The San Francisco region features 3 chalk teams and one surprise (Arkansas) team. Florida figures to have the inside track but it won’t be easy, with a couple of tough match ups awaiting them.
Sweet 16 Matchup: (1) Florida vs. (4) Maryland
These two teams have taken a similar path since the beginning of the NCAA tournament. Florida defeated (16) Norfolk State with ease, winning 96-69 in the Round of 64 matchup on Friday. Then, they narrowly defeated (8) UConn, the back-to-back defending champions, in dramatic fashion, 77-75 to advance to the Sweet 16. Maryland kicked things off by coasting to an 81-49 win over (13) Grand Canyon in the Round of 64. Following that massive win, they took down (12) Colorado State, 72-71, on a game-winning fadeaway buzzer beater from Baltimore’s own, freshman Derik Queen.
Now, these two top seeds will square off in San Francisco, CA, for a spot in the Elite 8. Both teams feature great supporting casts that can beat anybody when firing on all cylinders. Maryland’s “Crab Five” of Derik Queen, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Julian Reese, and Selton Miguel are all averaging north of 12 points per game this season, the highest mark being Queen’s 16.2. But, to advance in this tournament, they’ll have to stop a Florida core that’s been dominant all season long. Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, Will Richard and Alex Condon all record at least 11 points per game, with Clayton Jr.’s 17.9 leading the squad. It should be a tough battle, with the question being, which team can impost their will and play their style more.
Sweet 16 Matchup: (3) Texas Tech vs. (10) Arkansas
These two teams have taken on completely different paths thus far during March Madness. Texas Tech’s motto has simply been to do its job, and they’ve done just that to this point. Both of their wins have come by double digits. First, they knocked off (14) UNC Wilmington, 82-72 in the Round of 64. The Red Raiders trailed by just 4 points entering the 2nd half of that game, but Kerwin Walton’s 27 points helped them advance to the next round. Then, they stopped (11) Drake from beginning a Cinderella story of their own, winning 77-64 behind 28 points from Darrion Williams. JT Toppin bounced back with a 25-piece after only scoring 12 points the game before. Now, onto the team who might just be this year’s “Cinderella.”
Arkansas has found itself in the Sweet 16 on the heels of two upset victories. Their Round of 64 win was against (7) Kansas, 79-72, which was possibly the best game from day 1 of the tournament. That matchup lived up to the hype coaching wise as well, with John Calipari getting the better of Bill Self. Speaking of out-coaching, Calipari stepped up to the plate once again, and knocked it out of the park with a Round of 32 upset over (2) St. John’s and Rick Pitino. Billy Richmond III’s 16 points helped the Razorbacks win 75-66, a game where they thoroughly frustrated 2nd-team All American and St. John’s guard R.J. Luis Jr., holding him to to just 9 points, on 3-17 shooting. With that all being said, what’s stopping Coach Cal and Arkansas from taking out another top seed? Will he finally make it back to the Elite 8?
Prediction: Florida advances to the Final Four
It’s no secret that Florida has been the best team in the West region to this point. A big reason for that has been Walter Clayton Jr., who’s scored 20+ points in four consecutive games. Following 22 points in back-to-back games to close out the SEC tournament, he’s scored 23 in both games to begin the NCAA tournament. He’s also shot great since March Madness began. In the Norfolk State game, Clayton Jr. shot 54.5% from the field, 44.4% from three and 87.5% from the free-throw line. In the UConn game, his field goal and free-throw percentages decreased, but his three-point percentage increased all the way to 62.5%. If he’s playing at that level, Florida can beat anyone. The next best player in the tournament for the Gators has been Alijah Martin, who scored 17 points against Norfolk State and 18 against UConn. Also, Alex Condon gave Florida 12 points against Norfolk State and Will Richard gave them 15 points against UConn. In addition, defense has been a big factor for the Gators. As a team, they out-rebounded Norfolk State 41-28 and UConn 40-35. Florida nearly lost to UConn; they were tied 31-31 at halftime and even trailed late but came back and are now ready to continue stopping anything in their tracks. Texas Tech is a good team, but Maryland is a deeper team. If Florida can take out Maryland, don’t be surprised to see their dominant season continue onto San Antonio, TX for the Final Four.
