As March Madness kicks with the Elite Eight on Monday, March 29, teams look to make their forward push for the Final Four.
West Division:
1 Gonzaga vs. 6 USC
Don’t let this 82-68 blowout over Oregon fool you, this USC team is still a defensive-minded team who likes to control the tempo and play defensive in the paint. Being one of the tallest and best teams on the boards in the country, it will look to try and control the Gonzaga offensive. Gonzaga being the one of the most balanced teams, any player can step up to lead the team and defensively they make huge stops in clutch situations. The Trojans turned the ball over 14 times against Oregon and 13 against Kansas, so look for Gonzaga to push their transition offensive into play. The key matchup of the game will be USC, Evan Mobley versus Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert. If Gonzaga creates turnovers, moves the ball around their spread offensive, and finds how to be an efficient shooting team, they are going to be tough to stop.
Prediction:
Gonzaga 78, USC 66
East Division:
1 Michigan vs.11 UCLA
UCLA is debatably the team playing with the most confidence. Even though the only reason they beat Alabama was shooting 44% (11-of-25) from the free throw line. The whole key of a possible UCLA victory is going to have to come from the three point line. The question lies, can UCLA catch fire from deep? UCLA has played teams who shot 46% (Abilene Christian), 56% (BYU), 44% (Alabama) from the line. Missing free throws is not on the agenda for Michigan and has shot 78% for free throws this season as that is the emphasis of new Michigan coach, Juwan Howard. If Michigan can play good defense inside and out, play efficient basketball, and rebound the basketball, I find it hard for UCLA to come out with the win in this matchup, but not impossible.
Prediction:
Michigan 62, UCLA 57
South Division:
1 Baylor vs. 3 Arkansas
It took a lot of guts for Arkansas to pull off the win versus Oral Roberts, only a missed shot at the buzzer allowed them to survive another round. This round, they are challenged against a much better and mature team of Baylor. Defensively, Arkansas struggled last round but offensively they kept going and showed why they are one of the highest in the nation in scoring. They are very inconsistent on three point shooting as they shoot in bunches, they will need to crash the boards and shoot well from the line to have a chance against Baylor. Baylor didn’t play well against the Villanova Wildcats, hitting 3-of-19 from deep. Baylor’s defensive played unbelievable, holding the Wildcats to 51 points and only 21 second half points. They took the ball away 16 and was +10 on the turnover margin. Taking away their three point shooting and moving the ball in the transition will be the key for the Baylor Bears to move onto the Final Four.
Prediction:
Baylor 74, Arkansas 56
Midwest Division:
12 Oregon State vs. 2 Houston
Houston leads the nation in field goal defensive percentage, holding teams under 60 points per game. They held Syracuse for 5-of-23 from three and just five assists, scoring 46 points in total. With a suffocating defensive team that can also spread the floor on offense, scoring in bunches, will be hard to stop for the Oregon State team. The Oregon State team has been shooting well from the line all tournament, shooting 18-of-20 versus Loyola Chicago. Even though it was a pretty ugly game shooting, the Beaves lead the Pac-12 in three point defense and rely on offense to move the ball and penetrate the basket through their big men. If Houston can be an efficient team on the glass, making 11 of their 40 on the offensive glass against the Orange, is going to make up for some of their potential mistakes on offense.
Prediction:
Houston 67, Oregon State 59
