Talking Sweet Sixteen: Thursday, Part II
In case you won’t be satisfied with two good games in the evening, there are two more to give you your fix at night. I really love both of these match-ups. While I could have never imagined being excited for Memphis and Missouri, the more I look at it, the better it looks. Then we have Duke and Villanova, who could score a million points. Let’s get to the previews and bad predictions.
(3) Missouri vs. (2) Memphis, 7:07 ET-
I really didn’t think Mizzou would make it here. I saw something last week that said you’re better off not watching any games a team plays than you are watching one or two, because you acquire opinions of those teams that are skewed by those couple of games. This is definitely the case with me and Missouri. I watched them play once and they lost to Illinois by double digits.
Memphis is also a team I wasn’t high on coming into the dance. I saw them play once and they looked pretty good against Gonzaga, but come on, Conference USA? But man, they bludgeoned Maryland in the second round.
Missouri’s pressure is going to cause problems for Memphis and their point guard, Tyreke Evans. Evans has a 1.1/1 assist to turnover ratio and Missouri forces as many turnovers as just about anyone in the country. Missouri also has the athleticism to keep up with Memphis and as we saw against Cal State Northridge, a flustered Memphis team is very vulnerable, especially if the threes aren’t falling. DeMarre Carroll will have to carry the load again for Mizzou to move on.
For Memphis, previously mentioned point guard Tyreke Evans will be oh-so important. The freshman will be pestered all game long and while he has improved, he hasn’t been steady this year. Senior Antonio Anderson will need to help out and alleviate some of the pressure on Evans. Plus, Evans needs be free to score, as he averages over 16 per game. Then again, you never know when a guy like Roburt Sallie is going to break out and score 30 more points than he averages. Memphis also has the advantage of great players in Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggert in the frontcourt.
Ultimately, I like Memphis in this game because Missouri lost to Illinois, remember? Seriously though, Memphis is too athletic to be bogged down by this pressure of Missouri. Therefore, Tigers…uhhh, the Memphis ones, 80-70.
(3) Villanova vs. (2) Duke, 9:57 ET-
Oh man, what a great game this looks like! Of course, that means it will likely be the most boring and disappointing of the entire slate, but I can’t help getting my hopes up for this one as the best game tonight. I feel like these two teams are so similar and am really hoping for a game right down to the wire with the most heartbreaking loss since Old Yeller for the Dukies.
The Blue Devils sport the fantastic trio of Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler. Scheyer has been great in the postseason and Henderson is the best player this team has in my opinion. The game could come down to Singler, who averages over 16 points per game, but literally disappears in some games. It doesn’t happen a ton, but if it happens tonight, Duke doesn’t have a chance. Conversely, if someone like Elliot Williams or Nolan Smith can step up and provide 15 points or so, I really like Duke’s chances. Duke is a different team since Williams replaced Paulus, but I don’t know if they’re better. Watch for more of those epic travels from Elliot on the wings too.
Villanova has its own weaponry to bring to the table. We’ll start with the trio of guards in Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, and Corey Stokes. These kids can fill it up, which makes it even more dangerous that each of them can get to the lane because once one of them penetrates, the others find ways to get open. With these three, the game is rarely out of reach when they’re down and always in danger of getting out of hand when they’re ahead. Much like Duke, Nova’s guards and shooters are paired with a great scorer/rebounder in Dante Cunningham. Duke throws a lot of mediocre centers out there and Cunningham could really take advantage on the inside and be the difference for the Wildcats.
What does it all mean? Who knows. My heart says Villanova and my brain says “hell yeah heart, screw Duke,” but I really don’t like them. Duke struggled with Texas, but Villanova struggled with American. They seem so equal on paper and I don’t know what separates them, except I think Duke has the best player on the floor and that’s Henderson. I’ll say Gerald makes the difference and Duke wins. Sorry to the family of the kitten that will die when it happens. 79-78.
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