At this writing, it's less than 43 hours before we move ahead with more upsets, big performances and general craziness. As we finish catching our breath, let's take a guess at what lies ahead.
EAST - THURSDAY
NORTH CAROLINA 81, WASHINGTON STATE 68: Wazzu can slow down the Tar Heel express a bit, but won't be able to stop it. Not enough inside muscle or offensive firepower.
LOUISVILLE 80, TENNESSEE 77: The Vols have been shaky in the postseason, and a hurting Chris Lofton doesn't help. Besides, we of Providence know too much about Rev. Ricky Pitino's March magic.
WEST - THURSDAY
WEST VIRGINIA 83, XAVIER 81: The Musketeers were the class of the A-10 and sound in every way, but the 'Neers reek of destiny, They didn't even shoot that well against Duke - they'll shoot better tomorrow night.
UCLA 84, WESTERN KENTUCKY 63: The Hilltoppers can run with the Bruins, but they don't see that kind of defense, or a load in the paint like Kevin Love, in the Sun Belt.
MIDWEST - FRIDAY
WISCONSIN 69, DAVIDSON 62: The Badgers will bang bodies and disrupt Stephen Curry and .... wait - we said that about Georgetown. Anyhow, I picked Wisconsin for the Final Four and I'm holding to it. But if I had taken someone else in this region...
KANSAS 90, VILLANOVA 73: Much as I love what the Nova backcourt has done in the first two rounds, the Wildcats just can't compete inside. BTW, I'll be rocking some chalk (not just for Jayhawk fans) on the live blog at SI.com - tune in at 9:40 p.m. or so.
SOUTH - FRIDAY
TEXAS 78, STANFORD 77: Maybe the best matchup in the Round of 16. The Horns have just enough speed to nip the Cardinal and enough beef to slow Brook Lopez.
MEMPHIS 78, MICHIGAN STATE 68: I will give the Tigers one more pass for that load of talent, provided they avoid the foul trouble that plagued them Sunday. But if Sparty is within single digits in the final 90 seconds...they better have worked on the foul shooting.
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I'm very late getting to this blog, but it was very good. Nice observations on the teams and the matchups.
G.O.A.T. is back?
Scranton, PA
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