Now that UMBC has advanced on to the Round of 32, it's time to take a look at some of the key players and story lines as we enter Saturday's action. Saturday boasts eight games that are all must-see for different reasons. So here are my thoughts on each game and the key contributors to keep an eye on.
EAST REGION - Pittsburgh, PA - 11:10 AM - CBS
First Round Results:
#1 Villanova defeated #16 Radford, 87-61
#9 Alabama defeated #8 Virginia Tech, 86-83
The first day of the Round of 32 gets started with a fantastic point guard battle in Pittsburgh. National Player of the Year candidate Jalen Brunson (19.3 ppg, 4.7 apg) goes up against freshman sensation Collin Sexton (19.2 ppg, 3.6 apg). This is not only a positional matchup that has basketball fans excited. NBA scouts will be tuned into their television sets come 11:10 AM to catch what should be an outstanding battle between these two. On one hand, you have poised, much-improved Brunson and on the other the electrifying Sexton. Both are leaders, but very different in style. This is one matchup I had penciled when the brackets were first revealed last Sunday and could be the best positional battle of the day.
Aside from Brunson-Sexton, Nova possesses lottery-bound forward Mikal Bridges. Bridges is a special talent who has the ability to put the ball on the floor and get a bucket. He also poses problems with his ability to hit the outside shot, shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc this season. Bridges will get his points, but the guy who I believe needs to play well is sophomore guard Donte DiVincenzo. After going through a stretch of 13 straight double-digit performances to begin conference play, DiVincenzo hasn't reached the double-digit mark in his last four contests. Still, I'm a big fan of his game. With his athleticism and length, he should give Alabama's athletic group fits and could wind up being the X-Factor in this game. He'll most likely be tasked with defending either Bama's John Petty or Dazon Ingram. Petty has shown on multiple occasions that he can heat up in a hurry, drilling an NCAA record 10 threes back in November and more recently getting 6 of his 9 tries to go against Virginia Tech Thursday night.
I like what Head Coach Avery Johnson has done with the Crimson Tide squad. They are a ton of fun to watch thanks to their athleticism. When things are clicking for this team, like they did the other night against Virginia Tech, it's extremely difficult to stop the momentum. However, there have been times this season where scoring is hard to come by and the team lacks focus. Villanova's poise and experience should be enough to secure the victory, but if Sexton and Petty start running, watch out.
MIDWEST REGION - Pittsburgh, PA - 1:40 PM - CBS
First Round Results:
#2 Duke defeated #15 Iona, 89-67
#7 Rhode Island defeated #10 Oklahoma, 83-78 OT
After an exciting overtime victory over Oklahoma on Thursday, Rhode Island comes face-to-face with the Duke Blue Devils. The bad thing for the Rams is that Duke is scary good this year. The good thing, though, is that the Rams excel in hitting the deep shot and have the guards to match up with Duke. The nation fell in love with guard Fatts Russell when he was able to disturb Trae Young enough to get the victory. He also posted 15 points, nine coming from beyond the arc. Aside from the pesky defense of Russell, Rhode Island has five other guards that can all score the rock. The leaders of this group of guards are seniors E.C. Matthews and Jared Terrell. Matthews started out shaky on Thursday but was able to find his groove late in the game, knocking down two HUGE threes in overtime. Jeff Dowtin Jr., Stanford Robinson, and Jarvis Garrett round out the impressive group.
On Duke's end of the floor, they are led by the talented freshman and future top-5 pick Marvin Bagley III (21.1 ppg, 11.3 rpg). In this matchup, Bagley will get the undersized Andre Berry and the raw, wiry Cyril Langevine. Helping Bagley down low is another lottery bound talent, Wendell Carter Jr. If these two play like they have this season, I believe they'll be too much for Rhode Island to handle. However, if the Rams are able to shut slow down Bagley and Carter Jr., the Duke guards will have to step up. Senior Grayson Allen has seen it all, winning a National Championship his freshman year and bowing out in the Round of 32 last season. He, along with Trevon Duval (10.2 ppg, 29.8 3P%), who hit 4 of 5 from beyond the arc in their opening round win, will have to come alive and make life difficult on Rhode Island.
If Duke can establish their bigs down low early and stay in their 2-3 zone, which is a huge reason for their success this season, they should take of business. However, if Rhode Island can stretch the zone with the drive-and-kick style of play and knock down the three ball, Coach K and Duke will be forced to adapt on the fly and Rhode Island has the potential to stack up points quickly.
