| 26 March 2009
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(320,218,779150,"http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css")}catch(ex){}}()And we're baaaaaack!
March Madness resumes tonight with a lot of chalk on the board and some really good teams on the court. We've got two number ones and a couple of two versus three match-ups tonight that sport some really talented pro prospects that we could be talking about on this site for years to come. Here are the breakdowns in the order of the games tonight with their tournament story so far and where they could be headed.
Next stop, Elite Eight.
1. Connecticut vs. 5. Purdue -- West Region
How They Got Here
Connecticut - Even without their coach in the first game against Chattanooga and in their second round match-up against a pretty decent Texas A&M team, the Huskies have flexed their muscles and shown why they aren't just a bunch of guards playing around some overgrown giant. After Thabeet dominated in the first game against a 16-seed, he found himself in foul trouble and not much of a factor against the Aggies. But Jeff Adrien, A.J. Price, and Stanley Robinson have played superb basketball so far and carried this UConn team when their big man isn't in the game. In the past couple of days, they've had to deal with questions about possible recruitment violations with a guy that isn't even on the team so we'll see if that story is any sort of distraction to them in this game.
Purdue - The story of the tournament so far for the Boilermakers has been surviving and advancing thanks to good play and leadership from E'Twuan Moore and JaJuan Johnson. Moore sinking free throws and taking care of the ball helped Purdue avoid the expected 12 over 5 upset against Northern Iowa and JaJuan Johnson's scoring helped Purdue knock off a very talented Washington team. The Boilermakers big men had problems keeping Jon Brockman off the boards in the Washington game and will have their hands full with Hasheem Thabeet inside. Luckily for them, they can probably learn from what Texas A&M tried to do and get him into foul trouble so Johnson can work his magic inside.
Pro Prospects to Watch
Connecticut - Hasheem Thabeet, Kemba Walker, A.J. Price, Stanley Robinson, Jeff Adrien
Thabeet and Adrien are two bruisers inside who will try to control the paint, keep Purdue off the boards, and keep JaJuan Johnson from scoring inside. The combo of Price and Walker in the backcourt is an explosive, scoring duo who can disrupt the perimeter on defense and turn it into quick offense for the Huskies. If Purdue tries to key in on these four players, Stanley Robinson (who will probably declare for the 2010 draft) will be more than capable of taking on the scoring load.
Purdue - JaJuan Johnson
JaJuan reminds me a lot of a David West-type of prospect. He can score with his back to the basket but since he's added a face-up jumper, he's been a much bigger problem for defenders to guard. Johnson will need to heavily rely on E'Twuan Moore and Robbie Hummel taking some of the scoring load to free things up for him. But if he can get Thabeet and/or Adrien in foul trouble, Purdue will have a chance to win this game at the end.
Prediction - Connecticut should and will advance to the Elite Eight. They're simply too big and strong inside and too explosive on the perimeter.
1. Pittsburgh vs. 4. Xavier -- East Region
How They Got Here
Pittsburgh - Pretty sheepishly actually. Pittsburgh has looked nothing like the terror atop the Top 25 for most of the college regular season and struggled with two teams that they should have beat easily. Against East Tennessee State, they allowed far too many offensive rebounds and never seemed to take the 16th seed seriously. They just assumed that they would win out because they're supposed to. Luckily for them, they did enough in the final eight minutes of the game to prove that to be true. Against OK State, they dominated inside and received a huge scoring night from Sam Young to hold onto the win. The game was fast-paced in the first half and tied at halftime but Pitt slowed the game down in the second half and pulled through with good defense.
Xavier - If any fourth seed seemeed primed for an upset loss, it was Xavier. They really didn't go into this tournament with a very dangerous team. They've relied on a slow pace and a good defensive effort in their two games so far to get to this match-up against Pitt. They used their size and talent to bully Portland State around and a key run in the second half against Wisconsin to secure a double-digit win and move into the Sweet Sixteen. Derrick Brown and B.J. Raymond have been the two consistent scorers for this team and why they were able to move on with relative ease.
Pro Prospects to Watch
Pittsburgh - DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, LeVance Fields
DeJuan Blair is probably the biggest guy and name on this team with a Tractor Traylor build and a mean streak that screams of Anthony Mason with too many drinks in his system and not enough hookers to call. And LeVance Fields has been a steadying hand at the point guard position for this team, even when his jump shot isn't falling. But Sam Young could be the key to this team getting to the Final Four. He has one of the best mid-range, outside games left in the tournament and seems to be terrifying to try to defend. He should give Xavier fits if Pitt is smart enough to continue to run the offense through him.
