The month of March is a huge month for sports. Professional basketball, hockey and soccer are all in full swing while Major League Baseball is participating in spring training to help prepare for a 162-game-long season. Then of course, the climax of College Basketball, March Madness, always seems to sweep people off their feet. Every year, the tournament amasses large numbers of filled brackets, accumulating to over 20 million for the men’s tournament. With the first and second rounds having just completed last weekend, this article will preview the third round, also known as the “Sweet Sixteen,” as the hunt for the NCAA championship intensifies.
As I’m writing this before the Sweet Sixteen games have started, here are my predictions for two exciting matchups I’m looking forward to: Alabama vs. BYU and Kentucky vs. Tennessee.
Alabama vs. BYU is set to be an offensive shootout. The Tide came into this game with the highest-scoring offense in the country, averaging nearly 91 points a game. Led by Mark Sears and Grant Nelson, the second-seeded Alabama defeated Robert Morris in the round of 64 and Saint Mary’s in the round of 32. The Tide makes a living off of three-point shooting and offensive rebounds. Speaking of three-point shooting, the BYU Cougars are well above average from beyond the arc: shooting 37% from three this season. The boys from Provo also score the ball at a high rate, sitting at 81 points per game. The sixth-seeded BYU beat a strong VCU squad and an impressive Wisconsin team en route to the Sweet Sixteen. In regards to my prediction, Alabama has not looked that impressive so far this tournament whereas BYU has looked like a final-four team on both sides of the ball. I think forward Richie Saunders is in for a big game and the Cougars win a tight one.
Kentucky and Tennessee are not strangers by any means. The two programs have been staples of SEC basketball for the last decade, and they will be squaring off for the third time this season on Friday. The Wildcats have won both matchups against the Vols this season, including a massive victory in Knoxville. The Wildcats countered Tennessee’s great defense with an even better offense, but will that be the case this time? Tennessee allows just 63.0 points per game, which is eighth in NCAA basketball. Kentucky averages 85 points per game which is sixth in college basketball. Kentucky ranks 15th in assist-to-turnover ratio, whereas the Vols are great at turning opposing teams over. Both teams have looked great so far in the tournament, but this time around, I’m going to side with Tennessee. Zakai Zeiglar, who is fifth in the nation in assists per game and Chaz Lanier have both looked great this tournament. Kentucky, though strong, has struggled defensively at times. Also, I find it hard to believe that a Tennessee team, coached by a legendary and experienced Rick Barnes, will lose to Kentucky for the third time.