Thursday's Sweet 16 Picks

6 Arizona vs. 2 Ohio State
These two teams roar into the Sweet 16, despite different expectations when the tournament began. Many had the Wildcats getting upset by Belmont, while Ohio State was a popular Elite Eight/Final Four selection. Though it was the Buckeyes who struggled to get past the 10 seed Iowa State, as they needed a buzzer beater from Aaron Craft to beat the Cyclones. This one has an interesting point guard battle as Craft and his playmaking ability face Xavier transfer Mark Lyons, who can score on a dime. Both have been on fire, Craft hitting shots and showing his dominant defense as well, while Lyons scored 50 combined in Arizona's first two games. Both of these teams have stretch forwards as Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas takes shot after shot, and Arizona's Solomon Hill plays aggressive defense and has a good mid range game. Whoever has the better game should lead their squad to a victory and the Elite Eight. My money is on Thomas who always plays even better in the tournament.
Ohio State, 68 Arizona, 62

Vander Blue

2 Miami vs. 3 Marquette

The Miami Hurricanes, a very popular championship pick didn't dominate Illinois in the third round and they have an even tougher match up against the Marquette Golden Eagles. Miami will use ball screens to free up their leading scorer, point guard Shane Larkin who can nail the three and has improved his passing in his sophomore year. Marquette has a number of guards who can score including Vander Blue and Arizona State transfer Trent Lockett but their defense may have troubles containing Larkin and Durand Scott. The key could be in the low post where the Hurricanes will be without leading rebounder Reggie Johnson who is a lot to handle. This means Jim Larranaga's club must get huge contributions from Kenny Kadji and the rest of their frontcourt. If they do, the 'Canes should be able to beat Marquette.
Miami, 73 Marquette, 65

9 Wichita State vs. 13 La Salle
Two Cinderella's square off in this one, with a chance in the Elite Eight on the line. La Salle has relied heavily on explosive guard Ramon Galloway to beat Kansas State and then Ole Miss, busting a ton of brackets. The Explorers must shut down the Wichita State Shockers who has handled Pitt and Gonzaga in the first rounds thanks to junior Cleanthony Early who is leading the team in both scoring and rebounding in this tournament. Neither of these teams are very flashy, the Shockers win games by playing tough and stingy defense. The Explorers can score with players other than Galloway, like Tyrone Garland but even that dynamic combo could have some struggles putting up points against a Shockers that only allows 60 points a game. If Early gets some help from his teammates and they don't let Galloway become a factor, Wichita State should dance into the Elite Eight.
Wichita State, 68 La Salle, 61

1 Indiana vs. 4 Syracuse

Cody Zeller and Yogi Ferrell

Two of college basketball's perennial powers meet in DC, both playing great basketball. The Hoosiers were eliminated by Kentucky in last year's Sweet 16, but they didn't have Victor Oladipo playing the way he is, and Cody Zeller consistently dominating down low. Oladipo continues to be the key for Indiana, when he struggles the team struggles, but when he plays well the team usually wins games. His ability to attack the rim, hit shots on the perimeter and play psychical defense always give Indiana a good shot. Meanwhile, the Orange spread the ball around on offense and can shut teams down with their great zone defense. The X-factor for Syracuse is point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who is fantastic when he is on his game, but at times he turns the ball over at an incredible rate and struggles to find his shot. He must also be a factor on the defensive end, as he must force Indiana's freshman point guard Yogi Ferrell to turn the ball over.
Indiana, 76 Syracuse, 66

Oregon vs. Oklahoma State, Colorado State vs. Missouri Game Previews

5 Oklahoma State vs. 12 Oregon, 4:40 PM ET

Marcus Smart

The disrespected Oregon Ducks (26-8, 12-6 Pac 12) take on an Oklahoma State team with a fantastic freshman in Marcus Smart. Smart has proved he can score anytime he touches the ball and also is a great passer. That should be key against an Oregon team that plays aggressive defense. Not only do the Cowboys possess Smart who does everything on the floor, they have a load of other scoring threats including deadeye shooter Phil Forte, Michael Cobbins and improving sophomore Le'Bryan Nash. Oregon, meanwhile looks to turn their season with point guard Dominic Artis, who has struggled with injuries this year. Artis is the key to the Ducks' offensive success as his speed is important in transition, his smarts are key late in games and his shooting is very big. The Ducks advantage, though, lies in the paint. Oregon has strong Tony Woods to snatch rebounds and score and Arsalan Kazemi has shown he can make big contributions to the team. With very little low post presences to speak of it could end up being Oklahoma State's downfall. This one should be a end to end game as both teams appear pretty evenly matched. The key will be how Smart and the rest of an inexperienced Cowboys' squad performs on the big stage of the NCAA tournament. If the Big 12 Player of the Year plays the way he has all season the Cowboys walk away with the win.
Oklahoma State, 70 Oregon, 63

