11VCU vs. 1Kansas
In this game you have to think Kansas will be thinking play our game and we will be back in the Final Four, and if you are looking at it then you are thinking the same thing. To be blunt Kansas has better athletes, better shooters, better defenders, better rebounders, better passers, and better ball handlers. Kansas is just better. Then again, many could have looked at the two teams and said USC was better, Georgetown was just better on paper, Purdue was better on paper, and even Florida St. was better than VCU on paper. They won all of those.
So if Shaka Smart and VCU are going to pull off another MONUMENTAL upset, what needs to happen? Well they need their shooters to shoot. They have had a number of guys step up and make shots throughout this run, and that has to continue. They need Bradford Burgess and Brandon Rozzell to continue to make those threes. They need to limit the turnovers and control
their possessions, because the shorter they can make this game, the more tight Kansas may get and when a team on a run can stay close anything can happen. Lastly they have to attack the Morris twins down low in some capacity. Make some moves towards them and try to get them in foul trouble, on the defensive end go into the game with taking charges in the forefront of their minds. The twins are the key to this game because they are just such a tough match up for VCU, so to get them out of the game would be huge.Kansas though has the athletes and has the team game that VCU should not be able to handle. Their depth and chemistry should prove to be too much. They have six or seven guys that could easily lead the team in scoring tonight, and that variety will probably be too much. VCU might keep it close early, but the pace will need to pick up for them if they want to win, and that plays right into Kansas' hands.
Kansas 77 VCU 63
4Kentucky vs. 2North Carolina
Another match up of college basketball bluebloods, a showdown in the middle of town, a meeting on Mount Olympus. A rematch of an earlier game back in December that Carolina won in Chapel Hill 75-73. This game takes place in March though with two different teams than the ones who played back in December. North Carolina did not really take off as a team until January, they have changed their point guard status, Harrison Barnes has become the player people thought he would be from day one, and they are making a conscious effort to get the ball down low to the big guys Tyler Zeller and Jon Henson.
Kentucky is different too though, as Brandon Knight has taken his place on this team as the number one
guy, especially having two game winners in three games in this tournament, with a career high 30 point game sandwiched in between. Josh Harrellson is playing the best basketball of his career, and guys like Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins are filling their roles as the upperclassmen. Do not forget about Terrence Jones who was the best player on this team for a long time, and can go off for 25 at any point.So in this game who will win, what are the keys for these teams to win the ball game? North Carolina has to get out and run, because though Kentucky has athletes that can run with anyone Harrellson will not be able to keep up with Zeller in transition where he is one of the best big men in the country, and Henson will have the advantage on Jones in the open court. In the half court they will need to control the ball, be strong with it, because with Barnes and Zeller they will be able to score as long as they do no turn the ball over. On defense they have to be ready to help on the player that Kendall Marshall is guarding, because the quickness of the guards that he will be marking will be their advantage. Putting Dexter Strickland on Knight is their best option, and he should be able to slow him down a bit, but Knight is a great player and this should be an interesting match up.
Kentucky has to get back on defense and do not allow the Tar Heels to get out and run, so they have to have good shot selection to prevent the run outs. They are much more equipped to stop this team in the half court, and that will be a big stat to watch, transition points. On offense they would be well off to play a lot of two man with Jones and Knight, get Knight some open looks, and Jones should be able to get open and away from Henson's length with some pick-and-rolls, or even better with his ability to shoot some pick-and-pops because of the attention you have to pay to Knight.
This should be a very entertaining game, two of college basketball's royalty meeting for the last spot in Houston for the Final Four. Zeller will prove to be too much and keep his run of great games going, and Barnes will find his open shots to give North Carolina the lead early. Knight will take the momentum from Friday night and probably have the type of game he did against West Virginia, but the supporting cast just does not have what North Carolina has in the end.
North Carolina 82 Kentucky 76
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