Sweet 16 Predictions: Friday Edition

Kansas vs. Michigan St.
A rematch of two teams that met in the regular season where the Spartans dominated; the game was never really close and the Kansas young guns were exposed, but look for a closer result this time. Kansas has been an up and down team lately. They shot very well from the field (50%) against a pesky North Dakota State team in the first round and then defeated Dayton in the 2nd round in a less than stellar performance. Tom Izzo always has his team ready in the tournament and he should have a terrific game plan for the Jayhawks. The guard play for the Spartans matches up very well with Kansas. Kalin Lucas showed Sherron Collins up in East Lansing last time with 22 points. If Collins and Cole Aldrich don't get any help from their teammates, Kansas will not be defending their national championship.

The Pick: Michigan St.- Look for Michigan State's depth and ability to control Aldrich to be the difference in the game.

Louisville vs. Arizona
What a ride it's been for Arizona. Going from a bubble team to a Sweet Sixteen team. Although some may be surprised the Wildcats are this far, I am not. They have 3 very good players in Nic Wise, Chase Budinger, and Jordan Hill. Also, they've been the better team in both of their match-ups. The Utah win wasn't really an "upset" and the Wildcats were flat out better than Cleveland St. Zona will have a tougher time vs. a Louisville team that loves to pressure and some gives tough matchups. Louisville is one of the most athletic teams out there with Earl Clark and Terrence Williams, also Samardo Samuels is a tough draw down low. Louisville's guard depth could be a problem as well for Zona. I don't know if the Cats have enough depth to overcome the Cards.

The Pick: Louisville- I like Rick Pitino over Russ Pennell coaching wise and Zona relies way too much on their "big three".

North Carolina vs. Gonzaga
This is a very intriguing matchup. Gonzaga matches up fairly well with UNC. They could give some tough match-ups on the perimeter with Austin Daye, Micah Downs, and Steven Gray size wise. UNC has the edge down low even with the Zags' Josh Heytvelt. Gonzaga just isn't tough enough down-low and their frontline would prefer to play on the outside mostly. Defense could be a problem for the Zags' as they will face the best offense in the nation. If Ty Lawson is healthy for UNC they should win, but they could have some trouble defensively with Gonzagas size. But other than that, Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson down low along with Wayne Ellington and Danny Green on the outside should be too much.

The Pick: UNC- Too much firepower for the Heels' and the Zags just aren't tough enough.

Syracuse vs. Oklahoma
Another intriguing match-up. I am interested to see how Blake Griffin does against the Syracuse zone. If Cuse is able to not let OU dominate down low, they will win this game. It will be a tall task though. Johnny Flynn will have a big advantage over Willie Warren and Austin Johnson at point.

The Pick: Oklahoma- Too much Blake Griffin down low.

March Madness Rolls On

Even with the MLB season starting I simply can't bring myself to stray away from March Madness right now. The Sweet 16 starts tonight so be sure to watch. Now Stefan already gave you his Sweet 16 picks here.

I'm going to give you my predictions as well as some things that I've seen around the blogosphere before. I'm going to predict games with a coinflip (top seed is heads) and then by fantasy mascot battle. Then when the sweet 16 round is over we can look and see how our predictions stacked up against that of honest Abe and the mascots' blood. Let's get it on!

EAST
UNC vs. WSU
Stefan's Pick: UNC
Joe's Pick: WSU *Need it to happen to win my bracket challenge!
Penny: WSU
Mascots: WSU - While a ram is hard nosed and tough I see the Cougar's ferocity and agility paying off in this battle. It goes down to the wire but the Cougar prevails.

Tennesse vs. Louisville
Stefan's Pick: Louisville
Joe's Pick: Tennesse
Penny: Louisville
Mascots: Tennesse - All a cardinal can do is fly away from and peck at the Volunteer. But when the volunteer fires, down goes the cardinals.

MIDWEST
Kansas vs. Villanova
Stefan's Pick: Kansas
Joe's Pick: Kansas
Penny: Kansas
Mascots: Wildcat vs. a Jayhawk? Gotta go with the Wildcat on that one.

Wisconsin vs. Davidson
Stefan's Pick: Wisconsin
Joe's Pick: Wisconsin - Too big & too good of D.
Penny: Wisconsin
Mascots: Badgers are vicious and takes down the wildcat

SOUTH
Memphis vs. Michigan State
Stefan's Pick: Memphis
Joe's Pick: Memphis
Penny: Memphis
Mascots: A spartan's sword is efficient but not enough to protect against the vicious tiger. Tiger gets the nod and a free meal.

