East Region Round of 64 Game Breakdowns
#1 Villanova vs. #16 Lafayette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Villanova comes into the NCAA Tournament on fire as winners of 15 games in a row and winners of the Big East regular season and conference tournament. Guard Darrun Hilliard leads a very balanced offensive attack for the Wildcats that is averaging 76 points per game and have been very dominant all season long. Lafayette is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000 as the Patriot League tournament champion. The Leopards will need big performances by senior forward Dan Trist, who is averaging 17.3 points per game, and senior forward Seth Hinrichs, who is shooting nearly 40 percent from behind the three-point line.
#8 North Carolina State vs. #9 LSU (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
NC State will be looking to bounce back from a tough 77-53 loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. The Wolfpack have the talent to compete with anyone on any given day, led by Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner. But it’s a matter of consistency when it comes to the Wolfpack. LSU also has been very inconsistent as they took Kentucky down to the wire in Baton Rouge back on February 10th in a 71-69 loss. It will be up to forward Jarrell Martin to play up to his nearly 17 points and just under ten rebounds per game average in order for the Tigers to advance on to the round of 32.
#5 Northern Iowa vs. #12 Wyoming (Seattle, Washington)
Northern Iowa is the Missouri Valley Conference tournament champion and has been consistently one of the top 15 teams in the nation. Forward Seth Tuttle leads a Panthers attack that has averaged just over 65 points per game. Tuttle is averaging just over 15 points per game and just under seven rebounds per game and is going to be very vital to Northern Iowa making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Wyoming is the Mountain West Conference tournament champion after outlasting San Diego State 45-43 to get the automatic bid. The Cowboys are a very experienced team that has been steadily building for this moment and are led by Larry Nance Jr., who is averaging over 16 points per contest and will not be intimidated by the Panthers.
#4 Louisville vs. #13 UC Irvine (Seattle, Washington)
Louisville has adjusted well for the most part in year one of being a member of the ACC. Sophomore guard Terry Rozier leads the way for the Cardinals as Rozier has scored over 17 points per game. Montrezl Harrell balances out Rozier down low and he has been one of the most efficient inside scorers in the nation, shooting over 57 percent from the floor. UC Irvine is making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament and will provide a unique challenge for Louisville with 7-foot-6 inch center Mamadou Ndiaye. He is a huge shot blocking presence that will test the Cardinals as long Ndiaye can stay out of foul trouble.
#6 Providence vs. #11 Boise State / Dayton (Columbus, Ohio)
Providence senior forward LeDontae Henton is averaging nearly 20 points per game and was the Big East Player of the Year. Henton is the prototypical senior difference maker that could help the Friars make a nice long run in the NCAA Tournament. Boise State won the Mountain West Conference regular season title and are led by senior Derrick Marks, who is averaging 19.3 points per game. Dayton will play a home game in the opening round against the Broncos and, if they advance to play Providence, it will be up to redshirt senior Jordan Sibert to lead the Flyers into the next round.
#3 Oklahoma vs. #14 Albany (Columbus, Ohio)
The Sooners are led by Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield who has come up big on multiple occasions for Oklahoma this season. Forward TaShawn Thomas and guard Isaiah Cousins will also be very important for the Sooners in order them to advance. Thomas is shooting over 50 percent from the floor and Cousins is lethal from behind the three-point line. Albany is the America East conference tournament champion and a very experienced NCAA Tournament team, as this will be the third straight appearance for the Great Danes. It will be up to junior guard Peter Hooley to provide more clutch shooting against Oklahoma in order for Albany to have a shot at the upset.
#7 Michigan State vs. #10 Georgia (Charlotte, North Carolina)
The Spartans are getting hot at the right time. They upset Maryland in the Big Ten Conference Tourney and gave Wisconsin all they wanted in the championship game on Sunday. It will be up the trio of Travis Trice, Denzel Valentine and Branden Dawson to lead Michigan State if they are going to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. Georgia is back in the NCAA Tournament and will need the combo of Marcus Thornton and Kenny Gaines to be huge against the Spartans. Thornton is averaging just over 12 points and nearly ten rebounds per game and will need to control the paint for the Bulldogs to advance.
#2 Virginia vs. #15 Belmont (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Virginia comes into the NCAA Tournament having lost two of their last three games, but the extra time off by losing in the ACC semifinals may actually be a big benefit for the Cavaliers. Malcolm Brogdon leads Virginia offensively in scoring at just under 14 points per game and Justin Anderson, if he can back at full strength for the NCAA Tournament, makes the Cavaliers even that much more dangerous of a threat to get to the Final Four. Belmont is the Ohio Valley Conference tournament champion under the direction of veteran head coach Rick Byrd and are always a potential threat to pull an upset. Taylor Barnette, who used play at Virginia, hit the shot that sent the Bruins through to the NCAA Tournament and I am sure would love to find a way to help Belmont shock the Cavaliers in Charlotte.
Midwest Region Round of 64 Game Breakdowns
South Region Round of 64 Game Breakdowns
West Region Round of 64 Game Breakdowns
