FRIDAY’S MEN’S SWEET 16 GAMES
East Region/Boston 1 Villanova (32-4) vs. 5 West Virginia (26-10)
Time, TV: 7:27 p.m. ET, TBS
Why Villanova will win: Much is made of Villanova’s offense, and rightly so. Its 86.9 points are almost a point more — 0.8, to be exact — than anyone else averaged this season, and it has made 12 or more threepointers in 21 games, including 17 in the second-round win vs. Alabama. The Wildcats have become a much better defensive team throughout the season, limiting their last five opponents to 70 points or fewer.
Why West Virginia will win: Sagaba Konate. Second in the country with 113 blocks, he changes the game around the basket. Avoid the rim, and your shooting percentage is going to suffer. Go at him, and you risk drawing an offensive foul. Making him all the more difficult is that Villanova hasn’t faced a player like him yet.
2 Purdue (30-6) vs. 3 Texas Tech (26-9)
Time, TV: 9:57 p.m., TBS
Why Purdue will win: Isaac Haas hopes a brace made for him by Purdue’s mechanical engineering students will allow him to play a week after breaking his right elbow, but coach Matt Painter made it sound unlikely. That’s a blow. But the Boilermakers figured out how to make do without their secondleading scorer in the second-round win against Butler, and the confidence and reassurance that gives them — freshman Matt Haarms in particular — is no small thing.
Why Texas Tech will win: The Red Raiders are crafty defensively. Jarrett Culver, Keenan Evans and Zhaire Smith each average more than a steal per game, giving them a chance to disrupt a Purdue offense that’s still adjusting to the loss of Haas. Also, the Red Raiders have come back from deficits in each of their first two games, so they aren’t out until the final buzzer sounds.
— Nancy Armour
Midwest Region/Omaha
1 Kansas (29-7) vs. 5 Clemson (25-9) Time, TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, CBS
Why Kansas will win: A balanced offense (each starter averages at least 12 points) could be fully functional. After missing the Big 12 tournament and playing limited minutes in the first two rounds nursing a sprained knee, sophomore center Udoka Azubuike is expected back. When Azubuike is healthy, he complements a four-guard lineup that is a very difficult matchup for defenses. Why Clemson will win: The Tigers blew out Auburn in the second round with a superlative defensive performance to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1997. Clemson’s interior defense, led by junior Marcquise Reed, has been very good; its trio of athletic guards will be a handful for Kansas’ perimeter players.
2 Duke (28-7) vs. 11 Syracuse (23-13)
Time, TV: approximately 9:37 p.m. ET, CBS
Why Duke will win: Despite four freshman starters, Duke might be the most talented team in the Sweet 16. That starts with freshman big man Marvin Bagley III, who led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring (21.2) and rebounding (11.3). After struggling defensively the first half of the season, the Blue Devils went almost exclusively to zone — a la Syracuse — and have won nine of 11. It plays into Syracuse’s weakness (32% three-point shooting). In the teams’ regular-season meeting, Duke allowed 44 points and won by 16.
Why Syracuse will win: The Orange barely made it into the tournament won a play-in game, then two more with Jim Boeheim’s trademark zone — which held Michigan State to 25.8% shooting. When it’s operating well, it doesn’t just cause opponents trouble, it frustrates them, which leads to more bad shots and further frustration.