(Editors Note: I'm going to be gone for the rest of the weekend. JFein will have a couple of posts for you on Friday and Saturday.)
I think I jinxed Purdue yesterday in my NCAA tournament projections. I talked about Purdue's beautiful record and with a conference tournament title, Purdue would most likely receive a number 1 bid in the tournament. In the words of Carl Lewis trying to sing the National Anthem, uh oh!
Purdue's best player Robbie Hummel went down last night with a torn ACL. Hummel had been averaging 15 points and 7 rebounds a game for the Boilermakers. Hummel was a part of a three-headed monster of E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson that made Purdue a Final Four contender.
Purdue was able to get past Minnesota last night, but they struggled without Hummel. And I expect Purdue to struggle for the rest of the season and into the tournament without Hummel. With him, Purdue is a Final Four contender. Without him, and they will probably struggle to reach the Sweet 16.
I mean this sincerely, sorry for jinxing you Purdue. I should have never talked about how well you were doing. I jinxed your school and Hummel. Damn me.
Well we started with 64 teams, and now we are down to just 16 teams. By the end of the weekend we will be down to just 4 teams. Enjoy the games and the Live Blog and please leave comments.
Here is your announcing schedule for tonight, courtesy of Awful Announing:
Connecticut vs. Purdue (Glendale, 7pm)- Dick Enberg, Jay Bilas Pittsburgh vs. Xavier (Boston, 7:30pm)- Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery Memphis vs. Missouri (Glendale, 9:30pm)- Dick Enberg, Jay Bilas Duke vs. Villanova (Boston, 9:30pm)- Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery
My local affiliate is giving me the UConn, Purdue game and the Duke, Nova game. It should be fun.
This year's Sweet 16 match ups are some of the most intriguing match ups in a long time. So let's breakdown today's games.
Duke vs. Villanova Where/Time: Boston/9:30 EST Announcers: Lundquist, Raftery Match up to watch: Reggie Redding will have the tough task of defending Duke's best player Gerald Henderson. Battle of Big Men: Donte Cunningham and Kyle "Sweating Man" Singler will have to battle each other for every rebound. Villanova is at their best when Cunningham gets a double-double. No foul trouble: Cunningham is also Villanova's most skilled big man. There isn't much depth behind him, so it is key for him to stay out of foul trouble. Battle of the Guards: Dwayne Anderson and Scottie Reynolds versus Duke's Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith. Nova has the advantage in the backcourt but they can't let Scheyer or Smith get hot at the 3-point line. My pick: If Villanova plays to their potential, then they are pretty much un-stoppable. Just ask UCLA? But they can not get into a 3-point shooting contest with Duke. Duke will beat them in that catorgory. I still like Villanova in this game.
Memphis vs. Missouri Where/Time: Glendale, AZ/9:30 EST Announcers: Enberg/Bilas The bench is key: When Memphis struggled against CS Northridge, they unleashed Roburt Sallie off the bench. He hit multiple 3-point shots. He will be the key for the Tigers. If Missouri plays a pack-in-zone, his shot could be the answer. 40 Minutes of Hell: Mike Anderson is a protege of Nolan Richardson. Richardson was the coach who made 40 minutes of Hell popular. His teams would play full-court presser, try for the steal, and then run away from you. Missouri plays the same type of game. If they can do this the entire game, they can win. My pick: I like Memphis in this game. If Missouri doesn't keep up with their own high-tempo game, they will lose. They built a nice lead against Marquette, but had to sink 2-free throws at the end of the game to win. Memphis though is just too tough of a team to let Missouri run away from them.
Pittsburgh vs. Xavier Where/Time: Boston/7:30 EST Announcers: Lundquist/Raftery Have to be aggressive: B.J. Raymond is Xavier's best scoring threat. He has to stay aggressive all game long. You have to be Young: Even when Oklahoma St. was shooting lights out, Pittsburgh was still able to beat them. That's because Sam Young was shooting lights out himself behind the 3-point line. If he keeps this up, Xavier won't have a chance. The Battle of the bigs: The key match up will between Xavier's C.J. Anderson and Pitt's DeJuan Blair. Both guys are studs in the frontcourt. Xavier will need Anderson to clean up the glass. Pitt will need Blair to keep up with Anderson for Pitt to have a chance. My pick: I like Pittsburgh in this game. They have been the most tested #1 seed in the whole tournament. This will help them tonight against Xavier. I expect Young to have a big game tonight for Pitt.
UConn vs. Purdue Where/Time: Glendale, AZ/7:00 EST Announcers: Enberg/Bilas Will UConn be distracted: With the recent report coming out against UConn, the big question is, will they be distracted? No they won't. UConn players will not be distracted tonight. They are too tough mentally for that. The Battle of the Bigs: Hasheem Thabett and Robbie Hummel will battle tonight. Thabett is is a shot-blocking machine. But he has to stay out of foul trouble. Hummel has to attack Thabett for Purdue to have a chance. My pick: I like UConn in this game. The Huskies have been through a lot this season and Purdue is just another challenge. This will be a low-scoring game, but it should be a close game.
Updated: Yes, after I just posted this article I realized I did the games backwards. It happens, move on.
Update: If this post is filled with too many puns, I was channeling my inner Tim Brando why writing it.
(Editors Note: I'm going to be gone for the rest of the weekend. JFein will have a couple of posts for you on Friday and Saturday.)
