Elite Eight Preview: South Region

Duke Blue Devils vs. Baylor Bears

Atlantic Coast Conference Champion Duke and Baylor Bears compete for the place in the Final Four.

Duke is ranked 3rd in RPI rank and Baylor is ranked 9th. They scored about the same per game(78 and 77.6) but Duke allowed opponents to score 61.8 points per game; Baylor, 65.9 points per game. Rebound margins of Duke and Baylor are 5.9 and 6.7 but turnover margins are 3.8 and -1.8. Baylor causes many more turnovers while getting more rebounds. Rest of team stats is pretty similar.

Jon Scheyer

Duke Blue Devils have three players who scored over 17 points per game: Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith. Brian Zoubek and Kyle Singler together rebounded 14.4 per game. Jon Scheyer is a good guard and he averaged 4.9 assists per game with only 1.7 turnovers per game. Duke has two awesome guards, good forward and tall center. Brian Zoubek is 7-1 tall center. Even though he plays about 18 minutes per game, he rebounds 7 and is a threat under the basket. Their bench members are neither strong nor weak. Duke rarely causes trouble by making a lot of turnovers. A senior guard, Jon Scheyer, is a great leader and doesn’t get into a trouble when handling the ball. Kyle Singler is a good three-point shooter and will help at clutch moments.

Ekpe Udoh

Baylor Bears also have three players who scored over 13.9 points per game: LaceDurius Dunn, Tweety Carter, Ekpe Udoh. Ekpe Udoh, a junior, is a forward-center who rebounded 9.7 per game. He will score under the basket. A junior guard, LaceDurius Dunn, scored 19.4 points per game and his 3-points percentage is 42%. Tweety Carter is a short guard and his passes are neither good nor bad. Over the season, Baylor caused 473 turnovers which is not a good number but also is not bad. Baylor’s Field Goal Percentage is 49% and Duke will need to defend properly in order to win.

It will be interesting to see the battle under the basket between Brian Zoubek and Kyle Singler of Duke and Ekpe Udoh of Baylor. If you love basketball, if you are a forward, if you cheer for Duke or Baylor, you must watch this game. I predict that Duke will advance to the Final Four.

Photos via ESPN

Sweet Sixteen Preview: South Bracket

NCAA

Duke Blue Devils vs. Purdue Boilermakers

The Blue Devils are the 4th ranked team in the nation. Duke failed to advance past the Sweet Sixteen for past five years and this year they are expected to move on to Elite 8. This year, Duke has been carried by three Blue Devils: Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. Each averages 18.4, 17.1, 17.7 points per game. However, in previous rounds Duke met easy teams and allowed starters to rest. Still, Duke’s starters are in good shape and ready to win the next game.

The Boilermakers are 29-5 on the season and they played strong teams like Ohio State. E’Twaun Moore, a star player, averages 16.4 points per game and his teammates include good forwards such as Robbie Hummel who averages 15.7 ppg and 6.9 rebounds per game. JuJuan Johnson led the team in the first round of the tournament with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Many players in the depth chart can score double digit points.

Duke Blue Devils are expected to move on to the Elite 8 as long as their starters play like last two games.

Baylor Bears vs. St. Mary’s Gaels

The Baylor Bears are lead by their star guard LaceDarius Dunn who averages 19.5 ppg in this tournament. Ekpe Udoh, forward, averages 14.0 ppg and has potential to shine. Bears have the record of 27-7 including games against Kansas and Kansas State. Their bench players and rest of the starters are pretty weak. However, their experiences playing against Kansas, Kansas State, Texas A&M will help the Bears.

The Gaels had huge upset last week defeating Villanova. Omar Samhan who plays rough is the key player of the team. He scored 29 and 32 in this tournament and Mickey McCornell also scored 18.5 per game. Their guards can hit the threes so even if the Bears manage to block two Gaels under the hoop, they need some good perimeter defense.

Omar Samhan is the key player of the game. If he manages to play like his previous games, it would be a tough game for the Bears. St. Mary’s Gaels are expected to move on to the Elite 8.

Photo via WNY Media