NCAAB 2014 Sweet 16: Friday's Games

Table Guide

Column 1) Effective Field Goal Percentage. 2) Turnover Rate. 3) Free Throw Rate. 

4) Offensive Rebound Rate. 5) Defensive Effective Field Goal Percentage. 

6) Defensive Turnover Rate. 7) Defensive Free Throw Rate. 8) Defensive Rebound Rate. 

9) Offensive Rating (Higher is better). 10) Defensive Rating (Lower is better)

Iowa State (3) vs. UConn (7) - Georges Niang will be out of the game, but the Cyclones have done well to fill his spot with the more efficient Naz Long. The high scoring Iowa State attack will score at will, but will have to play solid defense in order to beat the Huskies in a game that is much closer than what the rankings would indicate. Shabazz Napier leads the way for a team that plays total shutdown defense. They should at least keep Iowa State at bay with their 10th ranked DRtg, but will need a more consistent offensive effort for the win.

Louisville (4) vs. Kentucky (8) - These two teams seem to be heading in different directions. Louisville has been shaky in their first two tournament games, but are no doubt the better overall team. Much like last year's national championship squad, Louisville is strong defensively (3rd DRtg) and hasn't missed a beat in that regard in the tournament. They'll look to Luke Hancock, Russ Smith, and Montrezl Harrell to right their offense. Kentucky may have the most raw talent in the entire tournament. Coach Cal seems to have brought it all together at the right time. If they can win the battle on the boards (2nd in ORB%, 90th in DRB%) they may shock the Cardinals.

Virginia (1) vs. Michigan State (4) - Even with their #4 ranking in the region, Michigan State is favored in the game by 2 points. This is due to the fact that the Spartans are peaking at the right moment, are finally completely healthy, and have that championship coaching pedigree. They nearly blew a comfortable lead to Harvard and will have to be sharper to beat a much more dangerous team. Virginia is often overlooked because they aren't flashy. They have in my opinion, the nation's 2nd best defense behind Arizona and also have an array of offensive counter punching options as well. If Malcolm Brogdon and Joe Harris accel offensively, there will be no stopping the Cavaliers.

Michigan (2) vs. Tennessee (11) - The Volunteers have gone from one of the last teams in, to a dangerous Sweet 16 team. It wouldn't shock me if they pulled the upset. In fact, i'll call it right here. Maymon and Stokes will dominate the boards against Michigan who will have to be extremely efficient offensively in order to win. Jordan McRae and Josh Richardson can score from just about anywhere on the floor. The Wolverines hit 3s at an impressive 41% clip. Their defense is lacking however, and will find open looks hard to come by against the Vols.