Sunday 2nd Round Picks

Arizona State vs Syracuse: Syracuse. James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph are a good duo for Arizona State but past that, Arizona State doesn't have much. Syracuse will hit the boards harder and outrebound Arizona State, and with their trio of Flynn, Devendorf and Rautins they should prevail. I expect a big game from Harden so this game could be pretty close, should be a good one.

Wisconsin vs Xavier: Xavier. Xavier's depth is simply going to be too much for Wisconsin. Xavier has plenty of size across the court, with a 3 to 4 inch advantage at every guard position, and has plenty of depth in the front court. Senior guard B.J. Raymond will likely be guarded by Trevon Hughes, who had the unenviable task of guarding Toney Douglas on Friday and didn't do too badly. Douglas' 26 points may say otherwise but Hughes played masterful defense on him to open the game and Douglas never got an easy basket. Xavier's guards on the bench aren't necessarily scorers so if Wisconsin can draw some fouls on them they have a chance.

Kansas vs Dayton: Kansas. Dayton has trouble scoring and that could doom them against a very solid Kansas team. Dayton suffers in 3 point shooting, with their best percentage coming from their specialist James Fabrizius at 38.1%. Kansas has 4 legitimate 3 point shooting threats above 37.5%. Cole Aldrich should be able to have his way inside as well. Chris Wright should have a big game though as he's more athletic than Kansas' big men, so a masterful performance by him and a solid 3 point shooting performance from the guards could lead to an upset, but it's doubtful. Look for a 15 point win here for Kansas.

Cleveland St. vs Arizona: Arizona. Cleveland State is going to put up a strong fight here, but I see Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger having huge games here. All 3 of Cleveland State's guards are explosive however and if they are able to consistently get penetration and get to the rim, this could be a fantastic game and Cleveland State could pull another upset. Don't let the 13 and 12 seeds fools you in this game either though, Cleveland State was deserving of a slightly higher seed and Arizona has the talent to be a 6 or 7 seed, but lost quite a few games down the stretch. This could be a very exciting game.

Pittsburgh vs Oklahoma State: Pittsburgh. Dejuan Blair is going to have a monstrous game here. Oklahoma State doesn't have one player that plays consistently that is taller than 6'8" or bigger than 235 lbs. Blair at 6'7" and 265 lbs. is going to have a true advantage here in the post and I could see a 20/20 performance here. Also look for Sam Young to have a solid game, going for about 20 today. I do think Byron Eaton is going to be able to frustrate Levance Fields so that is a matchup to watch. If Eaton can generate turnovers, Pitt could see a slight scare here as Oklahoma State can score with anybody. If their 3 pointers fall, this game will be exciting. But I'd say a 15-20 point win for Pitt is more likely.

Missouri vs Marquette: Missouri. Marquette could get in big trouble early here, even with the return of Dominic James. If DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons can draw a couple early fouls on Lazar Hayward, Marquette is only going to have guards that can contribute and no inside game. If Hayward stays out of foul trouble and James doesn't miss a beat in the limited minutes he'll play, Marquette could very well pull the upset. This should be an up-tempo and exciting game, and the best match-up of the day.

Michigan State vs USC: Michigan State. This game could be up-tempo as well. The guard play in this game is exceptional with Kalin Lucas, Travis Walton and Raymar Morgan (even though he's a forward) matching up against Daniel Hackett, Dwight Lewis, and Marcus Simmons of USC. The match-ups to watch though in this game will be in the front court. Demar Derozan and Taj Gibson are definitely quicker than Delvon Roe and Goran Suton of Michigan State, and Suton likes to play on the perimeter. Suton has to establish himself as a force inside in this game, or Michigan State could get themselves into a nail-biter. This is one of the best match-ups USC could have with a top seed because USC's athleticism is on par with almost any team in the country as is Michigan State's.

Louisville vs Siena: Louisville. Louisville has a decided advantage in the front court, Samuels, Clark and Williams all have the capability of dominating this game over Siena's smaller front court. Edwin Ubiles of Siena is going to have to play the best game of his life against Terrence Williams if the Saints want to stay in this game, but even then it may not matter as Louisville has so much depth at forward that it should overwhelm the Saints. Look for a fairly easy win for the Cardinals here as they move onto the Sweet 16 with little challenge.