The Top NCAA Tournament Matchups Out of the Midwest Region

SportsGrid

Watch The Top NCAA Tournament Matchups Out of the Midwest Region - SportsGrid on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00But let's highlight some games to watch in the opening round of 64.

00:04And, J.Y., there are plenty of compelling matchups in this portion of the big dance.

00:09To highlight, where does your eye go first?

00:11Yeah, my eye goes right to that 7-10 matchup of UCLA versus Utah State.

00:16And if you look at, you know, obviously UCLA, it's been really an up-and-down season

00:20for McCrone in first year in the Big Ten versus a Utah State team that's more than capable

00:27of springing and upsetting.

00:29And it's so, McCrone is such an interesting, as a coach, to watch because he's very forthright

00:36and very honest on his assessment of what's going on.

00:40And sometimes that can rub players the wrong way.

00:45Where is UCLA's head at after, really, I would say even though making the tournament,

00:50a tumultuous season and a team in Utah State that can definitely pick them off in the first round?

00:56The Aggies are a 26-win team out of the Mountain West.

01:00Now, the Mountain West has seen their fair share of struggles in large part in the men's NCAA tournament,

01:05but a really good matchup there and just a four-and-a-half-point spread.

01:09Utah State efficient on the offensive side.

01:12Defensively, they want you to play slow.

01:15The tempo time and the possession time for their opponents is a very grinded-out style,

01:21could benefit UCLA.

01:23Tyler Bilodeau, one of the best bigs in the Big Ten, a name to know for the Bruins.

01:27Speaking of the Big Ten, in a team that has seen its struggles in the month of March,

01:32in a team that last year, led by National Player of the Year for a second consecutive season in Zach Eaddy,

01:38reached the Final Four for the first time in more than four decades.

01:41But if you are a Purdue doubter, you might have some worries about the Boilermakers' opening round matchup

01:47against the Hus-Bus and the champions for High Point,

01:52who were great this year in the Big South and in the two years under Alan Hus in High Point, North Carolina.

01:59J.Y., this will be an incredibly compelling matchup in my mind in the opening round of 64.

02:04Nine-and-a-half-point spread in favor of Purdue,

02:07led by Big Ten Player of the Year for a third straight year, no longer the big man in Zach Eaddy,

02:12but one of the best point guards in the country in Braden Smith.

02:16Trey Kaufman-Wren down low, another starter note for the Boilermakers.

02:19Outside of that, Purdue has kind of been lacking that X-Factor glue guy that they had in various other spots

02:25last year under Matt Painter.

02:27In High Point, as elite offensively as you will find at the mid-major level.

02:32Two years under Alan Hus, as I highlighted.

02:35And J.Y., the Panthers are 56-14 straight up this year,

02:40finally getting to the big dance for the first time in program history.

02:43Yeah, to me, if I'm Purdue, I'm looking at Kaufman-Wren.

02:45I think he's going to have to have a—

02:47Listen, I know the guard play of Lawyer and Smith,

02:49but you're looking at a team in High Point that is 227th in adjusted defensive efficiency,

02:55a team that's 290th in blocked shot percentage,

02:58a team that's 270th, 267th in steal percentage.

03:03So a team at Purdue that does not turn the ball over a ton

03:07and should have advantage on the interior.

03:10If I am Matt Painter, I know you want to get into—

03:14Sometimes your guards get into this,

03:16oh, they can shoot, I'm shooting.

03:17No, no, no, no, no.

03:18You got to do what you do.

03:20I know you got great guard play, one of the best backcourts in the country,

03:22Big Ten Player of the Year.

03:24You got to go through Kaufman-Wren and exploit High Point defensively.

03:29If you don't do that and get this into a track meet and a shooting contest,

03:32they could get picked off.

03:33When you lose the 7-4 two-time reigning National Player of the Year in Zach Eaddy,

03:38sometimes your interior defensive presence is going to drop off season over season.

03:43Purdue's still back in the big dance on that four-line.

03:47Let's pick an upset in the Midwest region.

03:49J.Y., who's playing? Spoiler in the opening round.

03:52We'll wait.

03:54McNeese! McNeese! Took him last year, didn't turn out too well.

03:57No.

03:57But guess what? I'm back on the horse!

04:00I'm going with McNeese State to get the upset over Clemson.

04:04This McNeese State team, really good offensively

04:08and even defensively, being 66 in adjusted efficiency,

04:12they turn you over.

04:14That's the key thing.

04:15They have to turn you over and get into a track meet.

04:20And at the end of the day, I mean, forget the team.

04:23Forget the coach.

04:25I want to see the manager!

04:27I want the boombox!

04:28I want all that smoke!

04:31McNeese State finds a way, and they pick off Clemson.

Category

Transcript

Recommended