After two exciting first rounds last week, marked by the premature elimination of several tournament leaders such as Purdue (#1)the title holder Kansas (#1), Arizona (#2) or Marquette (#2)the “March Madness” starts its second week this evening, after a three-day break to allow the 16 teams still in the running to recharge their batteries before attacking the home stretch.
The eight meetings of the “Sweet Sixteen”, the third round of the NCAA, will take place over the next two nights. For the occasion, USA Basketball offers you a small summary of the (remaining) forces present, for each region.
South Region
A particularly interesting region since despite the eliminations during the first two rounds of seeds #2, #3 and #4, respectively Arizona, Baylor and Virginia, the third round remains extremely tough.
With first in the upper part of the painting a superb Alabama (#1) – San Diego State (#5) which promises sparks in attack. Quiet since the start of the tournament, the Crimson Tide is one of the favorites for the title and appears quite logically as the favorite on paper. But the Aztecs are experienced and offer a very serious game, particularly in half-court defense, and above all a much greater adversity compared to what Nate Oats and his men experienced during their first two games.
A real trap match profile for Alabama, therefore, who will have to be at the top of his game in attack to win. While San Diego State’s defense is certainly stifling, the offensive firepower of Brandon Miller and his gang indeed seems to be the area in which their adversaries cannot compete…
In the lower part of the table, Creighton (#6) will challenge Princeton (#15), the big surprise of the tournament. Quite unbalanced on paper, since the attack of the Bluejays, carried by a Ryan Nembhard in great shape, seems able to make only one mouth of the defense of the Tigers, this poster however calls for caution for Greg McDermott and his men. Because if they are certainly favorites and their recent dynamic is very good, Princeton was not expected at this stage of the tournament, therefore has nothing to lose and will play every minute with extra soul. Which can make them more dangerous than they really are…
Eastern Region
The region whose hierarchy was certainly shaken up the most last week since the seeds #1 (Purdue), #2 (Marquette), #5 (Duke) and #6 (Kentucky) are already eliminated!
Which then gives, in the upper part of the table, an atypical Tennessee (#4) – Florida Atlantic (#9) which should be a good match between two basketball factories. The ruthless defense of the Volunteers on one side, against the uninhibited attack of the Owls, like their leader Johnell Davis, author of 29 points and 5 assists in the previous round…
In the other part of the painting, an exquisite Kansas State (#3) – Michigan State (#7) awaits us. Two of the very best “momentums” of the tournament, a superb duel of leaders between Markquis Nowell on one side and the pair Tyson Walker – AJ Hoggard on the other, a confrontation between two gifted tacticians who are in total opposition, Jerome Tang in his first year against the mythical Tom Izzo the other…
An unmissable game.
Midwest Region
Certainly the most successful of all the regions at this stage of the tournament: the lowest ranked team still in contention is a #5 seed! In both cases, lovers of the attack will be thrilled.
First there will be Houston (#1) – Miami (#5)a superb poster between one of the big favorites for the title on one side and one of the underdogs the most dangerous on the other. Annoyed more than they would have liked to be in their first two rounds, the Cougars do not dominate as much as one might have imagined, and can therefore clearly fear a upset against the boosted attack of the Hurricanes, led by the pair of backs isaiah wong – Nijel Pack. Especially since the leader and leader of the attack Marcus Sasser is physically weak…
On paper, Houston is the favorite with the highest ceiling, but the alert upset is definitely activated.
Perhaps even more exciting and disputed: Xavier (#3) – Texas (#2) in the lower part of the table. A meeting which promises to be explosive on the offensive level, and which is particularly complex to predict as the level of play between the two formations is close…
West Region
After eliminating Kansas (#1) in the second round to obtain a third consecutive qualification for the “Sweet Sixteen”, Arkansas (#8) now tackles Connecticut (#4) to try to get a little closer to the final square.
It will be a real duel of styles since the Huskies build their success around their offense, when the Razorbacks often go through big slumps in this area, and then rely on their physical defense to stay the course. In this, the duel between the shooter Jordan Hawkins of Connecticut and the defensive ends davonte davis, Anthony Black And Jordan Walsh from Arkansas will be worth its weight in gold…
On paper, Dan Hurley’s squad is the best team, but Eric Musselman’s has the best dynamics, knowing that it was not really expected and has nothing to lose. An exciting game.
We end with the remake of the semi-final in 2021, the 100% Pacific duel between UCLA (#2) And Gonzaga (#3), two very experienced teams capable of joining the “Final Four”. The Bruins had a quiet first two rounds, when the Bulldogs needed a takeover from Drew Timme to avoid the TCU trap (#6) in the second round.
The best dynamic is therefore rather that of the Californians, but Mark Few’s troupe is certainly the most intrinsically talented. In short, it is particularly complex to define a favorite on paper. We know, however, that a great basketball match will be played to define the winner…
