Sweet Sixteen - EAST Bracket
2008 NCAA Basketball Betting Odds
Carolina reigns supreme thus far, but an easy road to the Sweet 16 doesn’t always mean a trouble free second weekend. There to do their best to dismantle the Tar Heels? A seasoned Washington State club that can light up a scoreboard with the best of them. The second game sees the only 2-3 match-up left in the Tournament. Louisville takes their shot at Tennessee, while the Vols do their best to keep their late game magic pulling rabbits out of hats. All the top seeds find themselves alive in the East, the only bracket to hold court.
East’s Sweet 16 Games
Game 1: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Washington State
Game 2: No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 2 Tennessee
What to Look For:
The Tar Heels put up the
highest point total thus far, and scored over 100 points in each of their first two games.
Ty Lawson looks like he’s back to 100% and these Tar Heels are firing on all cylinders. Washington State has been killing it on the defensive side of the floor, holding a good Winthrop team to 40 points (11 in the 2nd half) and an offensive powerhouse Notre Dame club to just 41 in yet another blowout victory. The Cougs are battle tested, and have been in their fair share of close games this season. With the confidence and outside shooting to give the Tar Heels a run, an upset here isn’t out of the question, but it would definitely be an upset.
Tyler Hansborough is a big time worker on the offensive end (defensively he’s average) and his ability to attack the hoop and draw fouls will almost certainly give the Cougars trouble. WSU only has two guys that can even pretend to guard Tyler, and when they get in foul trouble, the Tar Heels will be able to run a muck.
Cowgill and
Baines need to stay out of foul trouble, something they haven’t been able to do much this season, especially against tough front courts.
No trouble thus far for Louisville, but the same can’t be said for Tennessee. American, yes, it’s a college, gave the Vols all they could handle until the last five minutes or so, and Butler gave the Vols a big scare as well, taking the last shot in regulation before finally losing in overtime and keeping the
Vols NCAA dreams alive. Now comes the biggest test Tennessee has faced all tournament. Louisville has been hot, hitting threes at an alarming rate (21 in two games), and beating opponents with stellar defense. Tennessee relies on their elite athleticism, but I have a feeling that Louisville will match up with the Vols there. Second shots, blocks, and tipped passes won’t be as prevalent in this game and for that I’d have to give the nod to Louisville. Plus, the Vols just aren’t playing that well right now. Any team that doesn’t feel like they have to manage a game can get into trouble this late in the tournament. A note to the Vols; if you want to win this game, you’ll have to go out and run your offense well, because relying on put backs and your athleticism alone will end your tourney run. At this point in the game, seeds and
rankings are gone, whomever plays better gets the win.
Best Team Left: North Carolina
Some say they aren’t deep - get the hell out of here - this team is probably the deepest team in the Nation. They are strong from top to bottom, front court to back court, small to big, fast to powerful, inside game to 3-point shooting. But still, anyone can have a mediocre game, and there isn’t a questionable team left in this bracket. Being at home will help the Heels, but a home team crowd can only get you so far, being the Cougs will be a battle for 40 minutes, at least, and if the Heels can get to the Round of 8, there will be an explosive Cardinals team, or a former #1 Vols team ready to punch their ticket to the final four. Like I said before this tourney started, this bracket is impossibly tough.