Xavier - Derrick Brown
Derrick Brown is the closest thing this Xavier team has to a pro prospect and if he has a good senior year, he could find himself towards the top of the second round in next year's draft. He's a remarkable athlete in today's college basketball and uses his quickness and explosive leaping ability to out-quick power forwards. But he doesn't do a very good job of creating his own shot and needs to be set up quite a bit. He's improved in that part of his game but if he's going to be a factor for an Xavier win then he's going to have to hold his own inside against Young and Blair.
Prediction - This Pitt team isn't going to be outplayed by THIS Xavier team. Pittsburgh should show the fire that a Final Four team needs, even if it is two rounds later than it should have been.
2. Memphis vs. 3. Missouri -- West Region
How They Got Here
Memphis - Memphis was another one of these top-notched schools that had trouble with a low seed that had no business giving them a game in the first round. The Tigers couldn't really figure out Cal State Northridge early on and needed a good second half to get rid of them. In the second round, they were disparaged by Greivis Vasquez of Maryland, who said that they were more athletic than good and would have a much harder time in the ACC. They followed up those statements by blowing out Maryland and proving that this was a damn good basketball team. Star freshman Tyreke Evans had a big game to dominate Vasquez and has surely upped his draft status.
Missouri - The Missour Tigers (oh my god, it's Tigers versus Tigers) handled Cornell in the first round the way they were supposed to and received some help from the officials in their second round match-up against Marquette. Marquette's backcourt torched the Mizzou backcourt throughout the game but the forward combination of DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons eventually proved to be too much. Missouri has been atrocious from three-point range in the first two rounds but have made up for it with efficient scoring on two-pointers and taking care of the ball (just 11 turnovers total in the two games).
Pro Prospects to Watch
Memphis - Tyreke Evans, Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier
This Memphis point guard legacy is getting better and better. Years ago, it was Darius Washington missing clutch free throws that kept them out of the tournament. Last year, it was Derrick Rose missing free throws to keep them from winning the championship. And now, Tyreke Evans might have the tota
l package to help lead them to cutting down the nets. Anderson is the Chris Douglas-Roberts of this team and handles the scoring load. Dozier has been a consistent force on the boards all year and should give opposing team fits in winning the rebounding battle.
Missouri - Leo Lyons, DeMarre Carroll
Okay, neither of these players are probably getting drafted into the NBA as a top player to help fix a team. But these could definitely be D-League guys that work their ways into the league. This forward combo is the biggest weapon for the Missouri attack. They play really well off of each other and are very smart with how they play inside and out. They'll have to both have 20-point games and battle Dozier and Taggart on the boards to get their Tigers on to the Elite Eight.
Prediction - This will be a high-scoring game that Memphis should end up winning. They have the defensive ability to keep Missouri under 80 points and the backcourt advantage to control the game. Memphis will still be dancing.
2. Duke vs. 3. Villanova -- East Region
How They Got Here
Duke - This is quite possibly my favorite Duke team in terms of how they play since the Jay Williams days. They completely annihilated Binghamton in the first round and out-lasted a tough Texas team in round two. They've relied on scrappy defense, three-point shooting, and making their free throws in tough games all year long. Against Texas, they were simply better coached and smarter in making plays. Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson have dominated thus far and the helter skelter defense of the Blue Devils has forced 33 turnovers in the first two games. Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith have also been big play-makers for Coach K and are playing exactly the way they should want to be playing in this tournament.
Villanova - The Wildcats of Villanova struggled to put away American University throughout much of the first game. Against a much better UCLA team in the second round, they made sure to be disruptive, annoying, and deadly as they embarrassed one of the proudest basketball programs in the history of college basketball. Corey Fisher and Scottie Reynolds have been the best backcourt in the country for the past month. They forced the vaunted UCLA backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Darren Collison into nine turnovers in the second round blowout win and are feeding Dante Cunningham in perfect position for him to dominate.
Pro Prospects to Watch
Duke - Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, Gerald Henderson, Nolan Smith
This team lives and dies by two things: the three-point shot and Gerald Henderson. He is their catalyst and play-maker who sets the tone for the team's execution, defense, and toughness. He will probably match-up with Cunningham in key moments of the game and try to make him uncomfortable. Singler is a great player inside and outside and draws a lot of attention along with Nolan Smith in going to the basket to create an assassin role for Scheyer. This Duke team is active and relentless and it's because of these four.
Villanova - Dante Cunningham, Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher
They won't get the fanfair that the backcourt of Kyle Lowry and Randy Foye got at Villanova but this combo of Fisher and Reynolds is playing just as good as their predecessors. They create scoring opportunities for themselves at will and in turn create scoring opportunities for the rest of the team as well. The key to them being so deadly on the perimeter and going to the basket is the threat of Cunningham playing inside. He can score from anywhere inside the perimeter and seems to always be more athletic than the guy playing him.
Prediction - It's not the sexy pick but I think Duke will end up winning an epic battle between these two. It should be really close and I wouldn't be surprised if Nova won. But I think that this Duke team is better than people realize.
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