The Right Predictions for the Sweet Sixteen
- The Dudes
- Mar 23, 2023
- 5 min read
DUDE..... the Sweet Sixteen starts today. So sit back, grab a brew, grab your buddies, and make sure to read this article because you know The Dudes got you with the second half of the picks.
Houston vs Miami is an interesting matchup. Going into the tournament, I thought Houston was the weakest 1 seed. With their star Marcus Sasser battling a groin injury, I thought Auburn would give the Cougars massive problems. They found themselves down 10 at halftime and came roaring back to beat the Auburn Tigers by over 15 points. Tramon Mark lead the way in scoring, but Marcus Sasser turned it up a notch and went 5-9 from 3 and ended up with 22 points. The Miami Hurricanes have been a favorite of mine the entire season. Isaiah Wong has been one of the hottest shooters in basketball. The Hurricanes battled Indiana in the second round. Isaiah Wong went off for 27 points and had some help from guys like Jordan Miller who had 19 points. Indiana was a team that was a dark horse at a National Championship run, but Miami dominated the game. Houston is a #1 seed for a reason, as they should come out on top. However, I think Jim Larranaga is one of the most underrated coaches in the ACC and Nijel Pack still hasn’t had a game where he’s the main factor in the win. I think Miami pulls off the upset and sends the Hurricanes to the Elite Eight. -Payton Christensen
Houston has the ability to show the basketball world who they are and what they’re made of. But Miami has a high-flying offense that is able to keep up with the electric offense of the Houston cougars. But personally, the Houston cougars have more experience than the already experienced Miami Canes. But the Canes have gone past two easier opponents, and facing this athletic team will be a challenge. The Cougars should hold their own against the canes but it won’t go without a fight. -Kyle Stetling
Oh boy… I don’t know what to say about this matchup. Texas has been a thorn in the side of Kansas the entire season and beat them TWICE by 20 points. Texas has had a lot of coaching issues with Chris Beard having to step down due to a domestic violence charge. Most people thought Texas would then collapse and do nothing in the tournament. That simply hasn’t been the case. Texas ran through the Big 12 Tournament and has pretty much run over its competition so far. In their second-round matchup against a very hot Penn State, Texas again steamrolled the competition. Dylan Disu ended up with 28 points on 14-20 shooting. Sir’Jabari Rice came off the bench and scored 13. Even though Marcus Carr struggled going 4-11 with 10 points, Texas has a deep bench with multiple different options for scoring. The Xavier Musketeers are a team i’ve watched a lot of this year (shout out to my boy Nick Howard). Souley Boum and Jack Nunge lead the way for this high-scoring Xavier team. Xavier struggles on defense some, as seen in the Kennesaw State with a last-second bucket by Jack Nunge. Xavier showed their true strength against Pittsburg as it was a full team effort with 6 guys reaching double digits in scoring. Xavier's high-power offense may give the Longhorns some problems. Jack Nunge vs Dylan Disu may be the best big matchup in the Sweet 16. I have this game being a very high-scoring game with the Texas Longhorns advancing in an absolute shootout. -Payton Christensen
although Texas is probably the most put-together team in the tournament besides Alabama, Xavier can show the Longhorns how they are a good shooting put-together squad. The two
teams match up well, but the defensive liability in most Big East squads will be the challenge the Musketeers need to overcome with this athletic Texas squad. If both teams play their best it will surely be an exciting one, but Texas will surely have to play at a less competitive level if Xavier has a shot at making the Elite 8. The Longhorns have won a big one in KC once this year. My prediction is they do it again on Friday. - Kyle Stetling
I wish this was Kansas vs UCONN, but ya know…. Whatever I’m not salty. The Arkansas Razorbacks have been a very up-and-down squad this season. Eric Musselman has proven yet again year'show great of a coach he truly is. His star player, Nick Smith Jr. who is a projected lottery pick in this years draft, has been battling injuries the entire season. However, in both of their contests, Davonte Davis and Ricky Counsil IV stepped up in a big way when the Razorbacks defeated the Jayhawks in a 72-71 victory. Davis and Counsil IV combined for 46 of the 72 points that were scored. UCONN on the other hand has dominated in the tournament. Adama Sanogo has been a beast for Dan Hurley’s squad all season. They were knocked out of the Big East Tournament by a stingy Marquette team, but they have shown their dominance in the tournament. The Huskies have destroyed their opponents, Iona and St. Mary’s. However, their first true test in the tournament happens on Thursday. The Huskies have a dominant big which always seems to work in their favor. I have the Huskies beating a resilient Arkanasa team to punch their ticket into the Elite Eight. - Payton Christensen
No, I’m not picking the Huskies over the Hogs because of Kansas’s defeat. It’s simply because a good coach has good players and different ways to win against good teams. That coach is not Eric Musselman, it is Dan Hurley. Though Arkansas has 3 lottery picks on their squad, Dan Hurley simply has a complete team and is able to make Bill Self-like adjustments at half and destroy good teams. The hogs will call but they will end up going back home to Fayetteville. - Kyle Stetling
Ok, the Drew Timme Hate Club is happening right here. The Gonzaga Bulldogs beat my dark horse final-four team in the TCU Horned Frogs. The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been on the top of their game this season, and Drew Timme looks almost unguardable. The Zags made quick work of their first-round opponent and found themselves against a dangerous TCU Horned Frog team led by Mike Miles Jr. The game was back and forth until the Zags pulled away at the end. Drew Timme ended up with 28 on the night, and Rasir Bolton made a solid contribution with 17 points. Watch out for Julian Strawther for the Bulldogs as well, he can really score. The UCLA Bruins also came from a conference that had a lot of question marks going into the tournament. They lost to Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship and was the sleeper upset pick with UNC Asheville. However, it was the two-seed Arizona packing their bags in the first round. The Bruins are a historical program and have a phenomenal duo of Tyger Cambel and Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Amari Bailey has really been impressive after the injury to Jaylen Clarke. The Bruins got past UNC Asheville pretty easily, but ran into some troubles against a really tough Northwestern team. I’m really looking forward to this matchup. This is the Drew Timme Hate Club so you know I got to go with Mike Cronin and company shredding the Bulldogs up to make it to the Elite Eight in two of the last three years - Payton Christensen
Yeah, I think you’ve understood by now that the dudes here have a strong disliking for Drew Timme. He has the footwork of an old head, which he literally is. But the Zags have kind of blown this year, taking an L to Saint Mary’s in the year, the Zags will have to definitely shoot above 50% to beat this UCLA squad. - Kyle Stetling
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