|
|
|
 | |
 |
 null 
|
Friday, March 23Sixteen questions before Final Four By Andy Katz ESPN.com After all the talk about double-digit seeds sweeping into the second round, upsets galore and the mid-major mania that opened the NCAA Tournament, normalcy returned to the Sweet 16. The only teams missing that were supposed to be here? Atlanta (Friday) (12) Gonzaga vs. (1) Michigan State, 7:38 p.m. ET (11) Temple vs. (7) Penn State, 10:03 p.m. ET Why should Michigan State get to Minneapolis? The Spartans are the class of this region. If they don't win the South, then something has gone wrong with them. They've got all the depth, the power players, the halfcourt defense, the experience, the renewed sense of purpose to play and maybe the best overall player in Jason Richardson. But will that be enough? The Spartans can still shoot themselves out of this field if they get zoned and go cold. Foul trouble still shouldn't be a problem with the three to four options inside and at least a backup at every position on the perimeter. Intensity is no longer an issue after the Spartans lost to Penn State in the Big Ten quarterfinals. The field opened up for Michigan State to get to Minneapolis for a third straight Final Four and they're the only ones who will stop it from happening. Does Gonzaga have any chance? Yes. The Bulldogs plan on using a zone against the Spartans and hope Dan Dickau can keep Marcus Taylor and Charlie Bell out of the lane. Do that and the inside power players might struggle to get shots against the zone. They won't get too many second shots, putting even more pressure on Dickau, Blake Stepp and Casey Calvary to knock down any open looks. Gonzaga goes into this game totally loose and with a sense of anything position will be a victory. If the game gets tight in the last four minutes, then the Zags have a legit chance of winning. All the pressure will be on Michigan State not to lose. How can Penn State pull off the implausible? Not only do the Crispins (Joe and Jon) and Titus Ivory have to give their best shooting performances against Temple, and then likely Michigan State, but Gyasi-Cline Heard and Tyler Smith have to be monsters on the boards like never before this season. The game against the Owls will be ugly enough, but if they get close to the basket, they've got to board and finish. Penn State is thin and won't have room for error. But the Nittany Lions have already exceeded expectations and anything that happens from this point forward is a win. They have absolutely no pressure on them and could be the most relaxed team left in the field. Does John Chaney have a shot at the Final Four finally? It would certainly help if Gonzaga beat Michigan State. Lynn Greer and Quincy Wadley have to be on from the perimeter, but they have been to this point in the tournament. Kevin Lyde has to continue his remarkable staying power despite nagging tendonitis in his Achilles. And someone else has to step up -- like Alex Wesby or David Hawkins. The Owls have been doing just fine with their six- and seven-max roster. But they've got to get help. Temple got burned by 3-point shooters and the Crispin brothers have the range to torch them if the Owls' defense isn't sharp. Getting Chaney to the Final Four for the first time would certainly cap a brilliant career. Midwest Region Atlanta (Friday) (3) Mississippi vs. (2) Arizona, 7:55 p.m. ET (4) Kansas vs. (1) Illinois, 10:20 p.m. ET Why is Arizona the favorite? The Wildcats are playing the best basketball of the four remaining teams. Arizona had the talent to be preseason No. 1 and now that the Wildcats are playing up to their potential it's natural to choose them as the favorites in the Midwest. Loren Woods is no longer thinking about himself. He's stuck on being a defensive stopper, which is his strength. Michael Wright is the go-to guy inside and he's finishing on first, second and third shots. Richard Jefferson is more focused defensively, which is a plus. Gilbert Arenas is now the man on the wing, after Jefferson acknowledged that Arenas should be the first option. And Jason Gardner isn't making mistakes on the offensive or defensive end. Arizona is the feel-good story of this tournament and seeing Lute Olson in the Final Four would certainly be wonderful story after his season of hardship. How can Illinois win this bracket? The Illini need a super effort out of Cory Bradford. He can't just be sporadic. He has to be a consistent perimeter threat. Marcus Griffin and Sergio McClain have to be a force inside, bullying their way to putbacks. Brian Cook needs to be the inside-out player he showed against Charlotte. And Frank Williams has to limit his mistakes. Williams can take over games and should win the point guard battle with Kansas. But he'll have to make sure he doesn't try to do too much if he faces Arizona for a third time. Arizona will also have payback on its mind after losing to the Illini in a physical game at the United Center in Chicago. Is the monkey off Kansas coach Roy Williams' back? Yes. He got to the second weekend. Really, if Kansas beats Illinois, the Jayhawks will have exceeded expectations. They don't have Luke Axtell in this tournament and are limited to relying on Kirk Hinrich, Jeff Boschee and Kenny Gregory, who haven't always been consistent. They've done well in this tournament and are playing within their limitations. Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and Eric Chenowith form a formidable trio inside and Illinois might have a hard time keeping them off the offensive backboard. All three can score and get to the line. Kansas can outrun Illinois and hang with Arizona but the Jayhawks' defensive effort will have to be at an all-time high to get out of this bracket. Does Ole Miss have a chance? Yes. The Rebels play some of the tightest halfcourt defense in the tournament. And, there is absolutely no pressure on Mississippi in this bracket. If they beat Arizona, the Rebels will have done more than anyone could imagine. To beat the Wildcats, Ole Miss has to bully Wright and Woods with Rahim Lockhart. Jason Harrison and Jason Flanigan could tie up Gardner and cause him fits. The Rebels need the games to be in the 60s and at the most in the 70s to have a chance. But they do if they make it an ugly game against Arizona and either Illinois or Kansas. Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
|  |
|
|||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
