Thursday's Games
West Region Game 1: #1 Gonzaga vs #4 Florida State 7:09pm ET
Last Game (Gonzaga): Gonzaga beat Baylor 83-71. Brandon Clarke had 36 points and 8 rebounds on the game as he absolutely shredded Baylor in the paint.
Last Game (Florida St): Florida State beat Murray State 90-62. Florida St completely dominated Murray State on the offensive and defensive side on the ball. But, they weren't able to contain Ja Morant at all.
Prediction: I think Florida States defense overwhelms Gonzaga's offense a little too much in this game. Final Score: Florida St 73, Gonzaga 66
South Region Game 1: #2 Tennessee vs #3 Purdue 7:29pm ET
Last Game (Tennessee): Tennessee beat 83-77 in OT. Tennessee had a 21 point lead going into halftime, but turned the ball over a ton and let Iowa slowly crawl back in the game to force OT.
Last Game (Purdue): Purdue beat Villanova 87-61 in an absolute blowout. At one point in the game, Purdue had a 32 point lead. Carsen Edwards went off for 42 points on the game.
Prediction: Purdue is extremely inconsistent if Edwards doesn't play well, but Tennessee can go on a dry spell of its own for awhile. This game will be very close in the end. Final Score: Purdue 80, Tennessee 78
West Region Game 2: #2 Michigan vs #3 Texas Tech 9:39pm ET
Last Game (Michigan): Michigan was easily able to handle a stingy Florida squad. They won by a score of 64-49. Poole lead all scorers with 19 points on the day.
Last Game (Texas Tech): Texas Tech surprisingly shut down Buffalo's offense completely in the game, especially in the second half. Previously, Buffalo had only 3 losses on the year with a record of 31-3. Texas Tech won convincingly, 78-58.
Prediction: Honestly, Michigan just looks like the more complete team here. With blowout wins over defending champs Villanova and UNC, Michigan is definitely ready for this game. But, Texas Tech was the regular season champions in their conference and denied Kansas of yet another title. I expect a low scoring game with Michigan pulling it out in the end. Final Score: Michigan66, Texas Tech 60
South Region Game 2: #1 Virginia vs #12 Oregon 9:57pm ET
Last Game (Oregon): Oregon let UC Irvine get back in the game for a while, but pulled away midway through the second half. Oregon ended up winning the game, 73-54.
Last Game (Virginia): Virginia had no problem dismantling Oklahoma throughout the game. They were held to only 51 points, well below their season average. 63-51 was the final score.
Prediction: If there is a blowout in the Sweet 16, this game would be it. Oregon has made a nice run in the tourney and is on a current 10 game winning streak, one of the longest in the nation. That said, Virginia is just more of a battle-tested team and has better-skilled players then Oregon has. The best way for Oregon to win this game is to get out to an early lead and maintain their lead throughout the whole game. Virginia should have no problem taking care of Oregon in this game. Final Score: Virginia 78, Oregon 65
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