Sunday lookahead: In-state showdown highlights loaded slate
The only silver lining to Friday’s chalk-filled, drama-free slate was that it set up a pretty incredible Sunday teeming with compelling matchups. Here’s a primer to get you ready for the second day of the NCAA tournament’s round of 32:
1. Which Sunflower State program will emerge with bragging rights? More than just a bid to the Sweet 16 will be on the line when in-state foes Wichita State and Kansas meet in Omaha on Sunday. The game will also determine which fan base has bragging rights until the programs someday meet again. Wichita State has been clamoring for a shot at Kansas since even before the Shockers ascended to national relevance with three straight 30-plus win seasons. The Jayhawks have a chance to remind Wichita State it should be careful what it wishes for if they oust the Shockers from the NCAA tournament. The game itself may come down to whether Wichita State can defend Perry Ellis in the paint and keep Kansas off the offensive glass. The seventh-seeded Shockers have a backcourt as good as any in the nation, but they’re undersized in the frontcourt and will probably start 6-foot-4 guard Evan Wessel on Ellis.
2. Is either No. 1 seed in jeopardy on Sunday? Unless San Diego State enjoys a second straight unusually good outside shooting game against top-seeded Duke, it’s probably fellow No. 1 seed Wisconsin that has the slightly tougher matchup The Badgers have to contend with an eighth-seeded Oregon team that has won 13 of its past 15 games and has the perimeter quickness to spread Wisconsin out and challenge its defenders to stay in front of their man. Pac-12 player of the year Joseph Young lit up Wisconsin for 29 points in an 85-77 NCAA tournament loss last March, but the supporting cast around the Oregon star is totally different than a year ago. Of the players on Oregon’s curent roster, only Elgin Cook and Young got into the game against the Badgers last March. While Wisconsin could struggle defensively against Oregon, it should have no trouble imposing its will on the Ducks at the other end. Oregon’s soft pressure and zone defense should be no match for a highly efficient Badgers offense with too much size for the Ducks in the paint.
3. Will Gonzaga reach its first Sweet 16 since 2009?
Five times in the last five years, Gonzaga has made the NCAA tournament’s round of 32 only to fail to win its next game. The Zags will try to break that streak Sunday against a mercurial Iowa team that has proven it can be dangerous when playing well. At their best, the Hawkeyes have won at North Carolina and Ohio State and pounded 10th-seeded Davidson on Thursday in the opening round. At their worst, the Hawkeyes suffered bad losses to Northwestern and Minnesota and were unceremoniously dumped early in the Big Ten tournament by Penn State. The key for Gonzaga could be how it defends high-scoring forward Aaron White and whether it can keep Iowa off the offensive glass. The 6-foot-9 White has scored 21 or more points in each of Iowa’s last six games.
4. Can Virginia avenge last year’s Sweet 16 loss to Michigan State?
An already wide-open East Region is even more up-for-grabs after NC State unceremoniously knocked top seed Villanova out of the NCAA tournament Saturday night. Two programs capable of taking advantage meet Sunday afternoon in the round of 32 with a berth in the Sweet 16 at stake. The last time Michigan State and Virginia met, the Spartans earned a hard-fought 61-59 win in the Sweet 16 last year. Three Michigan State players and two Virginia players logged at least 28 minutes in that game are gone, but the quest for revenge remains a motivating factor for the Cavaliers. Whether Virginia gets it could depend on if it gets a second straight strong game from wing Justin Anderson, the team’s second-leading scorer who missed time with a fractured finger and with appendicitis in recent weeks. Anderson had 15 points in Virginia’s opening round win over Belmont after being shut out in two NCAA tournament games.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
