NCAA Scores 2013: What Saturday's Blowouts Mean for Winners in Next Round

There were so many blowouts on Saturday, it seemed as though the final scores were more suitable for Thursday and Friday's action.

The round of 64 is when you genuinely expect to see such wide margins of victory, but Saturday had more than its share of laughers.

Can we read into these routs and what they mean for the teams on the winning end? Let's take a look at the teams that romped on Saturday and their outlook on the next round.

Louisville, 82-56 over Colorado State

The Cardinals' 26-point thrashing of the Rams coupled with their run to a Big East title proves just how well this team is playing right now.

They have won their tournament games by a combined 28.5 points, and with upstart Oregon up next, it appears Louisville could sail into the Elite Eight.

I love Oregon and I predicted they would reach the Sweet 16, but the pressure Peyton Siva and Co. put on the ball, coupled with Gorgui Dieng's defensive presence in the middle, will be too much for the Ducks.

The blowouts are a sign of things to come for Louisville, at least in the next round.

Arizona, 74-51 over Harvard

This is a hard one to figure out. Did the Wildcats beat an upstart Harvard team that had already done its damage in the tournament by knocking off third-seeded New Mexico?

The Wildcats jumped all over Harvard from the beginning of the game and never looked back. They easily defeated Belmont 81-64 in the second round, and they played great in that game as well. 

Head coach Sean Miller has to be pleased with what he’s received from Kaleb Tarczewski, Mark Lyons and Solomon Hill. 

Tarczewski has yanked down eight boards in both tournament games, Lyons exploded for 27 points against Harvard and Hill had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite two impressive performances, if the Ohio State Buckeyes defeat the Iowa State Cyclones as expected, they will pose too much of a problem for Arizona.

The Buckeyes have begun to find other sources of offense aside from Deshaun Thomas, and their defense is consistently stellar.

The Wildcats would be no match for them.

However, if the Cyclones find a way to win on Sunday, the Wildcats’ chances would obviously be better, but this bunch shouldn’t be underestimated, either.

Iowa State rebounds well and they have a bevy of three-point shooters that can make life miserable for opponents.

Led by Tyrus McGee’s insane 46 percent shooting from deep, the Cyclones shoot 37 percent from long range as a team. 

I’d pick Arizona in this matchup, but it would be close.

Michigan State, 70-48 over Memphis

Some may argue that this game was closer than the final score, but it was at least never in doubt.

Adreian Payne may have made himself a first-round selection in the NBA draft with his performance, and another one like it could create some lottery buzz.

He had 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks and his athleticism was on full display. Keith Appling was injured in this game, but the severity of the injury is unknown.

Obviously, his availability will have some impact on the Spartans moving forward, but they didn't need much from him on Saturday.

Honestly speaking, the Memphis Tigers were terribly overrated, though. 

They play in Conference USA where they are the only quality program, and the team could not make outside shots against a strong defense.

The Spartans' next opponent will be Duke or Creighton. Duke is obviously the heavy favorite, and would present the Spartans with tons to worry about.

With Ryan Kelly back, Seth Curry bombing away from the outside and Mason Plumlee as a low-post presence, I predict the Blue Devils would be too strong for the Spartans.

Creighton is led by scorer Doug McDermott, but I consider it highly unlikely that it upends Duke.

The Bluejays don’t have another player that averages double figures in scoring, and they can’t count on receiving another four three-pointer, 12-point performance from reserve Ethan Wragge.

The junior was huge in support of McDermott against Cincinnati, but it was the first time he’s scored in double figures in almost two months.

This Sweet 16 matchup will feature the Spartans and Blue Devils, and Duke will move on to the Elite Eight.

Michigan, 78-53 over VCU

Of all the blowouts from Saturday, this one was the most impressive. The Wolverines didn't hand just anyone a 25-point beating; this was Shaka Smart's well-coached and disciplined team.

It's true, VCU does depend on the three-point shot a lot, and they only made just under 19 percent of their attempts, but much of that was due to solid perimeter defense by the Wolverines.

The Wolverines had four players in double figures, and the most eye-popping performance came from freshman Mitch McGary.

He had 21 points and 14 rebounds to lead all players in both categories. He was an amazing 10-of-11 from the field.

If the Wolverines get production from McGary like that, they can beat any team in the nation. 

In the next round, they will face either No. 1 seed Kansas or North Carolina. I'd love to see them take on Kansas, with two of the nation's best players going head-to-head in Trey Burke and Ben McLemore.

It would be a great game, and I do believe I'll get my wish. The Tar Heels simply don't have enough offense to knock off the Jayhawks.

McGary would have to be strong against Kansas to occupy Jeff Withey. His shot-blocking ability could turn the Wolverines into a perimeter team exclusively.

If McGary is playing well, Withey will have to focus on him on defense.

This could be the game of the tournament, but ultimately I think Michigan would prevail. At this point, no two teams have looked better than Louisville and Michigan.

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