Men's NCAA Tournament East Region Round 3 Breakdowns
Compared to the other three regions in the NCAA tournament, this region was tame by comparison. Where teams like Missouri, Duke, Temple and Michigan all suffered upsets in the other brackets, the top eight seeds all survived to move on to the third round. This sets up four matchups that were by and large expected.
Which teams will move on to Boston and which ones will go home? Let’s take a look at the matchups:
NO. 1 Syracuse VS. NO. 8 Kansas State (12:15 p.m. Saturday at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
When Syracuse announced sophomore guard Fab Melo was declared ineligible for the tournament due to unspecified issues, many speculated the Orange would have trouble making it past the sweet 16. No one thought Syracuse would have problems with the No. 16 seed UNC-Asheville squad, but Asheville hung on to the bitter end before Syracuse pulled away for a 72-65 victory. Syracuse (32-2) got the majority of its scoring from the bench when forward James Southerland led the way with 15 points and guard Dion Waiters added 12 points. Forward C.J. Fair, who averages 8.5 points per game, was held to three points by Asheville’s defense. Kansas State (22-10) had a similar scare against Southern Miss before the Wildcats won 70-64 in a second-round matchup. Rodney McGruder led the way with 30 points and Jordan Henriquez added 15 points. The Big East may have played a tougher all-around schedule than the Big 12, but Melo’s absence will finally cost Syracuse big time. Look for the Orange to fall and Kansas State to move on to Boston.
NO. 2 Ohio State VS. NO. 7 Gonzaga (2:45 p.m. Saturday at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
The biggest worry many Ohio State fans have is what happens when Jared Sullinger has an off night. The answer? When Deshaun Thomas explodes for a solid performance, it makes Sullinger’s weak night pale by comparison. Thomas scored 31 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in a 78-59 win over Loyola (Maryland), while William Buford added 17 points to offset Sullinger’s 12-point night. Ohio State (28-7) faces a Gonzaga squad that many people thought would not move on. Many people assumed West Virginia would handle Gonzaga by virtue of its tough Big East schedule, but Gonzaga (26-6) easily handled West Virginia 77-54 to move on to the third round. Gonzaga picked up 14 points from Robert Sacre and Gary Bell Jr., 13 points from Kevin Pangos and 10 points from Elias Harris. These teams are more evenly matched than you might expect. Ohio State ranks in the top 60 in four major offensive categories (scoring, rebounds, assists and shooting), including a 12th-best 48.6 percent from the field. Gonzaga’s weak spot is its assists (13.7 per game, 95th), but it ranks top 50 in the other categories. Gonzaga could knock off Ohio State if Sullinger has an off day, but the Buckeyes should prevail and move on to Boston.
NO. 3 Florida State VS. NO. 6 Cincinnati (Sunday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, time to be announced)
The team many pegged as an upset special almost ended up upset in a wild Thursday contest. Florida State nearly fell to Atlantic-10 champion St. Bonaventure, but a 16-2 run late in the second half helped the Seminoles to a 66-63 victory and a third-round appearance. Florida State (25-9) almost had a repeat of its last tournament appearance in Nashville in 1989, when the Seminoles lost to Middle Tennessee State in a shocking surprise. Bernard James just missed a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Luke Loucks scored 13 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists. Cincinnati survived an upset-minded Texas squad to prevail 65-59, thanks to the Bearcats (25-10) jumping out to a 16-2 lead at the start of the game and holding on from there. Texas outscored Cincinnati 42-34 in the second half, which exposed a potential weakness in the Bearcats’ defense. Texas was 7-for-20 (35 percent) from 3-point range in the game, so if Florida State can launch a barrage of threes then Cincinnati could be in trouble. Florida State has 69.9 points per game, good for 124th in the country, and its 36.9 rebounds per game rank 52nd. Cincinnati’s average is 68.5 points per game and it is generally weaker in the other offensive categories. Look for Florida State to move on to the regional semifinals.
NO. 4 Wisconsin VS. NO. 5 Vanderbilt (6:10 p.m. Saturday at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico)
The best defense in the Big Ten (and one of the best in the country) matches up against one of the Southeastern Conference’s surprise teams in the third round. Wisconsin’s stifling defense was on display against Montana, when the Badgers won 73-49 behind 18 points and eight rebounds from Ryan Evans and 17 points from Jordan Taylor. Wisconsin held Montana to 18-for-47 shooting from the field, which was impressive even when you consider just how good the Badgers are on defense. Wisconsin (25-9) improved to 10-1 in NCAA openers under Coach Bo Ryan, but now the road gets more difficult. Vanderbilt (25-10) dispatched Harvard 79-70 in the second round, putting an end to one of the best stories of the season (Harvard’s first appearance since 1946 in the NCAA tournament). Vanderbilt qualified for the tournament in 2008, 2010 and 2011 but did not win; this year was the exception. The Commodores were 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range, and Wisconsin will need to stop the perimeter shooting if it has any chance of winning the game. John Jenkins (27 points), Brad Tinsley (16) and Jeffery Taylor (15) all were in double figures for Vanderbilt. The Commodores may be the fifth seed, but if two or three players can get hot then Vanderbilt should have less trouble moving on to Boston. Look for Vanderbilt to end Wisconsin’s season.
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