8 Colorado State vs. 9 Missouri, 9:20 PM ET

Phil Pressey

Colorado State returns to the NCAA tournament after being upset by Murray State in last year's second round. The Rams have relied heavily on center Colton Iverson, who is averaging 14.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. This year, Frank Haith's team finally has the size to deal with the dangerous Iverson after last year's stunning loss to Norfolk State in which Kyle O'Quinn carved them up down low. UConn transfer Alex Oriakhi needs to play the way he did when the Huskies went on their tournament run two years ago. He needs to play big and smart to lead these Tigers. Another key player for Mizzou is point guard Phil Pressey who has proven he can run the offense smoothly. He has also proven at the end of games he'll take crazy shots and commit too many turnovers. Haith needs Pressey to play under control and the rest of these Tigers to play good defense against a Colorado State squad with a lot of scoring threats in the backcourt including Wes Eikmeier who averages nearly 13 points a game. If the Rams out rebound the Tigers like they have against nearly every other opponent in could be a long game for Missouri no matter how many points Pressey, Oriakhi and Laurence Bowers (14.4 points per game) score against CSU's tough defense.
Colorado State, 66 Missouri, 58

East Region Analysis

Shane Larkin

Many believe Miami should have gotten a number one seed, but being a two seed shouldn't hurt the Hurricanes' title chances. They have proven they can win big games thanks to a fantastic point guard in Shane Larkin, a solid shooting guard in Durand Scott and depth and talent in the low post. They look like they have a easy route to the Sweet 16, unless Illinois starts playing like they were the season first began. The only startling, and scary, thing about the 'Canes is the complete lack of experience. Not one player on their roster has played a tournament game. Jim Larranaga came from George Washington, where the team was a constant tournament squad, but he has never had the lofty expectations placed on Miami this year.

Rotnei Clarke

After missing out on the tournament last year, Butler and coach Brad Stevens are back to make another Cinderella story. This year, the route will be just as tough as in previous seasons. Bucknell, the Patriot League champ, has one of the nation's most underrated players in Mike Muscala and can beat down Butler. Though with clutch shooter Rotnei Clarke leading the way, anything is possible for a team that always seems to win when it is March.

If Butler isn't the Cinderella in this region, it should be the 13th seeded Montana Grizzlies. Last year, the Grizzlies were a popular dark horse pick to beat Jordan Taylor and the Wisconsin Badgers. But, they played terrible and shot as poor as possible. This year, with that experience in the back of their head, Montana could pull the upset over Syracuse. They have quite the player in guard Will Cherry. Cherry is a great scorer averaging 13.9 a game, a great passer and one of the best defenders in the mid major ranks. If they can get past Syracuse they could beat a UNLV team without a great backcourt.

Another possible upset in this region? The 14th seed, Davidson, could pull an upset over a vulnerable Marquette squad. The Cougars have a lot of depth which may be surprising for a team from the Southern Conference and have a serious threat in De'Mon Brooks who has size and athleticism. He is second on the team in scoring and is a factor in the rebounding game averaging 6.2 a game. Marquette could have trouble containing Brooks due to a frontcourt with very, very little depth. The Cougars may have their most dangerous squad since Steph Curry was nailing threes in a Davidson uniform.

Remember when Illinois was in the Top 10 and had beaten a very good Gonzaga team? Things went south from there, but the Fighting Illini could still make things interesting in the East region. They have a great backcourt headlined by Brandon Paul, D.J. Richarson and Tracy Abrams. They also have a coach in John Groce who has already showed he can win in the tournament while at Ohio. They face a dangerous Colorado team in the second round and Miami likely after that. But, if they can get things going early, who knows, the Fighting Illini might make some noise in this year's tournament.

My Pick: Miami over Indiana

West Region Analysis

Aaron Craft

All though the West has been ripped for being the worst region it has three very dangerous teams. One of them is Ohio State who comes into the tournament playing their best basketball of the season. They have a smart, efficient Aaron Craft who has shown he can shut down opposing point guards. If they get guys to step up around high scoring Deshaun Thomas the Buckeyes could find themselves in the Final Four. New Mexico could be very scary as they have showed they can shoot and defend well. With three-point bomber Kendall Williams playing well they can beat anyone. Wisconsin could also go deep in this tournament. They have size, good shooters and Bo Ryan's teams always seem to have success in the tournament. All three of these could find themselves winning the West.

