All Times EDT
Number in (Parentheses) indicates PiRate Criteria Rating
For a detailed explanation of the PiRate Criteria Rating, click on the following link:
https://piratings.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/bracketnomics-505-2011-edition/
12:15 PM on CBS
North Carolina (15) vs. Washington (13)
CBS gives you the most exciting 3rd round game to start off your Sunday. These teams can get up and down the floor and score quickly. We expect it to be more like the late 1960’s when North Carolina and Davidson met in the NCAA Tournament for a couple of historic games.
The Tar Heels are the slight favorite, but this game could go either way. When you have two teams capable of topping 85 points, it comes down to which team can control the boards and force more turnovers. North Carolina should win the battle on the boards, but Washington should win the turnover battle and force more steals.
We thought about taking the Huskies, but Coach Roy Williams has a long history of getting to the Sweet 16, while Coach Lorenzo Romar has a shorter history of doing so.
We think this will still be undecided with five minutes to go, but the Tar Heels have three go-to guys that can win this game (Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes, John Henson, while UW has two (Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning). Three to two odds makes for a 60% chance that nothing will be finer in Carolina today.
Prediction: North Carolina 83 Washington 76
2:45 PM on CBS
Duke (15) vs. Michigan (Elim)
Shortly after we released the 68-team preview last week, the news that Kyrie Irving was ready to play once again changed Duke’s criteria score. We have not set way to add points in cases like this; we have to make a semi-educated guess. Before Irving went down to injury, Duke was 8-0, outscoring opponents by a score of 89-66. He returned to play against Hampton, so in the nine games in which he has contributed, Duke’s average scoring margin is 89-64. We figure Irving’s presence makes Duke seven to 10 points better. That would place their PiRate Criteria score right there with Kansas for the top spot.
Michigan caught the biggest break in this tournament. They played a Tennessee team that completely quit once a six-point Volunteer lead was wiped away. The Wolverines outscored Tennessee 52-16 the final 24 minutes of their game.
Duke will not wilt if Michigan erases a six-point Blue Devil lead. This team is better than last year’s national champion with Irving teaming up with Nolan Smith. Last year’s champion was a little stronger inside, but with Irving, Smith, Kyle Singler, Mason and Miles Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, Seth Curry, and Andre Dawkins, Coach Mike Krzyzewski has too many weapons to completely stop.
Michigan relies on three-point shooting and great penetration. Darius Morris and Tim Hardaway, Junior can take the maize and blue on their shoulders and make life miserable for opposing teams that are not overly aggressive defensively. Duke is not one of those teams.
The Blue Devils will stifle the Michigan offense and score enough fast break points and second-chance points to win this one by double digits.
Prediction: Duke 76 Michigan 61
5:15 PM on CBS
Ohio State (21) vs. George Mason (8)
George Mason has done it before. The Colonials knocked off Connecticut and North Carolina among others when they made their historic run to the Final Four in 2006. This GMU team has more talent and almost as much experience, making the Colonials a legitimate contender to advance to the Sweet 16.
One problem for GMU: they are facing the team with the second best PiRate Criteria score. Ohio State has too much firepower for Coach Jim Larranaga to pull magic out of a hat again.
Jared Sullinger is too strong and quick inside for the Colonials to stop, and Ryan Pearson will not be able to have a big game against the Buckeyes’ inside defense. Jon Diebler and William Buford will see a lot of open looks from outside, and we cannot see both having an off day.
Prediction: Ohio State 74 George Mason 59
6:10 PM on TNT
Texas (18) vs. Arizona (3)
The Longhorns almost could not hold onto a big lead in their first game, while Arizona never could break away from Memphis in theirs.
We believe Texas will be more focused on this game and put together 40 minutes of total basketball. The Longhorns present tough matchup problems with four starters that are great combo inside-outside players. When they get their mind into the game, they can control a game at both ends of the floor.
Jordan Hamilton, Gary Johnson, Tristan Thompson, and Cory Joseph should be focused after watching a huge lead against Oakland almost evaporate entirely in the final minutes.
Arizona benefitted from playing a weak second-round opponent. The Wildcats are not back to where they were in the Lute Olson days. In Derrick Williams, they have an inside player that can dominate in the paint, but he can be neutralized by an opponent that gets the Wildcats into a running transition game.
