NCAA Tournament 2011: Predictions for All the Sweet Sixteen Matchups

The Sweet Sixteen is on the horizon and the men will soon be separated from the boys, as they say. I will let you know which teams are destined to reach the Elite Eight and which teams will sadly see their tournament runs come to an end.

Keep in mind that I have far from a perfect bracket thus far to fall back in, but I am confident that I am going to hit my stride in the Sweet Sixteen.

Let me know your thoughts and opinions, both positive or negative.

Richmond vs Kansas

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 20: Marcus Morris #22 and Markieff Morris #21 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrate after a play against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 in Tuls

Richmond has had an excellent NCAA Tournament run thus far as a No. 12 seed that not many people expected to get this far. With that being said, Kansas has too much size, speed and athleticism to be denied in this match-up.

I look for Markieff and Marcus Morris to be a force in the paint against the smaller Spiders squad. The Jayhawks got their wake-up call last year against Northern Iowa and I do not expect them to have any similar mental lapses against this Richmond team.

The one player that could present problems for the Jayhawks is Richmond's Justin Harper, but I do not think Harper can do enough damage to derail the Jayhawks.

Selection- Kansas

Connecticut vs San Diego State

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WASHINGTON - MARCH 19: Kemba Walker #15 of the Connecticut Huskies collides with Ibrahima Thomas #32 of the Cincinnati Bearcats during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Verizon Center on March 19, 2011 in Washington, DC. (P

This is an interesting matchup due to the fact that the game is being played in Anaheim, California, located near the San Diego State campus. Connecticut, on the other hand, has a cross country trip from Storrs to look forward to.

I think that the distance Connecticut has to travel will play into the Aztecs' hands in this game, and you can also expect a lot of San Diego State fans to make the short trip for the game.

With that being said, Kemba Walker is on a mission to bring a final four back to UConn and salvage some pride for the much maligned Big East conference. Youngsters such as Jeremy Lamb and Roscoe Smith are playing better as well. Kawhi Leonard and D.J. Gay are playmakers for the Aztecs and UConn will have to find a way to slow down the pace in this matchup.

Ultimately though, I expect UConn to move on and continue their magical postseason run.

Selection- UConn

Marquette vs North Carolina

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CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 20: Harrison Barnes #40 of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on while taking on the Washington Huskies during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 20, 2011 in Charlotte, N

North Carolina received a scare against Washington in the second round, but I do not expect the Tar Heels to have a lot of trouble in this matchup against the Golden Eagles.

Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom are big time talents on the wings, but North Carolina has the personnel to combat the Golden Eagles talented duo.

I expect Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Dexter Strickland to have big games in a matchup that should be played at a very fast pace. North Carolina is going to want to get out and run, and I expect the Tar Heels to ultimately outgun Marquette in this matchup.

Selection- North Carolina

BYU vs Florida

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TAMPA, FL - MARCH 19: Kenny Boynton #1 of the Florida Gators lies on the court in pain after he was injured against the UCLA Bruins during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at St. Pete Times Forum on March 19, 2011 in Tampa, Fl

This matchup will come down to Florida's ability, or lack thereof, to slow down Jimmer Fredette. Fredette has been putting up monster numbers through the first two rounds of the tournament. However, Florida has an imposing front line and a pair of skilled guards in Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton.

Florida's length and athleticism could cause Fredette problems and force BYU to rely on some secondary scorers like Jackson Emory. I still expect Jimmer to get his points in this game, but Florida should be able to slow down the high powered guard just enough to prevail in this matchup.

BYU will need other scorers to step up in this match-up if they hope to move on to the round of eight.

Selection- Florida

VCU vs Florida State

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CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 20: Chris Singleton #31, Luke Loucks #3, Derwin Kitchen #22, Jon Kreft #50 and Michael Snaer #21 of the Florida State Seminoles talk in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men'

Remember when everyone cried foul at Virginia Commonwealth being selected into the field of 68. Needless to say that since Selection Sunday, Head Coach Shaka Smart and the Rams have silenced any and all doubters.

Power forward Jamie Skeen is playing great for VCU, and Shaka Smart is doing a masterful job of guiding his team through the tournament.

As much as I like the Rams, I feel that Florida State just has too much size and length in the frontcourt to be stopped in this match-up. Power forward Chris Singleton is back for the Seminoles and he, along with Xavier Gibson and Bernard James, will make life very difficult for VCU on offense.

Florida State flexed their defensive muscle against Notre Dame in their second round match-up, and I look for the Noles to do the same in their Sweet Sixteen tilt with VCU.

Selection- Florida State

Duke vs Arizona

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CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 20: Kyrie Irving #1 looks over at teammate Seth Curry #30 of the Duke Blue Devils while taking on the Michigan Wolverines during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 20, 20

Derrick Williams has shown why he is one of the most talented players in the NCAA Tournament with his late game heroics against Memphis and Texas. Though in this matchup against the Blue Devils, I do not think that Williams will be able to raise his Wildcats up high enough to derail Coach K's squad.

Yes, Arizona has talent on their roster, and Solomon Hill is a great sidekick to Williams for Arizona head coach Sean Miller. In this matchup though, Duke just has too many weapons that they can throw out onto the court against the Pac-10 school.

Look for Kyle Singler to draw the assignment of covering Williams. Also watch out for Kyrie Irving, as he now has gotten some more practices under his belt.

Arizona doesn't have an answer for Nolan Smith, and ultimately Duke will be able to exploit too many match-up problems in this Sweet Sixteen battle.

Selection- Duke

Butler vs Wisconsin

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TUCSON, AZ - MARCH 19: Jordan Taylor #11 of the Wisconsin Badgers drives past Will Spradling #55 of the Kansas State Wildcats during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at McKale Center on March 19, 2011 in Tucson, Arizona. (Pho

Head Coach Brad Stevens and Butler are once again going on another Cinderella tournament run. The Bulldogs got past Old Dominion and Pittsburgh through the use of late game heroics, and a bit of controversy.

In this matchup against Wisconsin, the challenge for Butler will be slowing down point guard Jordan Taylor and forward John Luer. The duo is highly talented and they are both experienced in head coach Bo Ryan's system. Butler will need to get big games out of Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard if they hope to win this Sweet Sixteen matchup.

It is always dangerous picking against Butler, but I think Wisconsin will be able to control the pace of this match-up and I look for Jordan Taylor to hit some big shots down the stretch for the Badgers. Picking against Butler is never a wise move, but I like Bo Ryan and Wisconsin to advance here.

Selection- Wisconsin

Ohio State vs Kentucky

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CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 20: Head coach Thad Matta of the Ohio State Buckeyes stands on the court with David Lighty #23 after defeating the George Mason Patriots during the third of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Quicken Loans Arena on March 2

Can anyone slow down the juggernaut that is the Ohio State Buckeyes?

Coach Calipari and Kentucky will get their shot shortly, as they have a date with the talented team from Columbus. Kentucky certainly has talents such as Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones that could give Ohio State problems, but I feel that Ohio State is just too talented and deep to be stopped in this match-up.

Kentucky will have to make a strong emphasis on shadowing Diebler along the three point line and helping out on Sullinger in the paint. Expect Kentucky to try and push the tempo and let their athletic guards and wings try to make plays in the open court.

The Wildcats will keep this matchup close for a while, but I expect Ohio State to march on in this Sweet Sixteen match-up.

Selection- Ohio State