Midwest Region
CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Neb.
Friday: Kansas vs. Clemson (7:07 p.m. ET, CBS) and Duke vs. Syracuse (approx. 9:37 p.m. ET, CBS) No. 1 KANSAS (29-7) Why they can advance: Devonte’ Graham. The senior was a bit spotty against Seton Hall, but his all-around contributions at the point are the primary reason the Jayhawks won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and find themselves two games away from a Final Four trip.
What could stop them: Allowing secondchance opportunities. Kansas ranks just 293rd nationally in defensive rebounding percentage, with opponents collecting 31.4 percent of their own misses. It was an especially troublesome problem in home losses to Oklahoma State and Texas Tech this season. Luckily for Kansas, that doesn’t play to Clemson’s strengths. No. 2 DUKE (28-7) Why they can advance: The Blue Devils possess arguably the most talented starting lineup in the sport. Marvin Bagley III is a national player of the year candidate, Wendell Carter Jr. is an excellent complement in the post and senior Grayson Allen hasn’t struggled as much of late. Also: Duke beat Syracuse 60-44 last month. What could stop them: The Blue Devils were leaky defensively before turning to a 2-3 zone in the middle of the season. And while Syracuse didn’t shred the zone in the teams’ first meeting, who knows more about dealing with a 2-3 more than Jim Boeheim and the Orange? No. 5 CLEMSON (25-9) Why they can advance: Tough, smart guards. That Clemson has gotten this far after the midseason loss of forward Donte Grantham is a testament to coach Brad Brownell’s resourcefulness. But he couldn’t have coaxed this out of the Tigers if their backcourt wasn’t so savvy. Marcquise Reed, Gabe DeVoe and Shelton Mitchell can create problems for anyone.
What could stop them: A cold spell on offense. The Tigers aren’t a great offensive rebounding team, and were only in the middle of the pack in offensive efficiency in the ACC. Their defense can keep them in most games, but they have moments when their shooting disappears for a while.
No. 11 SYRACUSE (23-13) Why they can advance: Tyus
Battle, Oshae Brissett and
Frank Howard can score just enough, and the Orange’s
2-3 zone has already induced enough opponents to engage in nearly unwatchable rock fights this season. Why not one or two more?
What could stop them: Syracuse is a poor shooting team, and ranks 322nd in the country from 2-point range and 309th on 3-point field goal percentage according to KenPom.com. Teams might not score much more than 60 points against the Orange, but that could well be enough to advance.