gators. The Gators were up 20 about half way through the first half. Florida had five players in double figures and shot over 52% from the field. Defensively, they had to stop O’Quinn, the man who unraveled Missouri. They held him to 1-9 shooting and only four points. Florida looked like a machine against the starry-eyed Spartans.
These are teams with winning pedigrees who will not be intimidated by their opponent. Florida is an athletic, fast team that has a killer instinct from behind the arc. Marquette is a big, strong team that can spread the ball around and snag rebounds when they need them. Marquette’s task is step out on strong shooters like Brad Beal and Kenny Boynton to try and force them inside. Conversely, Florida will try and shoot Marquette out of the building and try and force the Golden Eagles into taking shots they aren’t comfortable with. Marquette is a bit deeper than Florida, but not by much. Points in the paint will become a factor late in the game. Marquette is stronger in that area. Florida will need to find a way to match them inside.
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