NCAA Tournament 2009: Sweet 16 Predictions

After the exciting finishes, unexpected comebacks, and full-out routs of the second round of this year's NCAA Tournament, we are now beginning to look towards the upcoming games of the Sweet 16.

Now that we've moved past the first weekend of action, all the teams have pretty much proven they deserve to be considered as considerably talented teams. But there is quite a range in skill among these teams still, which could lead to even more buzzer-beater finishes to 20-point blowouts.

So, without further introduction, let's get to the game predictions. Included in my picks are: projected winner, projected score (though it's nearly impossible for it to be even slightly accurate), betting with the spread pick, and a sentence or two describing my prediction for that game.

Record on Sunday

Regular Picks: 7-1

Spread Picks: 3-5 (though I had three losses by half a point)

Midwest Region

(1) Louisville Cardinals vs. (12) Arizona Wildcats

Louisville is arguably the No. 1 ranked team in the country right now, but they aren't going to get much of a chance to prove themselves in this game. Arizona doesn't deserve to be in the Sweet 16 at all, and even though they have exceeded their tournament expectations, the Wildcats don't have a shot.

Pick: Louisville 87, Arizona 72

Spread Pick: Louisville (-9.5)

(2) Michigan State Spartans vs. (3) Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas looked very good in a blowout over Dayton in the second round, but they aren't going to be able to quite keep up with the well-tested Michigan State Spartans. Michigan State has been under-the-radar so far, but they might be able to get into the spotlight of the Elite Eight with this win.

Pick: Michigan State 82, Kansas 77

Spread Pick: Michigan State (-2.5)

Western Region

(1) Connecticut Huskies vs. (5) Purdue Boilermakers

The Huskies kept being overlooked at the end of the regular season, but I doubt they're being overlooked anymore. Both of UConn's two victories have been some of the biggest blowouts of the tournament.

Although Purdue has been quite successful so far this tournament, too, Connecticut shouldn't have too much of a problem winning this game and advancing to the Elite Eight.

Pick: UConn 80, Purdue 70

Spread Pick: UConn (-6.5)

(3) Missouri Tigers vs. (2) Memphis Tigers

I have a feeling the Tigers will win. Of course, that doesn't tell you much: they're both the Tigers. But I mean Missouri.

Memphis does have the fewest losses of any major team in the country, but their easy conference schedule means that the tournament is really their season. And that's going to backfire on them now, with Missouri being one of my picks as a "surprise team" at the beginning of the tournament. Memphis will end up falling in the Sweet 16.

Pick: Missouri 83, Memphis 81

Spread Pick: Missouri (+4.5)

Eastern Region

(1) Pittsburgh Panthers vs. (4) Xavier Musketeers

Pittsburgh is really starting to get some bad reviews lately because they were barely able to get past both 16-seed ETSU and eight-seed Oklahoma State.

Xavier, on the other hand, has had two confidence-building victories already, however easy their opponents were.

Usually, this would be a double-digit win for the Panthers, but Xavier may be able to play well enough to make this an exciting game right to the buzzer.

Pick: Pittsburgh 78, Xavier 75

Spread Pick: Xavier (+7.0)

(3) Villanova Wildcats vs. (2) Duke Blue Devils

I have been very, very impressed with Villanova's play so far. They were another one of my pre-tournament picks to be a surprise team, and so far I've felt quite steady on my pick they would win their region.

On the other hand, I'm surprised Duke even made it this far. I felt confident that Texas would beat them in the second round, and even though they came close, Duke has exceeded my expectations.

But I'm going to keep with my bracket pick here: Villanova wins.

Pick: Villanova 85, Duke 80

Spread Pick: Villanova (+2.5)

Southern Region

(1) North Carolina Tar Heels vs. (4) Gonzaga Bulldogs

I do live in Raleigh, just miles from the UNC campus, but I don't think they're a national champion team this season. They blew a large halftime lead to LSU in the first three minutes of the second half last week, and the schedule just gets harder. But whatever my argument against them, there is no doubt that Carolina is a talented team.

Gonzaga is also an underrated team, so they will probably have their fair share of the lead during this game, but the 'Heels will end up on top.

Pick: North Carolina 89, Gonzaga 84

Spread Pick: Gonzaga (+8.5)

(2) Oklahoma Sooners vs. (3) Syracuse Orange

I've been thinking about this game for three days now, and I still haven't figured out who I think will win. Oh well...here goes...

There have been several widely-accepted rumors going around lately that Oklahoma is way overrated, and I myself can agree with some of that. Actually, I normally would've picked Syracuse to sneak by, but I can't stop thinking they're bound to be tired. Still, I predict a slim Orange victory here.

Pick: Oklahoma 87, Syracuse 88 OT

Spread Pick: Syracuse (+1.5)

My Elite Eight (Power Rankings-style)

1. (1) Louisville Cardinals
2. (1) UConn Huskies
3. (2) Michigan State Spartans
4. (1) North Carolina Tar Heels
5. (3) Villanova Wildcats
6. (1) Pittsburgh Panthers
7. (3) Missouri Tigers
8. (3) Syracuse Orange