People are quick to call Gonzaga overrated but they still be a tough out in the West. Few teams can match Kelly Olynyk in the low post and they can spread out the floor with their great guards Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell. They should get into the Sweet 16 where I believe Wisconsin will beat them. Everybody says the bad them about the Bulldogs is that they haven't played anyone. But, they could be fantastic and just haven't proved it yet. So, don't think these 'Zags will go down early.

Marshall Henderson

If Ole Miss had any other team in the West I think they would find themselves in the third round. But, they have the Badgers and that is never a good thing. Few players can take over the game like Ole Miss' Marshall Henderson who will take nearly every shot on the floor. If he has a great shooting night and the Rebels get contributions from players like Murphy Holloway and Jarvis Summers, who knows, they could make a run.

The Ohio Valley Conference has been the conference of upsets the past couple of years. Morehead State has had success in the tournament and Murray State has been dangerous over the past couple of years. Belmont should be the next bracket buster from the OVC. They take on an Arizona team without a lot of size and inconsistent guard play from Mark Lyons and Nick Johnson. With star Ian Clark and great passing Kerron Johnson the Bruins should beat Sean Miller's Wildcats and might give New Mexico some issues in the third round.

My Pick: Ohio State over Wisconsin

South Region Analysis

Ben McLemore

Kansas looks like they are suiting up for another deep tournament run. They have a great, steady point guard who has played in big games in Elijah Johnson, shot blocking Jeff Withey and fantastic perimeter play in Ben McLemore. If they can get past a tough Sweet 16 match up likely against the winner of Michigan/VCU, they should fly into the Final Four.

If we see a 15 seed upset a 2 seed this year, it will likely be Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown. The Eagles have played Duke and Miami this season and even beat the Hurricanes by 12, so they will not be intimidated by the Hoyas. FGCU has a high scoring backcourt and should pressure a Georgetown team without a lot of quality ball handlers. If they can pull a huge upset over the Hoyas they have a pretty favorable game against the winner of San Diego State/Oklahoma both who have inconsistent seasons.

VCU's Briante Weber

"Havoc" is coming back to the NCAA tournament and you bet teams are worried about it. VCU uses this up-tempo, high pressure press to force team to make mistakes and speed up the game to their liking. Akron had a pretty good year in the MAC but does not have star point guard Alex Abreu, which should hurt them even more against this press. If the Rams can get past the Zips they will get the winner of Michigan/South Dakota State both who have star point guards. It will be interesting to see if they can ride Havoc deep into the tournament.

Minnesota came into this tournament reeling, losing every game after pulling the huge upset over Indiana. Though they got a pretty good draw, going up against UCLA, a team without one of their most important players in Jordan Adams. The Gophers have the edge in athleticism down low where they possess Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams. Their backcourt is amazingly inconsistent but if they can shut down Larry Drew and Shabazz Muhammed the Gophers should be in good shape to advance to the third round where they will most likely get Florida, a team without much momentum.

As weird as it was to see Kentucky not in the Field of 68 it was even more surprising to see UNC at an eight seed. They will get the hot Villanova Wildcats who have a great point guard in Ryan Arcidiacono and a fantastic big man in JayVaughn Pinkston who can score and rebound effectively. He will have to have a great game to shut down UNC's James Michael McAdoo who leads the Tar Heels' in scoring. The winner of this match up will meet up with Kansas, and don't think an upset isn't possible.

My Pick: Kansas over Florida

Midwest Region Analysis

Peyton Siva

The Louisville Cardinals are on a roll. The squad won the Big East for the second straight year, then gained a number one overall seed. Their hot streak should not stop there. They will the play the winner of Colorado State and Missouri. Louisville already handled Mizzou earlier in the year meaning the team they should fear the most would be the Rams who present five seniors.

How did Oregon, a 26-8 team that won the Pac-12 tournament reach a 12 seed? They will get the Cowboys of Oklahoma State led by super freshman Marcus Smart. If they get big contributions from big men Arsalan Kazemi and Tony Woods they should use their size to beat OSU.