SOUTH REGION - Boise, ID - 4:15 PM - CBS
First Round Results:
#5 Kentucky defeated #12 Davidson, 78-73
#13 Buffalo defeated #4 Arizona, 89-68
I think many, including myself, expected to see an Arizona-Kentucky matchup. Instead, we get the Buffalo Bulls, who upset Arizona in the first round with a 21-point victory, against the Kentucky Wildcats. So how did Buffalo pull off the big upset? They hit the outside shot. Arizona did not, among other things. The Bulls were a blistering 15-30 from deep, with junior guard C.J. Massinburg knocking down five on his way to 19 points. Nick Perkins, Jeremy Harris, and Wes Clark each put in three, with Harris and Clark scoring 23 and 25, respectively.
Buffalo's game against Arizona was near perfect. Not only was it their biggest win of the season, it was arguably the biggest win in program history. Knocking off Kentucky and advancing to the Sweet 16 may top that. But they need to play without many mistakes. Fortunately for Buffalo, this Kentucky group has been notorious for committing dumb mistakes. While the talent on Kentucky's end is far superior to that of Buffalo's, there's a chance that the game comes down to who can limit their turnovers.
For Kentucky, they come into this one after having a close call with 12 seeded Davidson. Davidson trailed by one basket with under three minutes to play before Kentucky pulled away. Freshman Kevin Knox seems to have finally developed a consistent shot. However, the most impressive Wildcat recently has been point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The do-it-all guard flirted with a triple-double, posting 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. He also picked up 5 steals. With his draft stock rising, watch for him to have another big game against Buffalo.
SOUTH REGION - Dallas, TX - 5:10 PM - TNT
First Round Results:
#3 Tennessee defeated #14 Wright State, 73-47
#11 Loyola-Chicago defeated #6 Miami, 64-62
Perhaps the highlight of tournament through the first two days was Donte Ingram's buzzer-beating three to knock off the higher seeded Miami Hurricanes. The Ramblers came into the tournament as a popular "upset" pick and pulled it off in dramatic fashion. Now, they will get a much tougher test in the Tennessee Volunteers, a team that won the SEC regular season championship and comes into this matchup after running Wright State out of the gym with a 26-point victory.
In order for Loyola-Chicago to win, they must dictate the tempo of the game. This is something that they have been able to for much of the season. They are an extremely patient team for being an 11 seed, typically passing up good shots in order to get great ones. Clayton Custer, Loyola's 6' 1" junior point guard, is the leader. He, along with Ingram, will need to knock down their shots. If they don't, we could see Tennessee pull away quickly.
For the Vols, junior Admiral Schofield is in the midst of a breakout season that has seen him progress from being a third or fourth option to the number one guy. His large frame will be difficult to guard for Loyola, but he does lack height at only 6' 5". Still, he has been playing some of the best basketball in the entire nation and I don't see that changing in this one.
Can Loyola-Chicago pull off another upset and advance to their first Sweet Sixteen since 1985? Admiral Schofield and Tennessee think otherwise, but if you're asking me, I say they do it and we see the Ramblers advance to play next week.
MIDWEST REGION - Wichita, KS - 6:10 PM - TBS
First Round Results:
#1 Kansas defeated #16 Pennsylvania, 76-60
#8 Seton Hall defeated #9 NC State, 94-83
This is a very underrated game. You can call me crazy, but I believe Seton Hall can beat Kansas today. Why? They match up well. Senior guard Desi Rodriguez is back from an ankle injury that sidelined him for the final two weeks of the regular season. Along with Rodriguez, guards Khadeen Carrington (15.2 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Myles Powell (15.5 ppg) are dynamic players who can both create shots for themselves. And then there's my favorite from this squad, Angel Delgado, the big man from the Dominican Republic. He's averaging 13.3 ppg and 11.5 rpg, which is actually worse than what he did last year as junior. Still, he creates matchup problems for Kansas.
Kansas will combat Seton Hall's trio of guards with their own, led by the Big 12 Player of the Year Devonte' Graham. He was terrific Thursday against 16-seeded Pennsylvania, scoring 29 points to go along with 6 assists and 6 boards. Along with Graham, the Jayhawks will roll with Malik Newman and Lagerald Vick. Factor in the 6' 8" shooting Svi Mykhailiuk and Kansas is scary. However, Seton Hall has the guards to matchup with Kansas and the three point shooting to stay in the game.
The biggest factor to me is the big man battle. The one knock on this years Kansas team is their lack of front court depth. Udoka Azubuike, who normally starts, played only three minutes on Thursday. He's nursing a knee injury that forced him to miss time. Without Azubuike at 100%, Kansas relies on Mitch Lightfoot and Silvio De Sousa. Even with Azubuike, I still give Seton Hall the edge down low. But with the lingering injury, I believe Seton Hall can establish Delgado down low and open up outside shots for Carrington, Rodriguez, and Powell.
