The Sweet Sixteen (Thursday Edition)

In all 4 brackets the top 3 seeds advanced which should keep the ratings high and the spreads low. So many great match ups so little time. One question I have about tonight's games are why in the world are both the 2-3 match ups at 10:00? Some of us do have to work early in the morning. Here's a look at Thursday's games with predictions...

5) Purdue vs. 1) Uconn 7:07

Watching Uconn the past couple of weeks you have to wonder if a team that doesn't normally play zone will go ahead and give it a shot against the Huskies. Maybe a match up zone at least. I do love the Boilermakers match ups defensively again the Huskies. But, no matter how you look at it, Uconn has played well against much lesser teams and Purdue is better than what they seem. The game has to be very low scoring and Robbie Hummel has to be able to score tonight in order for Purdue to win tonight. I don't think that Purdue is ready for a guy like Hasheem Thabeet tonight though. Uconn 78-68

4) Xavier vs. 1) Pittsburgh 7:27

Xavier is one of the most patient teams left in the tournament thanks in large part to one of the best coaches in the country in Sean Miller. Pitt is pretty patient to though. The Panthers haven't played well from the rest of the country's standards, but in my opinion they looked great down the stretch in both games. This is what a great team does, and Pitt has proven that they can close game all year. As much as I would love to see both #1 seeds leave the tournament during the 7:00 o'clocks and shut Pablo's Big East mouth, I find it hard to believe that even if B.J. Raymond, Derrick Brown and C.J. Anderson play well that Xavier will advance. Expect another strong performance out of Sam Young tonight, he has really stepped up his play in the tournament. Pitt 75-70

3) Missouri vs. 2) Memphis 9:37

One of the most exciting games in the tournament will be played tonight. Aside from Louisville, Memphis is probably the deepest and most talented team left in the tournament. Missouri's coach Mike Anderson probably wasn't too happy seeing Memphis on his side of the bracket having played the Tigers enough times while at UAB. But he knows more than anyone what John Calipari is going to do with his team. Missouri needs to establish a inside presence tonight to get the Tigers into foul trouble and disrupt their face paced game. But, I like Memphis. Early and often tonight, especially out on the perimeter. Memphis 88-79

3) Villanova vs. 2) Duke 9:57

The best match up tonight, so I have to take a thorough nap after I get out of work today. Everybody is picking Villanova tonight so I guess Duke shouldn't even show up. Can I ask why? Is there a team left in the field that is as dangerous from the perimeter than the Blue Devils? The big question for the game tonight is how effective is Nova's inside game will be tonight. Also, what will the play of Kyle Singler be tonight. He could easily find himself on the bench with two fouls in the first 3 minutes of the game. Anytime Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham are playing well on the same night, the Wildcats are the best team in the nation. The key for me though is how Gerald Henderson plays. He tends to force things at times when Duke gets down early and puts everything on his shoulders. Duke needs, and I stress needs, a total team effort tonight. And even though I picked Villanova in my bracket, I love Duke tonight playing the disrespect card. Duke 84-82