Texas vs. Stanford
Stefan's Pick: Texas
Joe's Pick: Stanford
Penny: Stanford
Mascots: A longhorn vs. a tree? I think you know what happens here...Texas wins.

WEST
UCLA vs. WKU
Stefan's Pick: UCLA
Joe's Pick: UCLA
Penny: UCLA
Mascots: My instincts tell me that a Bruin would tear a hilltopper to pieces. however you all know I love the Big Red blob. I'll give WKU a chance here.

Xavier vs. WVU
Stefan's Pick: WVU
Joe's Pick: Xavier
Penny: WVU
Mascots: The Muskateers gun down the mountaineers from a distance.

Sweet 16 Predictions

East

UNC vs. Washington St.
Don't expect another blowout by UNC in this game. Washington St. could put up a fight with the Heels, they play great defense, their guards are big and they will pressure you. The Cougars are also deep and they'll make you earn everything you get. UNC is looking better than ever, Tywon Lawson is 100%, Hansbrough is his same old self. When UNC is out running that's when they're at their best. I see Wazzou taking a little bit of the transition game away from UNC which is why many will be surprised at how close this game will actually be.

The Pick: UNC is little more talented and they're playing in Charlotte

Tennessee vs. Louisville
Some of you may already know this, but I am very high on Louisville right now. Their first two games of the tourney are a great indicator of that. I love how they play; Their guards will pressure you and they're also deep at that position. Plus, David Padgett is a solid big man. Tennessee has somewhat struggled in it's two first games, but Butler is no walk in the park. Chris Lofton and the 3 Smith's always seem to get the job done.

The Pick: Louisville's guard depth will prevail and their front court will wear down the Vols'.

Midwest
Kansas vs. Villanova

KU is playing great as well. Both of these teams are here because of their guard play. KU is one of the most talented teams in the country. Their guard play is just so stellar plus the front court of Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson, and Sasha Kaun is one of the best in the nation. Meanwhile, Scottie Reynolds better have the game of his life or else Nova is going to get stomped on.

The Pick: Kansas is just too talented and fast for the Cats.

Wisconsin vs, Davidson
Stephen Curry (who has the best pronounced first name in the country) has been a stud lately. It will be interesting to see how Wisconsin plays him on defense. Wisconsin has one of the best defenses in the country, they make you play their game, they box out, they rebound, they do all the little things which is why they win and are in a lot of games. Davidson better be on fire from the outside once again or else their is no way they will get past the Badgers.

The Pick: Wisconsin's Defense is just too stingy and Stephen Curry will be held in check

South
Memphis vs. Michigan St.

I see a lot of people will underestimate the Tigers once again. Michigan St. is playing well now and their front court is great. They need Drew Neitzel to step up and play his game. Memphis needs to make free throws down the stretch in order to win, plus they need consistent play from the inside with Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier. I really like the Neitzel-Derrick Rose matchup here.

The Pick: Memphis's guards are just too much for the Spartans to handle. Too many mismatch problems.

Texas vs. Stanford
Stanford's guard play almost caught up to them. If you watched the Stanford-Quette game, then you saw how easily the Cardinal can be exposed in the back court. Brook and Robin Lopez can cause havoc in the front court for Texas. Texas's guards are some of the best in country, plus their big men will force the Lopez twins to have to play D outside of the paint, creating room for DJ Augustin and AJ Abrams to drive.

The Pick: Texas's guard play gets it done

West

UCLA vs. Western Kentucky
UCLA seems to always get the job done. Darren Collison and Kevin Love are getting it done for the Bruins. They have it all, guard play, depth, front court, experience, and stellar defense. WKU may have something to say about that. Courtney Lee is a future NBA player plus Tyrone Brazelton is a stud as well.

The Pick: UCLA, sorry WKU but this isn't 12 seed territory anymore

Xavier vs. West Virginia
Xavier has depth and experience. They have an underrated starting five in Drew Lavender, Stanley Burrell, CJ Anderson, Josh Duncan, and Derrick Brown. They're so balanced on offense and you never know who's going to be their main scorer on any given night. West Virginia has been very impressive recently. Joe Alexander completely exploited Duke's lack of an inside presence. Da'Sean Butler, Alex Ruoff, and Joe Mazzula, were impressive as well.

The Pick: West Virginia. Bob Huggins has been here before.