2015 NCAA Tournament for March 29: Who, What, Where, and When

You know that it has been an amazing 2015 NCAA Tournament when your dark horse for the Final Four is … Tom Izzo? Two teams punched their tickets to the Final Four in thrilling fashion last night. I do not know if today’s game can match the drama and intensity of last night’s but it will be fun to see if that drama can be reached. All games are on CBS today. Here is a look at the game times and matchups.

2:20PM – CBS – Louisville vs Michigan State

5:05PM – CBS – Duke vs Gonzaga

LOUISVILLE vs MICHIGAN STATE

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If you are into coaching matchups, this is for you. This is also a rematch of the 2009 Elite Eight that sent Sparty to the Final Four. You would think that Louisville is a heavy favorite in this game, but that is not necessarily so. For Michigan State, this game will come down to Travis Trice, Denzel Valentine, and rebounding. Trice and Valentine hit over 40% of their 3-pointers and take 64% of Michigan State’s attempts. You have to think that if they can hit seven combined 3-pointers, Michigan State is on their way. The Spartans, although a bit undersized are a very good rebounding team. Branden Dawson, Valentine, and Matt Costello will have to get the offensive rebounds and give second shots. If they can hold their own on the boards and get those seven treys by TRice and Valentine, they should advance. Look for Byrn Forbes to be a difference maker with a couple of timely daggers.

Louisville will have to play their usual brand of defensive intensity. The Cardinals are not a good shooting team, so they will have to turn Michigan State over to get some easy baskets in transition. Michigan State is #4 in the nation in assists. They Cardinals need to take that first and even second choice on offense away and keep Sparty scrambling to get a good offensive look. The Cardinals also need to control the boards and Montrezl Harrell will have to win the matchup in the paint against Brendan Dawson. The key for Louisville may be freshman Quentin Snider. He has played very well in his last few games and will have to continue to give Louisville that third weapon behind Harrell and Rozier. Wayne Blackshear is another x-factor. He is wildly inconsistent, but if he shows up, that may be enough for Louisville to punch their ticket.

DUKE vs GONZAGA

Gonzaga has the size, but can they limit Jahlil Okafor? Okafor has been very solid in the tournament, but turned in a season low 6 points versus Utah. Duke does not need Okafor to score 20 to win this game, but he does need to hit double digits. That is because Duke has so many other weapons. Quinn Cook will take the majority of the 3-pointers for the Blue Devils and he hits 39.9% from there. Justise Winslow hits 41.3% from there and Tyus Jones 37.4%. The freshman Winslow will be a matchup nightmare as he can beat you from anywhere on the court. Tyus Jones is one of the toughest point guards around and he does a great job of getting fouled and getting to the line. If this game is close and comes down to free throws, Jones hits 88.5% and Quinn Cook hits 89%.

While Gonzago has the size to battle with Okafor, the key to this Zags team is Kyle Wiltjer. At 6’10, Wiltjer presents a matchup nightmare for most teams. Wiltjer hits a blazing 46.9% of his 3-point attempts. The Zags also have sharpshooter at 43.8%. Gary Bell Jr would lead most teams with his 36.4% mark, but he is just the third sniper for Gonzaga, who shoot 40.3% as a team. Gonzaga thrives on playing fast and in transition. Their average possession lasts 17.5 seconds. Although their strength is at the perimeter, 6’10 Domantas Sabonis hits 67.5% of his shots and is a great finisher. Same can be said for 7’1 Przemek Karnowski who hits 62.1% and averages 11.1 points, Don’t expect a lot of defense from two of the NCAA’s top three shooting teams.

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