After an otherwise boring Round of 32, only one team not seeded in the top five made it to the sweet 16. One perfect bracket remains 48 games in, crushing the previous record of 39 games. The most exciting game of the Round of 32 was definitely UCF vs Duke, with Duke prevailing by a point in the end. The breakdown of the conferences in the Sweet 16 goes as follows: AAC: 1, ACC: 4, Big 10: 3 Big 12: 1 SEC: 5 PAC-12: 1 WCC: 1 Here are the matchups and my prediction to win.
Friday's Games
East Region Game 1: #2 Michigan St vs #3 LSU 7:09pm ET
Last Game (Michigan St): After struggling in the opening round vs Bradley, Michigan State came out dominant against Minnesota, winning the game 70-50. Tillman and Winston lead the team with 14 and 13 points apiece, while Henry picked up 9 boards.
Last Game (LSU): In a last second buzzer beater, LSU won a thriller vs Maryland, 69-67. Tremont Waters made the winning layup off of the backboard as he blowed by Maryland defenders.
Prediction: Even without their head coach, LSU has made a solid run in the tourney thus far. That said, Michigan State just looks like the athletically better team. Even through all the injuries they have gone through, Michigan State still won the Big Ten Tournament. LSU will struggle to defend versatile guard Cassius Winston, who is always a threat. Final Score: Michigan St 82, LSU 74
South Region Game 1: #1 North Carolina vs #5 Auburn 7:29pm ET
Last Game (North Carolina): North Carolina absolutely dominated the Washington Huskies in the second round of the NCAA tournament. North Carolina won, 81-59. Luke Maye had yet another double double for the team.
Last Game (Auburn): Auburn put on a show against Kansas for their fans (and Charles Barkley). Kansas was down double digits for pretty much the whole game, losing at halftime by 25. Kansas was never able to recover from this deficit as Auburn won the game, 89-75. Bryce Brown went 7-11 from the 3 point line.
Prediction: North Carolina continues to look like one of the best teams in the nation. After Oklahoma put up 95 points vs Ole Miss, they were held to only 59 points in round 2, truly an impressive defensive showing from North Carolina. Auburn is going to struggle against the tandem of Luke Maye and Coby White, but the 3s will still go down. Final Score: 84-76
East Region Game 2: #1 Duke vs #4 Virginia Tech 9:39pm ET
Last Game (Duke): Duke won a very tightly contested game against UCF. After a missed free throw, Duke grabbed the ball and layed it in to take the lead. Duke ended up winning the game 77-76 off of 32 points from Zion Williamson.
Last Game (Virginia Tech): Virginia Tech let Liberty hang for most of the first half and some of the second, but pulled away during the rest of the second half. Virginia Tech won 67-58 with 4 players in double figures in the game.
Prediction: These 2 teams met earlier in the season in Blacksburg, and Virginia Tech prevailed off of Zion's absence. This matchup should be different because Zion is back better then ever and this game is being played on a neutral court. Virginia Tech will need a big game from its key players to pull of the upset. Final Score: Duke 73, Virginia Tech 66
South Region Game 2: #2 Kentucky vs #3 Houston 9:59pm ET
Last Game (Kentucky): Kentucky struggled to get much offense going without their star PJ Washington. Wofford was only a couple of made 3s from Fletcher Magee away from winning the game. Kentucky hopes that Wahsington will be back for this game vs Houston, but things are not looking rosy for him. Kentucky won the game over Wofford 62-56.
Last Game (Houston): Houston completely dominated an Ohio State team who couldn't get Kaleb Wesson going down in the paint. The 3s did drop for Ohio State though, something that Houston needs to work on before its matchup vs Kentucky. Also, Houston was in foul trouble for most of the game. Houston ended up winning the game, 74-59.
Prediction: Houston is a very physical team that likes to make teams uncomfortable in the paint. Kentucky relies on its shooters to make plays and pull out the W. This game features 2 completely opposite teams, but should provide a very close end result. Final Score: Houston 69, Kentucky 65
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