WEST REGION - Boise, ID - 6:45 PM - CBS
First Round Results:
#4 Gonzaga defeated #13 UNC Greensboro, 68-64
#5 Ohio State defeated # 12 South Dakota State, 81-73
As part of the last grouping of games on Saturday night, we get a 4-5 matchup between two schools that come from very different backgrounds. Regardless, both had some trouble with their first round games. The Buckeyes were close with South Dakota State for much of their Thursday afternoon battle before pulling away enough to get the eight point victory. NBA prospect Keita Bates-Diop, who has been their star for much of the season, posted a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. With Bates-Diop and senior Jae'Sean Tate, Gonzaga will have trouble down low.
Thankfully for the Zags, they have three impact bigs, led by the explosive Johnathan Williams. He too had a double-double, going for 19 points and 13 boards. Killian Tillie has also progressed this season, providing Gonzaga with a big who can stretch the floor with his ability to knock down the outside shot with ease. The name to remember, though, is freshman Rui Hachimura. He comes off the bench, just like Portland Trail Blazers forward Zach Collins did last year for the Bulldogs, and has the most NBA potential out of anyone on Mark Few's squad. He was underwhelming against Greensboro, going 1-6 from the field in 19 minutes on the floor. Still, he is a guy who can change the outcome of a game quickly.
Josh Perkins, the heart of this Gonzaga team, needs to put up double-digits and take smart shots as does freshman Zach Norvell Jr. His decisive three on Thursday was a huge confidence boost. This should be a fun one, as both teams possess strengths that the other has as well. There's a good chance this one comes down to the wire.
EAST REGIONAL - Dallas, TX - 7:40 PM - TNT
First Round Results:
#3 Texas Tech defeated #14 Stephen F. Austin, 70-60
#6 Florida defeated #11 Saint Bonaventure, 77-62
Texas Tech gets to play in their home state for this one. Hosted in Dallas, Texas, the Gators are at a bit of a disadvantage in this sense but don't expect it to be a blowout on the court. This Florida team can play and put up points quickly. Thanks to their three point shooting, Florida is a legitimate threat to any one in this tournament. Thursday was not a pretty shooting performance for them, going 10-32 behind the arc as a team, but they have shown throughout the season that they can string together buckets in a hurry.
Jalen Hudson and Egor Koulechov have been the best for Florida this season, but Chris Chiozza leadership cannot go without mention. His impact on the game doesn't always show in the box score, but the feisty Chiozza defends anybody in the country without fear. He'll most likely have to go against Texas Tech's star senior Keenan Evans, who has gotten better in each of his four years with the Red Raiders. Evans has been bothered by a toe injury that sidelined him towards the end of conference play, but he is back close to 100% now and should lead the team in scoring.
What Texas Tech has that Florida doesn't are two impact freshmen. Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith can get a bucket by putting the ball on the floor or off the catch. If Florida is able to get ahead early with their threes, it could be an early night for Texas Tech. However, I like the length of Culver and Smith and believe they will do enough to disrupt Florida, with the Red Raiders advancing to the Sweet 16.
WEST REGIONAL - Wichita, KS - 8:40 PM - TBS
First Round Results:
#3 Michigan defeated #14 Montana, 61-47
#6 Houston defeated #11 San Diego State, 67-65
And finally, the finale of the first day of second round action gives us Michigan versus Houston. Aside from maybe Loyola-Chicago, there may not be any two teams hotter than these two. Michigan is riding 10-game win streak dating back to February 6th, while Houston has won six of their last seven, losing to Cincinnati by a point last weekend in the American Athletic Conference championship game. The Wolverines are led by the big German, Mo Wagner (14.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg). He can post up, step out and shoot, and handle the ball. And he's not alone. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Charles Matthews provide scoring from the wing, and Duncan Robinson has been a factor defensively with his length.
Who's on the other side of the floor? ROB. GRAY. If you don't know about this guy now, you will by the end of the night. Gray finished the season averaging 23.6 ppg in his final seven games. Then on Thursday, he nearly puts up a 40 piece on San Diego State, going for 39 points and 8 rebounds on 12-25 shooting from the field. His last bucket was the biggest, dropping in a layup with 1.1 seconds left to go up two and escape an early scare.
Rob Gray will do his thing tonight, but if Houston wants to win against Michigan, their going to need scoring from others. Gray was the only one that finished with double-digits on Thursday. That cannot happen again. Junior guard Corey Davis Jr. (13.4 ppg) and senior forward Devin Davis (10.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg) have to step up. Davis, at 6' 7", is Houston's tallest player that sees significant minutes. I believe Wagner will have a big game for Michigan, however, I'm riding with Houston in this one. They will hit enough threes to top Michigan tonight. And they have Rob Gray.
Enjoy the action today! Check back tomorrow for a look at the second group of Round of 32 games.
