This is the round we have been waiting for.
Everyone kept talking about how the first 4 days didn’t deliver.
The one good thing about not having Cinderella in this round is you get loaded matchups.
I say that by making sure there isn’t a soul who tries to call Arkansas a Cinderella.
But this is what the Sweet 16 should be.
Teams that everyone knows.
Teams that everyone has watched during the year.
Now we just need them to deliver.
I don’t even care about much except give us close games.
Schedule
Bracket
Can I be honest?
I actually liked when we had the 4 standalone games during the bubble Tournament.
I know people can’t keep taking days off work, but it’s much better that way.
Let my eyes focus on one game at a time after the chaos of last week.
Plus there’s more juice when you get to the Sweet 16.
Each possession somehow feels more important.
I don’t hate the idea of bringing that back.
4 Best (Only) Games Today
1.
BYU vs Alabama
2.
Duke vs Arizona
3.
Arkansas vs Texas Tech
4.
Florida vs Maryland
Five Most Electric Players
This isn’t about the best player out there.
We all know Cooper Flagg.
Every March there are guys who you just want to watch no matter what.
These are the guys you should enjoy watching play basketball today.
Maryland will defend its ass off, it’s one of the things its known for.
Richard is the bang out of guy who can change an entire game by hitting a couple shots early.
You make Maryland play from behind with a small bench and it can get ugly.
Again, Clayton/Martin can do that, but Richard has that sort of microwave scoring ability.
Egor Demin (BYU) -I debated putting Demin here because he’s going to be a lottery pick.
But he’s awesome and the head of the BYU snake.
Richie Saunders is the leading scorer.
Demin is the guy who has to control the tempo against Alabama.
He can get a little turnover happy and needs to take care of the ball.
Live ball turnovers against Alabama lead to three, that simple.
Christian Anderson (Texas Tech) -I love this Texas Tech team.
I don’t think JT Toppin gets enough love still to this day.
I also put him for the next guy to combine
4.
That’s the matchup for me.
Tyrese Proctor (Duke) -We know Tyrese Proctor, but the man is on fire right now.
He’s hit 13 threes in the first two NCAA Tournament games.
If he’s doing that, yeah, I’m not going to have a good March.
Four Storylines/Game Previews
1.
Willard is basically ready to jump to Nova but coaching a Sweet 16 game.
Maryland is trying to give Willard everything he wants but Nova is a much better job.
I don’t care what you think of the teams, this story is hanging over everyone.
People are being asked about it.
Caleb Love’s Revenge/History -Probably the most talked about storyline heading into these games.
Caleb Love vs Duke, again.
He ended Coach K’s career with a dagger three.
He was on Arizona when they won at Duke last year.
There’s history no matter what.
But it’s also a bit of revenge.
Caleb Love shot Arizona out of the Tournament last year in the Sweet 16.
He went 0-for-9 from three against Clemson.
This is where he needs his revenge more than just playing Duke again.
But you have BYU traveling from Denver to Newark and playing here.
I have no idea the impact of that, but it’s still nearly a cross-country flight.
It’s also the first game in Newark, early tip time and everything like that.
Now it’s just a matter if it can live up to the hype.
This is the game that can set the tone for an awesome Sweet 16.
John Calipari’s luck -I refuse to believe Arkansas is good.
I just can’t do it.
I also can’t do the John Calipari is a Cinderella.
They aren’t Cinderella.
Not when you have chicken money.
The real question is if Arkansas can score enough in this game.
Texas Tech can score with anyone, Arkansas mucks games up.
