It’s all about matchups at this point, and Kentucky has the edge mostly because of its size. Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson are 7-footers, Karl-Anthony Towns is 6-11 and Trey Lyles is 6-10. Wildcats coach John Calipari, like him or loathe him, has done a great job of putting it all together.
Arizona, in the Sweet 16 for the third straight season, brings a 13-game winning streak into the game. Xavier has won five of its last six games and is in the Sweet 16 for the third time in six seasons under coach Chris Mack.
Kentucky is four wins from a perfect season and is about to take on its toughest defensive test so far against West Virginia. The Mountaineers beat up Maryland in the third round to advance and will put the Wildcats’ depth to the test with their full-court pressure.
Wisconsin is two wins from returning to the Final Four, while North Carolina has reached the Elite Eight six times since 2005.
Notre Dame and Wichita State each won rare matchups against in-state rivals in the round of 32, but Thursday’s stakes are higher. The Fighting Irish defeated Butler in overtime, and the Shockers upset Kansas to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.
The Review-Journal’s Adam Hill, Kelly Stewart and Matt Youmans compete with handicappers Bruce Marshall and Ken Thomson in a contest covering NCAA Tournament games last week, today and Friday. Each contestant selects a total of 22 games against the spread, sides or totals.
Two weeks ago, Ron Riley, the former Clark High star who during his four-year Arizona State career became the Sun Devils’ all-time leading scorer and threw down some of the most thunderous dunks in ASU history, was inducted into the Pac-12’s Hall of Honor.
A look at some prop bets for the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 games Thursday and Friday. Lines are from the Westgate Las Vegas sports book.
Matt Stainbrook has one of those stories only March Madness can relay to a nation of college fans, and there is also the part about him being a main reason Xavier has advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time since 2008.
Few remember to take a deep breath and appreciate, which is how we should view the final days of Frank Kaminsky’s college basketball career at Wisconsin. His is the sort of story that makes the NCAA Tournament so special.
The Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers will play two pre-season games in China, including a first visit to Shenzhen, the National Basketball Association said on Wednesday.
It’s been a long time coming for the Golden State Warriors, who clinched the team’s first division title since the 1975-76 season Tuesday night at the Moda Center with a 122-108 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash formally called it a career on Tuesday during a news conference at the Los Angeles Lakers’ facility in El Segundo, Calif.
After missing 26 games with knee issues, Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard is expected back for Wednesday night’s road game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Herb Sendek is out as Arizona State’s coach after nine years, according to multiple reports Tuesday. The 52-year-old Sendek was informed of the school’s decision during a Tuesday morning meeting with athletic director Ray Anderson, AZCentral.com reported.
