Storyline: Four teams will punch their tickets to the Final Four. Which teams have what it takes to make it to Phoenix? Let’s go region-by-region and look at the regional semifinal match-ups.
A week ago Sunday 68 teams were selected for this year’s NCAA Tournament. Anticipation and excitement were felt from Los Angeles to Boston and places in-between.
Fast forward one week later…. It’s Bing! Bang! Boom! Brackets have been busted with pity parties held for distraught fans. The number of teams has been whittled down from 68 to 16.
As the Regional Finals are set to get underway this week, four teams are looking to punch their ticket to the Final Four. Who has what it takes to make it to Phoenix? Let’s go region-by-region at look at the semifinal match-ups.
East Region
#4 Florida vs. #8 Wisconsin
Courtesy: Madison.com
Florida: The Gators absolutely stomped Virginia in the Second Round. This is a very dangerous team when three-pointers are falling. But the real advantage for the Gators is physicality. Mike White and company are more physical than Wisconsin. Florida needs to use that to its advantage.
Wisconsin: The Badgers’ path to the Sweet 16 wasn’t easy. After a tooth-and-pull fight with Virginia Tech (First Round), Wisconsin knocked off defending national champ, Villanova, 65-62, in Round Two. In the first two games, the Badgers have traded two points for three’s, and that trade-off has worked out just fine (19-of-49, 39% from behind the arc). Will it continue?
#3 Baylor vs. #7 South Carolina
Baylor: After being shown the door in the First Round the last two years, Scott Drew’s club returns to the Sweet 16. Behind the play of big man Johnathan Motley (17.3 points, 9.9 rebounds per game) and sharpshooter Manu Lecomte (12.3 points per game), the Bears are a team that could very well make it to Phoenix. Unfortunately, Baylor is also turnover prone (13.3 per game) and that doesn’t bode well for the Bears against defensive-minded South Carolina.
South Carolina: HOW ABOUT THEM GAMECOCKS?! Coach Frank Martin led USC to its first Sweet 16 in school history by beating Duke, 88-81. What do the Gamecocks need to do to advance to the Elite Eight? PRESSURE! The Gamecocks force an average of 17.3 turnovers a game (5th nationally) and they’re going up against a Baylor team that turns the ball over frequently. If you’re Frank Martin, then the game plan should be easy: Unleash every press and trap in your repertoire!
West Region
#1 Gonzaga vs. #4 West Virginia
WVU’s Javon Carter (photo, 247Sports)
Gonzaga: After a shaky start against in the First Round against 16-seed South Dakota State, the top-seeded Bulldogs took care of Northwestern after that. Now the Zags are looking to make it to the Final Four for the first time in school history. For that to happen Gonzaga will need a big-time game from junior Nigel Williams-Goss (16.7 points per game) and the Bulldogs can’t allow West Virginia to force an up-tempo style of play.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers’ game plan is straightforward. Defend, Pressure. Force Turnovers. Run. If “Huggy Bear” and West Virginia force the tempo to sway in their favor, then Gonzaga’s remarkable season will come to an end.
#2 Arizona vs. #11 Xavier
Arizona: The PAC-12 champs had to shake off feisty North Dakota and scrappy Saint Mary’s to reach the Sweet 16. Next up on the docket? It’s a Xavier team that just whipped 3-seed Florida State by a surprising 25 points.
Xavier: WOW! That’s all there is to say about the Musketeers’ performance so far! After upsetting a very good Maryland team Round One, Xavier absolutely demolished Florida State. The Musketeers have shot the ball remarkably well (55-of-104, 53% in two games), including 11-of-17 from downtown against the Seminoles. There’s simply no hotter team in America than the Musketeers.
Midwest Region
#1 Kansas vs. #4 Purdue
Caleb Swanigan and his Boilers are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010 (photo, Sporting News)
Kansas: This is nothing new for head coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks. And with Louisville out of the picture, KU’s path to Phoenix got a whole lot easier. This is the time for senior guard and leading scorer, Frank Mason III, to take control and lead the Jayhawks to the Promised Land.
Purdue: Expect the Boilermakers to ring up a high phone bill. They will be dialing long distance a lot … and connecting. Purdue is one of the most efficient three-point shooting teams in the nation at 40.4 percent. The key for PU? Wooden Award finalist, Caleb Swanigan, is liable to go off for 25 or 30 on any given night … and he’ll need to do that if the Boilers hope to beat KU
#3 Oregon vs. #7 Michigan
Oregon: The Ducks have had a remarkable season without the help of senior big man, Chris Boucher. So far Oregon has been able to make due without Boucher’s presence inside. But, let’s face reality: it will be very difficult to sustain that outcome.
Michigan: The Wolverines upset 2-seed Louisville, 73-69, in a rematch of the 2013 national championship game. With the win UM is riding an unexpected seven-game winning streak. The Wolverines have a balanced scoring attack and they’re peaking at the right time.
South Region
#1 North Carolina vs. #4 Butler
Courtesy: FanSided)
North Carolina: The Tar Heels are the best rebounding team in the nation (43.8 per game). They also have shooters, like Justin Jackson and Joel Berry II, to free-up space inside for their big men, Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks. If the ‘Heels continue to show balance–and don’t get turnover happy–they’re nearly impossible to stop.
Butler: Villanova beat Carolina in the national championship game last year. You know that. But did you know that Butler beat essentially the same Villanova team … TWICE … this year? It’s time to stop underestimating the scrappy Bulldogs. They won’t go down without a fight. At issue is whether they’ll have enough to beat the Heels.
#2 Kentucky vs. #3 UCLA
Kentucky: The Wildcats had to stave off little brother, Northern Kentucky, and a very underrated Wichita State to reach the Sweet 16. UK has survived in the face of Malik Monk’s poor shooting (6/21 FG, 2-of-11 3PT). But watch out for the ‘Cats if Monk’s shooting heats up. That will compliment Bam Adebayo, who’s grabbing tons of rebounds, and seniors Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins, who are making valuable contributions off the bench.
UCLA: The Bruins and Wildcats met on December 3 at Rupp Arena and UCLA walked away with a 97-92 win. Lonzo Ball and UCLA can score. At issue in this game is which team will step up on defense.
