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In this Piece we will take a look at the 8 matchups for Thursday and Friday in
the Sweet 16 Round of the NCAAB Tournament and Review and Preview the remaining
teams
Thursday: Florida takes on U.C.LA. Both teams come in off Impressive double
digit wins in their last game. The Gators are a 1 seeds and took down Pittsburgh
and Albany. Florida now has the longest win streak in the country since Wichita
St. lost on Sunday. They will take on Pac 12 Power house U.C.L.A. The Bruins are
on cruise Control having won and covered 5 straight including blowout wins over
Stephen Austin and Tulsa after stunning Arizona in the Pac 12 tournament. Both
teams play a similar style and like to run. This may be the best game overall
of all the sweet 16 matchups. Florida has won 11 of 13 vs TOP 50 RPI Teams while
U.C.L.A has won 8 of 13 against top 50. Look for an up tempo game between 2
solid teams.
Stanford and Dayton do battle in an unlikely meeting
between a pair of lower ranked teams seeded 10 and 11. Both teams are off back
to back dog wins and take on each other in a similar situation to last years
Lasalle and Wichita Sweet 16 encounter. Stanford is favored here in what should
be a tight low scoring grind it out type of game between two teams that play
good defense. Stanford upended #2 seed Kansas and New Mexico to get here. Dayton
held off a late rally from #3 seed Syracuse after taking down Ohio St by 1 point
courtesy of a last second 3 pointer. Dayton has a slightly better record vs TOP
RPI Teams. This one looks like another nail biter.
Wisconsin and
Baylor take the court in a battle of a 2 seeded Big 10 team vs the 6th Seeded
Big 12 team in Baylor. The Badgers came back from a big 12 point half time
deficit and rallied to beat Oregon in a game that was much closer than the final
85-77 score. Prior to that Wisconsin blasted American University. Baylor
destroyed Creighton by 30 points as an underdog in their last game . In round 1
they were an easy winner over Nebraska as they have rebounded nicely after
blowing the lead and losing the Big 12 Conference Championship. This game should
be very interesting with contrasting styles in play. The Badgers are 8-5 vs top
RPI Teams, while Baylor checks in at 10-9. Another entertaining game between two
solid teams.
Arizona and San Diego St. put an end to the first set of
sweet 16 games. The Wild Cats obliterated Gonzaga on Sunday by 20+ points after
going through the motions in round 1 vs Weber St. Arizona is the #1 seed and
they draw the 4 seeded San Diego St Aztecs. In their last game the Aztecs
coasted past an overmatched North Dakota St team after getting caught late and
blowing a lead before outlasting New Mexico St in overtime in round 1. This
could be a tough matchup for SD. St. However they are ranked in the top 15 RPI
Scale this year and are much better than previous years. Arizona has played a
tougher schedule winning 12 of 15 vs top 50 teams, San Diego St plays solid
defense and that could keep them in this game throughout.
Friday:
Iowa St and U.Conn kicks things off on day 2 of the Sweet 16 round. Both teams
won and covered both games in the first 2 rounds. Iowa St squeaked past North
Carolina by 2 last out and blasted NC. Central in round 1. U.Conn left out in
the cold when the Big East overhauled this year, slammed an old friend in
Villanova by 12 on Saturday, after a hard fought round 1 win over St. Joe's.
This appears to be a high scoring game between two teams that like to get out
and run. In the top 50 battle The Cyclones are 10-5 while U.Conn is 9-5. Its no
wonder this game is posted with a line so close to pickem. Iowa. St has won and
covered 6 straight and U.Conn is catching fire at the right time. Another
excellent matchup.
Michigan St takes on Virginia here tonight in a
rather odd game. The Spartans are the 4 seed and Virginia is the 1 seed yet the
lines makers have Michigan St favored. The Spartans blew the lead only to come
back late and take down a Game Harvard team in round 2 and were easy wire to
wire winners over Delaware in round 1. Before that they coasted though the BIG
10 Conference Tournament. Virginia is a top notch defensive team and gave
Memphis, a solid offensive squad fits in Round 2 holding them to 60 points in an
easy win. The Cavaliers won round 1 but did struggle a bit vs Coastal Carolina.
Both teams are 2 games over.500 this year vs TOP 50 RPI Scale teams, This should
be a tight grind it out type of game that will be won late by the teams that
displays more poise.
Michigan and Tennessee take the Court for this
electric Sweet 16 match between the BIG 10 and the SEC. Tennessee was
Mercer-less in their last game winning by 20 over a Mercer team that managed to
ruin a great Tennessee vs Duke matchup, But so goes the tournament and now the
Volunteers will get another Big 10 schools after playing their way in against
Iowa last week wining in overtime. Michigan is a 2 seed and has not skipped a
beat this year despite losing Tim Hardaway Jr and Trey Burke to the NBA. The
Wolverines were easy winners in each of the first 2 rounds winning by double
digits against Wofford and Texas. This game should be another high scoring
affair and is one that should not be missed.
Wrapping things up for
this years sweet 16 round is Defending National Champion Louisville as they take
on Kentucky, fresh off their win over 1 seeded and undefeated Wichita St. That
game could have went either way and that type of close game will only help The
Wildcats here against the Louisville Cardinals, who may the strongest 4 seed
ever seen. This one Pits Callipari and Pitino, what more could you ask for.
Kentucky nearly knocked off Florida in the SEC Championship game and are coming
together at the right time. This will be their toughest test yet. Ironically
both teams are 6-5 vs TOP 50 RPI Scale teams. This is a game you wont want to
miss.
In Closing we hope you enjoyed our Sweet 16 Review and
Preview Piece. College hoops has cashed big all season and has started out fast
in the first 2 rounds this year. Our NBA has been solid all year and Is Ranked
at or near the Top of Several Popular Leader boards. We are using cutting edge
systems, simulations and Industry leading data which cant be found any where
else. You can get more free selections from Robs page daily. Free selections and
previews that have been a long term success. GC
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