March Madness 2011 Predictions: BYU vs. Gonzaga and the Top Round 2 Matchups
The first round of the NCAA Tournament is behind us, but the second half of college basketball's best weekend, the second round, is about to begin.
Now that almost all of the double digit seeds are out of the tournament, and the only ones that remain have proven their worth, the games really begin to have that "madness" feel to them.
While all 16 games are much watch television for the biggest of college basketball fans, not everyone has that much time to spend in front of the TV.
For those of you willing to compromise and watch half of the games, this sideshow features the best eight games of the weekend.
Feel free to comment below with what other games you are looking forward to.
No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 5 West Virginia
1 of 8
Saturday 12:15 P.M.
This is a very interesting matchup because both teams played well in the regular season but struggled to get past their first round opponent.
West Virginia was all tied up with Clemson at halftime before pulling ahead in the second half and not securing the win until the final minute. The Mountaineers may have lost had the fact that Clemson played two days earlier not caught up to the Tigers.
Kentucky was in even more of a dog fight, beating Princeton in the final seconds of their first round matchup. The SEC champs will need to pick it up if they want to take down West Virginia.
This game featured two big conference teams with Ohio State likely looming ahead for the winner, but neither team will be caught looking ahead and will focus on this great match-up.
Prediction: Kentucky bounces back from almost losing to beat West Virginia by close to double-digits and the Wildcats are headed to the Sweet 16.
No. 12 Richmond vs. No. 13 Morehead State
2 of 8
Saturday 5:15 p.m.
In a matchup of two teams that pulled off big upsets in the first round, the 12-seed Richmond Spiders will take on the 13-seed Morehead State Eagles with a place in the Sweet 16 on the line.
Morehead State is lead by one of the best players in the tournament, and also one of the most underrated in Kenneth Faried.
Richmond will counter with their own big man Justin Harper and there should be a lot of banging down low for those rebounds.
Both of these two bracket buster teams will look to continue their Cinderella campaign when they play Saturday.
Prediction: I'm going with Morehead State in this one, only because I am more impressed by their win over Louisville than I am by Richmond's win over Vanderbilt.
No. 2 San Diego State vs. No. 7 Temple
3 of 8
Saturday 6:10 P.M.
Typically the 2-7 match-up in one of the weaker games in the second round, but when San Diego State takes on Temple no one will be calling either team weak.
Temple may have just barely got past Penn State, but they have played the big boys like Duke and beaten teams like Georgetown and won't be intimidated by the high seeded Aztecs.
San Diego State is not a team most people are used to seeing in the tournament but I would guess that a large population know about the Aztecs now.
Prediction: The Owls are a good fundamental team and very well coached, but the Aztecs have too much talent and win by less than five.
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No. 3 BYU vs. No. 11 Gonzaga
4 of 8
Saturday 7:45 p.m.
Besides the fact that every BYU game is a must watch because of superstar Jimmer Fredette, this game also features a great match-up.
Gonzaga pulled the upset over St. Johns and may be peaking at the perfect time.
Meanwhile BYU has not been the same team since the loss of Brandon Davies and Gonzaga could take advantage of them down low.
BYU may be the weakest of the No. 3 seeds and could be primed to be upset by Gonzaga.
Prediction: Although Gonzaga already beat a very good St. Johns team, I think Jimmer is too much for them and BYU pulls this one out.
No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Kansas State
5 of 8
Saturday 8:40 p.m.
Both of these teams had a lot of doubters coming into the first round, with Kansas State having a disappointing season overall and Wisconsin being held to 33 points in their last showing. Fortunately for both teams they proved their worth with wins and now battle each other.
Wisconsin easily took care of Belmont while Kansas State recorded a five point victory over a Utah State team that had lost three games all year.
Now these teams will battle with a potential Pittsburgh match-up ahead of them. I actually think the winner of this game may give Pittsburgh a harder time than the two-seed in this portion of the bracket, Florida.
Prediction: Had I picked this game after that embarrassing loss to Penn State by Wisconsin, I would have taken the Wildcats, but Wisconsin gained my trust after their win against Belmont and I think they will pull this one out.
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 George Mason
6 of 8
Sunday 12:00 p.m.
The only match-up I will really be keeping my eye on involving a No. 2 seed is the top seed overall Ohio State Buckeyes taking on the George Mason Patriots.
As anyone who has paid attention to college basketball the last five years know, George Mason has a history of being the darling of the tournament. Add on the fast that they have won 16 of their last 17 games and it would seem hard to bet against them.
Unfortunately for them they face a team many fans think is the best in the tournament in Ohio State.
This match-up could turn into a blow out, but the Buckeyes better not overlook the Patriots.
Prediction: George Mason has the coaching and history to beat the Buckeyes, but they don't have the talent this time and Ohio State wins by at least 15.
No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Florida State
7 of 8
Sunday 1:00 p.m
Although this game could turn into a big blow out, the reason I picked it is because it pits one of the best shooting teams in the country against one of the best defenses in the country.
Florida State was able to pull off the upset of Texas A&M in the first round behind the return of their best player Chris Singleton.
The Seminoles will need Singleton to put up big numbers on Sunday if they want to beat a Notre Dame team that can put points up in bunches.
The Fighting Irish did not look like a two seed in their win over Akron, but can prove themselves going forward with a win over the Seminoles.
Prediction: Florida State may be returning its best player and play amazing defense but even all of that won't be enough to take down the Irish, who roll.
No. 4 Texas vs. No. 5 Arizona
8 of 8
Sunday 1:00 p.m.
This game will feature a battle of two teams who barely slipped passed their first round opponents and will be trying to prove their deserving of such high seeds.
Texas ended up beating Oakland by four while Arizona beat Memphis by two.
Now the two teams will go against each other, it will be interesting to see how their legs hold up after playing such taxing games only two days earlier.
The winner of this match-up will likely face a Duke team that will be with Kyrie Irving and a favorite to win the entire thing.
Prediction: Although Charles Barkley has Arizona winning it all, I'm pretty sure his college basketball knowledge is lacking as I see Texas knocking them out with a win in this game.
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