The Sweet 16 of the 2013 NCAA tournament is but a few days away, and there have already been plenty of theatrics in the historic tournament this year.
The East region's top seeds—Indiana, Miami (FL), Marquette and Syracuse—all won nail-biters in the round of 32 to advance.
Miami (FL) and Marquette will tip things off on Thursday in the East region, while Indiana and Syracuse will follow.
First, the Hurricanes have a weapon in sophomore point guard Shane Larkin who runs the half-court offense well and can light it up from the field. He posted 17 points and five assists against Illinois in the round of 32.
Third, they have been rebounding the ball much better recently (their rebounding rate over the last three games would rank them 17th in the nation over the course of the season).
Marquette narrowly defeated Davidson and Butler in its first two games of the NCAA tournament, but I see its run ending in the Sweet 16.
The Golden Eagles' struggles on offense over the past two games worry me. They had stretches during the regular season in which they were flat on offense, so it doesn't surprise me that they would struggle from the field again.
Davidson and Butler ranked 86th and 111th respectively in opponents' field-goal percentage this season. What happens when the Golden Eagles face a better defensive team in the Hurricanes?
Syracuse has the defense to defeat Indiana, but I fear that the Orange don't have the offense to ultimately emerge victorious against the Hoosiers in the Sweet 16.
Syracuse ranks second in opponents' field-goal percentage and seventh in defensive efficiency this season. Its defense is no joke.
It really depends on if Indiana plays to its potential offensively—the Hoosiers shot 42 percent against Temple in the round of 32, but star junior Victor Oladipo once again stepped up down the stretch, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Indiana also has a significant advantage on the glass. The Hoosiers rank seventh in offensive rebounding rate this season, while the Orange rank 252nd.
Barring a collapse from Indiana (which is certainly possible given the Hoosiers' inconsistency this season), I see the Hoosiers moving on.
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