V-PREVIEW | NCAA Tournament — Sweet 16 | Friday's Games
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There should be excitement galore on Friday night as the remaining Sweet 16 games take place in the St. Louis and Atlanta Regions. Can the Cinderella stories of Nevada and UAB continue? Can Xavier remain on fire? Will the Big Ten stay alive? (seeds below in parentheses)
ATLANTA REGION
DUKE (1) VS. ILLINOIS (5)
The Illini are the last representative of the Big Ten, and the last two times these teams have met, the games have been close.
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Illinois played its A-game against Cincinnati, as guard Dee Brown and Deron Williams were dominant in an easy win. They will need an A-plus game vs. Duke.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski needs forward Shelden Williams to stay in the post (not sit on the bench with foul trouble). If Williams is on the floor and playing effectively, the perimeter game -- led by senior point guard Chris Duhon and sharpshooter J.J. Redick -- goes to another level because defenses have too many options to think about.
Duke should have too much offense, and the defense should contain the Brown-Williams tandem.
TEXAS (3) VS. XAVIER (7)
What a matchup! Texas is as deep as any team in America. Guard Brandon Mouton has been a big-time scoring threat, and he will have to come through again here.
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The point guard has been handled by committee for the Longhorns, and the committee has done a solid job. Guard Royal Ivey has also been scoring in the tournament.
Coach Rick Barnes' Longhorns have size to rotate in the interior. Forward Brian Boddicker can shoot the 3-pointer with the best of them off the bench.
Xavier was 10-9 at one time. Now the Musketeers are as hot as anybody. Coach Thad Matta's team needs another All-Rolls Royce performance from guard Lionel Chalmers. The trio of Chalmers, Romain Sato and Dedrick Finn give Xavier a dynamite perimeter game.
Do the Musketeers have enough to offset the depth of the Longhorns? We'll find out.
ST. LOUIS REGION
GEORGIA TECH (3) VS. NEVADA (10)
Nevada has been the Cinderella of the tournament. The Wolf Pack went 13-5 in tying for the WAC regular-season title with UTEP. A regular-season win over Kansas was not a fluke as shown by big tourney wins over Michigan State and Gonzaga. The comeback from 16 points down against the Spartans showed how much guts this club has.
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Senior point guard Todd Okeson is a leader. Forward Nick Fazekas is an unsung diaper dandy on the rise. Guard Kirk Snyder is the 6-6 all-multipurpose guy averaging almost 19 points and six rebounds per game. He gives them a shot to win.
Georgia Tech is so deep, with guys like guard Will Bynum and forwards Clarence Moore and Isma'il Muhammad (off the bench). Guard Jarrett Jack is an athletic leader while guard B.J. Elder is the top scoring threat. One key could be center Luke Schenscher on the interior.
Coach Paul Hewitt's kids have done an amazing job all season. They have been ready in the big moments, from blowing out Connecticut in the Preseason NIT to snapping Duke's 41-game home-court winning streak.
Georgia Tech simply has too much offense for Nevada.
KANSAS (4) VS UAB (9)
UAB is the other Sweet 16 Cinderella. You have to feel good for kids who were not recruited by a lot of big-time schools. The same can be said for coach Mike Anderson, who spent almost two decades as a tactician for Nolan Richardson at Arkansas.
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Now Anderson has a chance to move a step closer to the Final Four, where Richardson enjoyed success cutting down the nets in winning the 1994 NCAA title.
UAB plays a 40-minutes-of-hell style, just like those old Razorback days. Just ask Kentucky about it after UAB didn't back down. The Blazers made clutch play after clutch play, with guards Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson and Morris Finley coming through.
Finley's game-winning shot vs. Kentucky, which sent UAB to the Sweet 16, was one of the biggest in school history.
Does UAB have enough to combat the size and experience of the Jayhawks?
I like the inside-outside combination of forward Wayne Simien and guard Keith Langford. Talk about tournament experience -- they have that special winner's mentality after making the Final Four the past two years.
Guys like guards Aaron Miles and Michael Lee and forward Jeff Graves also enjoy that winning experience. The Jayhawks won't be denied. They're capable of handling the pressure and turning it into fast-break opportunities.
Coach Bill Self has turned an up-and-down regular season into a magical one. I think the Jayhawks will move on to the Elite Eight.
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Hawks-Deacons? Awesome