Oregon Ducks

Assuming Duke beats Albany in the second round they should be very worried about their next matchup.They will either get the Creighton Bluejays, the king of the Missouri Valley or Cincinnati who looks like they are climbing out of a slump. The importance of Ryan Kelly should be shown in this game. Creighton's star Doug McDermott can stretch the floor, dominating in the low post then using his arsenal of skills to hit shots on the perimeter. Kelly is very mobile, as he can easily guard McDermott nobody where he is. They will also need Kelly to handle the Bearcats' undersized forwards.

Many might look at St. Louis and right them off. But, if the Billikens can get past an interesting New Mexico State team in the second round they can easily hit the Sweet 16 and might even have a chance at pulling an upset over Louisville. They went 13-3 in a pretty tough Atlantic 10 thanks to great play from junior Dwayne Evans who led them in points and rebounds per game. They also have a load of ball handlers at should help them against pressure defenders.

This isn't the best Michigan State team we've seen the past couple of years but they should still be a tough out. Few teams can match colossal Derrick Nix in the paint and they have fantastic guard play from Keith Appling and Gary Harris, both good shooters. They should roll past Valpo and eventually into the Sweet 16 which I believe they will meet Duke. It should be a great game and we could see the Spartans in the Elite Eight.

My Pick: Louisville over Duke

MLB Preview: AL East

Jose Bautista

1. Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto was tired of losing so they changed things up this offseason. They traded for R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and Jose Reyes and then signed controversial outfielder Melky Cabrera. The addition of Dickey, Buehrle and Johnson helps improve one of the worst pitching staffs in the AL last season. The Jays are also hoping that former ace Ricky Romero returns to form after an atrocious 2012. Reyes should really help Toronto's lineup. The past few years Toronto has relied on power led by Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion but Reyes adds the dynamic of speed and a great on base percentage, if he can stay healthy. With Bautista healthy and Encarnacion and Colby Rasmus on their roster, the Blue Jays shouldn't suffer too much in the home run department. Cabrera could have an All-Star season or could be average, you never know. He had a great season in San Francisco before being suspended. With the Yankees unhealthy, the Red Sox rebuilding their has never been a better opportunity for the Jays to win the AL East.

PROJECTED LINEUP                                 PITCHING STAFF                

SS Jose Reyes                                            SP R.A. Dickey
LF Melky Cabrera                                     SP Mark Buehrle
RF Jose Bautista                                        SP Josh Johnson
DH Edwin Encarnacion                            SP Brandon Morrow
3B Brett Lawrie                                        SP Ricky Romrero
1B Adam Lind
CF Colby Rasmus
C J.P. Arencibia
2B Emilio Bonifacio

2. Baltimore Orioles

Adam Jones

The O's were a pleasant surprise in 2012 winning 93 games and reaching the ALDS. Not much should change this season as they retain a lot of last year's stars. Catcher Matt Wieters has the talent to be dominat in 2013, while they also get major contributions from Nick Markakis, J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones. Though the pitching was key to last year's success. The Orioles will be forced to lean heavily on pitchers like Jason Hammel, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman. Not much star power but there is enough to get the job done. In order to get into the playoffs though, the O's need a big year from Manny Machado who has the potential to do great things and designated hitter Chris Davis, who may also spend time at first base. Baltimore could fall back to Earth this year but they should still be a power out East.
PROJECTED LINEUP                             PITCHING STAFF             
2B Brian Roberts                                      SP Jason Hammel
RF Nick Markakis                                    SP Chris Tillman
CF Adam Jones                                         SP Wei-Yin Chen
C Matt Wieters                                         SP Miguel Gonzalez
1B Chris Davis                                         SP Brian Matusz
SS J.J. Hardy
3B Manny Machado
LF Nate McLouth 
DH Wilson Betemit

3. New York Yankees
This could be an odd year for the Yankees. Alex Rodriguez is out for much of the season, in fact, maybe the whole year. Derek Jeter is starting to decline and they have no catcher to speak of. Though, there is still talent on the New York's roster. C.C. Sabathia is still a 20 win threat every single year and Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira can still be All-Stars. Other than Sabathia the staff is still loaded with talent. Phil Hughes is continuing to improve and Hiroki Kuroda has proven he can be a beast on the mound. New York doesn't look quite as powerful this year as the past couple, but with their experienced vets they should still be a playoff contender.
PROJECTED LINEUP                          PITCHING STAFF
RF Ichiro                                             SP C.C. Sabathia
SS Derek Jeter                                    SP Hiroki Kuroda
2B Robinson Cano                              SP Phil Hughes
1B Mark Teixeira                               SP Andy Pettitte
3B Kevin Youkillis                              SP Ivan Nova
DH Travis Hafner
LF Brett Gardner
CF Matt Diaz
C Francisco Cervelli 

