NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal Predictions

(AP Photo)

This is the second in a series of four regional semifinal predictions. The South region comes on Tuesday, and the West region will be previewed on Wednesday.

East Region Semifinal Preview

No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 12 Arizona

If you had this penciled in your bracket last week, give yourself a gold star, old chap.  Arizona seriously had to convince many people (myself included) that it simply belonged in this tournament.

Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, and Nic Wise will have to perform at an even higher level to counteract their Louisville counterparts, Earl Clark, Terrence Williams, and Sam Samuels (yes, Cam Cameron, this is what it sounds like, when doves cry...).

Louisville has five guards that provide significant time and significant points. This will frustrate Arizona's frontcourt and non-existent bench that has to play better (Fendi Onobun, Zane Johnson, and Brendon Lavender had two points on Sunday).

Louisville simply has too much power and while it may be a close game for a while with three future NBA players on Arizona's roster, Louisville will pull away to the Elite Eight.

Pick: Louisville Cardinals

No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Kansas

Kansas' fortunes seem to go the way of Cole Aldrich: whenever he has a monster game, Kansas wins big because it opens up the outside for Kansas' shooting tandem of Sherron Collins and Brady Morningstar. It will have to happen again Friday night against the Spartans' improved defense, which allowed only three points to USC's Taj Gibson.

Goran Suton will have to win the one-on-one battles with Aldrich down low in order to basically employ the same strategy as Kansas: Open it up for the outside. I see Aldrich winning more of the battles and helping to set up a really nice matchup between Louisville and Kansas on Sunday.

Pick: Kansas Jayhawks