BIYC 2022 Sweet 16 Preview

The NCAA Tournament has had its typical March Madness twists and turns. This sweet 16 has everything we know about the tournament, a cinderella, the favorites, and all the feel-good stories in between. But who will make it out of the second weekend and secure their trip to New Orleans?

Best Matchup

(2) Duke vs (3) Texas Tech

Both teams survived upset bids from teams in the Round of 32. Notre Dame was up late on Texas Tech before the Raiders got to the free throw line and closed the game out. Duke was also down late to Tom Izzo and the Spartans, but Coach K continued his dominance against Izzo and pulled away late. The reason this is the best matchup is because it is Coach K and anything involving K in his last year is a big deal. These are two very good teams that will test each other in this matchup. Duke with all the NBA talent, Texas Tech with a new coach but playing with a chip the size of the Appalachians on their shoulder all year long. The key to this game though, will be the three-point line. Texas Tech does not score the ball particularly well and will likely have a 5-6 minute scoring drought at some point in this game. Can they knock down enough threes to keep pace? Can they continue their dominant defensive performance against a great Duke offense?

Note: All of this is contingent on officiating not being a major factor or talking point, but it will.

Easiest Path

In terms of Sweet 16 game, it would be the Purdue Boilermakers because I believe the Saint Peters run, as great as it is and trust me it is great, will come to an abrupt halt. Purdue wins this game by 20+. However, Purdue then plays the winner of UNC/UCLA which will be a tough game for them no matter who it is. So, my easiest path is going to be the Kansas Jayhawks. Gonzaga has a gauntlet no matter what the matchup is, and I think Houston beats Arizona outright in a clash of styles. Kansas gets a game against Providence in Chicago, and I believe this is a Coach Self domination. That will then bring them to the winner of Miami/Iowa State which would be a guaranteed double digit seed Elite Eight game for Kansas and though they have struggled with Iowa State in the regular season, Kansas should be in New Orleans in April.

Biggest Surprise

This one was tough, deciding between the four double digit seeds left to make a run into the final four I think Michigan has the highest capability to do so. North Carolina was maybe a bubble team before the win at Cameron Indoor and has the two most impressive tournament wins so far. However, I will give Michigan the biggest surprise. It will be tough for UNC to make it back to another final four and Michigan has found something in this tournament that will make them a tough out. Hunter Dickinson has been great all year, but other guys are stepping up too. The path will be through a tough Villanova team, but Michigan is more than capable and then, the winner of Arizona/Houston. Remember, Michigan was a preseason favorite to be in this spot and in New Orleans, could they just be figuring it out at the perfect time?