4. Tampa Bay Rays
It should be another 80 win season for the Rays but the real question is whether or not they can make it over the hump and into the playoffs. Ace David Price returns after winning 20 games and recording a 2.56 ERA. Though, the Rays will be without another one of their star pitchers after shipping James Shields to Kansas City in the Wil Meyers deal. The lineup has star power and some great fielders. Evan Longoria should continue to be a MVP candidate on the hot corner and right fielder Ben Zobrist provides great value. Though catcher and first base should gives Tampa some growing pains through the 2013 season. Without Shields the Rays should lean heavily on improving starter Jeremy Hellickson and Alex Cobb. They may also need some help from the bullpen where they will use Fernando Rodney and Kyle Farnsworth to close out games.
PROJECTED LINEUP                           PITCHING STAFF
CF Desmond Jennings                             SP David Price
SS Yunel Escobar                                   SP Jeremy Hellickson
RF Ben Zobrist                                       SP Alex Cobb
3B Evan Longoria                                  SP Matt Moore
DH Luke Scott                                        SP Jeff Niemann
LF Matt Joyce
2B Kelly Johnson
1B James Loney
C Jose Molina

5. Boston Red Sox
Disaster was a huge understatement for the Red Sox in 2012. After hiring Bobby Valentine as manager and retaining Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford it seemed like Boston could ride their talent all the way to the World Series. Then, the perfect storm of injuries, distractions and poor play led to a 69-93 year. Boston looks different in '13 but not much better. They still have some talent in Dustin Pedroia, Shane Victorino and aging vet David Ortiz. Ortiz continues to slap home runs occasionally but not at the rate at which he used to. The staff also has some good players but overall doesn't have much depth and can be wildly inconsistent. Jon Lester hopes to recover from a 2012, in which he went 9-14 and had a 4.82 ERA. Boston may improve this season but not enough that they will be in serious playoff contention.
PROJECTED LINEUP                              PITCHING STAFF
CF Jacoby Ellsbury                                     SP Jon Lester
2B Dustin Pedroia                                      SP Ryan Dempster
DH David Ortiz                                           SP Clay Buchholz
1B Mike Napoli                                          SP John Lackey
RF Shane Victorino                                    SP Felix Doubront
3B Will Middlebrooks
SS Stephen Drew
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
LF Jonny Gomes

Gonzaga Overrated?

Kevin Pangos

Kelly Olynyk

In a season where top five teams seem to fall everyday Gonzaga has been like a rock. They are undefeated inside the West Coast Conference and their only losses have been to previously ranked Illinois and Butler. Then this Sunday, they got a huge reward as the polls placed them as number one for the first time in school history. But, the question remains, are the 'Zags true title contenders or just a strong team from a weak conference? First things first, we have to look at their schedule to this point. They have only beat two ranked teams this whole season in Kansas State and a one point victory over Oklahoma State. They have dominated weak teams like West Virginia by 34, Portland by 29 and Loyola Marymont by 35. But, other top five teams can beat those teams just as easily as well. The Bulldogs and coach Mark Few are smart, rarely settling for tough shots. In fact, that plan of attack has led to Gonzaga having a .505 field goal percentage, which is 3rd best in the nation. They have a dominant low post presence in seven-footer Kelly Olynyk, who averages 17.7 points per game and can clean up the glass well recording seven boards a game. As good as a season as it has been for Few and Gonzaga the season has to be measured by how they finish up in the NCAA tournament. If the Bulldogs went up against say, a Duke or Indiana they would actually match up well. Olynyk could stifle beasts like Plumlee or Zeller and point guard Kevin Pangos has the speed, smarts and court vision to hang with any point guard in the nation. Considering they are undefeated inside the WCC (even if it is a weak conference) and have just two losses in this crazy season they probably deserve the number one ranking and shouldn't be considered overrated. But, as far as the tournament goes, the Bulldogs still have a lot to prove. They can get to the Elite Eight without too many troubles but they need big games from Wooden Award candidate Olynyk, Pangos and forward Elias Harris in order to get to Atlanta.

Gonzaga Resume:
+ WCC regular season title
+ Wins against KSU, OSU
+ Undefeated inside conference
- Soft schedule
- Loss to Illinois