Texas is not a pure running team, but the Longhorns can take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. They will do so today.
Prediction: Texas 78 Arizona 65
7:10 PM on TBS
Purdue (16) vs. Virginia Commonwealth (-1)
Virginia Commonwealth coach Shaka Smart may be on the radar of two or three big-time coaching searches. The second year coach has proven to be an excellent tournament tactician.
This Ram team does not figure to advance into the second week of the tournament, because in the past, teams with negative PiRate Critieria scores only made it to the Sweet 16 if their first two opponents had either negative scores or ELIM scores.
Purdue is only 11-6 since their 15-1 start. If E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson do not combine for at least 35 points and 20 rebounds, the Boilermakers can be beaten. We tend to believe that both stars will shine brightly today, and the lads from West Lafayette will be preparing for a mighty rivalry game later in the week.
Prediction: Purdue 73 V C U 64
7:45 PM on truTV
Syracuse (17) vs. Marquette (3)
When a conference places 11 teams in the Big Dance, it goes that there could be matchups of teams from that conference facing off in earlier rounds. For the second time this weekend, the Big East has another “conference game” in the NCAA Tournament.
In the regular season, Marquette won a close game in Milwaukee, 76-70. It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Orangemen following an 18-0 start. Once the ‘Cuse got over their midseason swoon, they recovered to win six in a row before meeting the hot Huskies from Connecticut in the Big East Tournament.
Is a 14-loss team good enough to advance to the Sweet 16? This is not your father’s Marquette teams. Bo Ellis, Lloyd Walton, Dean Meminger, and Butch Lee are not walking through that door. Al McGuire won’t be receiving a couple of technical fouls.
The Golden Eagles have one thing going for them; they know how to attack Syracuse’s 2-3 zone defense. They should get enough open looks to keep this game close, and if they can come close on the boards, they will be there at the end.
We expect a close game, but Syracuse will dictate the tempo. Expect a lower-scoring game, with Syracuse’s Rick Jackson being just a little too much for Marquette’s interior defense to handle.
Prediction: Syracuse 68 Marquette 62
8:40 PM on TNT
Kansas (23) vs. Illinois (1)
Kansas remembers well what happened one year ago just down I-44 in OKC from where they are playing today. The Jayhawks exited the tournament as one of the co-favorites to win it all, when Northern Iowa pulled off a major shocker.
We do not see KU meeting a similar fate in Tulsa today. This team is loaded with talent, both inside and outside, and they have no major liabilities to be exploited. Markieff and Marcus Morris are the best set of twins in college basketball since the Van Arsdale brothers (Dick and Tom) in the 1960’s. The two combine for 31 points and 15+ rebounds per game. Off the bench, beefy Thomas Robinson provides extra inside punch.
The taller of the twins, Markieff can set up outside and bury the three-pointer or pass high-low to his brother. It is hard to stop both, so opponents have to sell out to stop the inside threat first.
Illinois greatly underachieved this season. The Illini should have contended for second place in the Big Ten and should have won five or six additional games. A team talented enough to beat North Carolina by 12 points as well as Oakland, Gonzaga, Wisconsin, and Penn State handily also lost to Illinois-Chicago and Indiana. For the Illini to have a chance in this game, they will have to penetrate the KU defense and force fouls. For two reasons, we do not believe that will work today. First, the officiating in this tournament has been very relaxed. Second, we do not believe Illinois point guard Demetri McCamey can get through the front line of defense enough times to change the outcome of the game.
Prediction: Kansas 80 Illinois 68
9:45 PM on TBS
Notre Dame (11) vs. Florida State (2)
Too bad this one isn’t being played at the Fiesta Bowl. These former football rivals will meet in Chicago where the St. Patrick’s Day celebrants should be back to normal today. We consider Notre Dame to have a slight near-home court advantage, and the Irish really do not need anything extra to win this game.
Florida State gets extra points for Chris Singleton’s return from injury. However, Singleton scored just five points and grabbed just two rebounds in 16 minutes of play in the win over Texas A&M; this was not very Kyrie Irving-like. He is not ready to take the Seminoles on his shoulders and lead them into the Sweet 16.
Prediction: Notre Dame 65 Florida State 59
Coming Later This Week: We will update the PiRate Criteria Scores based on the two games each of the Sweet 16 teams playe
The Pi-Rate Ratings 