#1 Syracuse Orange vs. #5 Butler Bulldogs
Could the Orange go all the way this NCAA Tournament? They’ve looked good so far with decisive victories over #16 Vermont and #8 Gonzaga. They are hoping to get Arinze Onuaku back in the lineup after a leg injury suffered in the Big East Tournament. Butler has fought hard so far but simply don’t have the talent to keep up with any of the three #1 seeds left in the tournament.
#2 Kansas State Wildcats vs. #6 Xavier Musketeers
The Musketeers are the lone bright spot from the Atlantic 10 Conference left in the tournament after a narrow victory over #3 Pittsburgh. Kansas State dominated North Texas and BYU and Jacob Pullen has a total of 49 points from those contests. He outplayed BYU’s Jimmer Fredette, going 7-for-12 beyond the arc and finishing with 34 points. Xavier’s leading scorer Jordan Crawford has scored 20 points or more in five straight games and may be enough to get the Musketeers to the Elite 8. Back Xavier at 9/5 at Party Bets.
#1 Kentucky Wildcats vs. #12 Cornell Big Red
Kentucky is lucky in drawing Ivy League champion Cornell this late in the tournament. Cornell has almost 100 points from Louis Dale and Ryan Wittman so far and is the first Ivy League team to reach the Sweet 16 since 1979. But, Kentucky has the best trio in the nation in Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall. They will be too much for the Big Red in this one.
#2 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. #11 Washington Huskies
West Virginia has been on a tear since winning the Big East Conference Tournament and will be up to the challenge against Washington. The Huskies are the best thing to come out of the Pac-10 but will need more production out of Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter than their current combined average of 36.8 points per game. West Virginia Da’Sean Butler averages 17.5 points per contest and the defense is top notch, allowing just 63.3 points per game.