GameNight

After #1 North Carolina (33-4, 13-3) defeated #2 Michigan St. (31-6, 15-3) by 35 in early December, it seemed somewhat absurd to suggest that we might see a rematch of that game in Detroit. Four months later, though, that's exactly what we'll get, as the ACC and Big Ten champions will face off in the national championship game.

Season Rewind: North Carolina's closest game in the tournament thus far came against Oklahoma, a 12-point victory; the Tar Heels have cruised through all of their games, and not faced any kind of close finish.

Oklahoma had little problems with Syracuse, but a lot of that had to do with the surprising effort of Tony Crocker. Crocker had 28 points, including 6-11 of shooting from three.. in the previous 5 games, he had only 21 points combined. Against a batter Tar Heels squad, Oklahoma will need a similar hot-shooter to emerge from the perimeter.

 

Louisville dominated Arizona like the Wildcats were a D2 team. But Michigan St is a much more sound team, that will try and control the pace and defend with purpose. In Louisville's 5 losses, the game was played at a slow place and the Cards never topped 64 points (51, 54, 55, 57, and 64). That's pretty much the recipe for Michigan St, control the pace, make Louisville beat you in the half-court, and hope for the best.

With a healthy Lawson, its hard to imagine UNC losing to anyone.. let alone Gonzaga. But you never know. Perhaps this is the year Gonzaga once again becomes America's team..

 

According to the bettors, who see this as a virtual lock, tonight's 7:30 game between Oklahoma and Syracuse could be an instant classic. Neither team is very deep, and this could turn into a war of attrition. Who has the edge? You be the judge.

 

Up until this point, March couldn't have been any less mad. The lone exception is 12th seeded Arizona, who knocked off a pair of underwhelming opponents in Utah and Cleveland St. Now, they must face the Tournament's #1 seed, and everyone expects the favored Cardinals to prevail.

 

One of the day's 2 best games along with Duke/Villanova.. most of the country will unfortunately only get to see limited segments. Memphis is known as one of the country's best defensive teams, while Missouri is known for pushing the tempo and putting 80+ on the board. You figure Memphis is more than capable of running up and down though considering the personnel they have.