Hopefully, Tonight's Action Will be Better

So far, I must say that the games of the NCAA Tournament have not been stellar. Last night, was especially lackluster. In no games did we have both teams play well, therefore, we had 3 blowouts. The only game that was not a blowout was Pitt vs Xavier, because no team could score consistently enough to pull away. But at least that game had drama, Levance Fields hit a huge three with under a minute left to give Pitt the lead that they wouldn't relinquish.

The rest of the games were borderline awful. Memphis was down by as much as 24 against Missouri. Memphis could not take care of the ball well enough to counter the full court Missouri defense. Purdue was just completely rattled by Thabeet and UConn. Kramer could not find a way to score in the second half, and Purdue just missed a bunch of jump shots. UConn has looked like the strongest team in this year's tournament, despite the allegations made against them.

The embarrassing performance of the day came from Duke. That was probably the worst game I have ever seen a Duke team play. They were completely inept on offense, they had no rhythm or flow. Gerald Henderson was rendered useless, and no one besides Singler could pick up the slack. Villanova's defense designed by Jay Wright exposed Jon Scheyer as a point guard, took away any advantage Duke might have had, and 'Nova rolled to an easy victory. I am still convinced that VCU was 'Nova's biggest challenge before they got to the Elite 8, but Eric Maynor couldn't hit the shot to beat UCLA. Now, 'Nova seems to have a head of steam, and I think they can handle Pitt to reach the Final Four.

Moving towards today's games, you probably know what will have my undivided attention. Syracuse takes the court against Oklahoma in Memphis. That game should be close and competitive, but I thought the Villanova vs Duke game was going to be great. The key for Syracuse is for Arinze Onuaku to stay out of foul trouble, because if he does, he is one of the few players in the country that has the size and strength to contain Blake Griffin. If the 2-3 zone collapses into the middle, it's up to the Oklahoma guards, and their 4 players that shoot over 37% from behind the arc, to make their shots. If they do, Oklahoma will have the advantage. However, if they miss, it will lead to open court opportunities for the Syracuse guards to make plays.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I think Gonzaga has the personal to match up with North Carolina and make that a close game. Each team has an array of weapons that can score the ball, but who will make the key stops in stretch time? Louisville should be on upset alert tonight. Arizona has been playing their best basketball of the season in the tournament, despite many believing they were not tournament worthy. The big 3 of Budinger, Wise, and Hill are three potential pro prospects who can take over the game. Louisville has not played great in their 2 games in the tournament. If they don't pick up their play, Arizona will win this game.

If there is a game that is completely a toss-up, it is Michigan State vs Kansas. Tom Izzo's team can go 10 deep, and has four fully capable guards who can make big plays. Kansas will counter with Sherron Collins, one of the best scoring point guards in the nation. Cole Aldrich will attempt to protect the interior once again. This game is a toss-up.