FISLL’s March Madness Sweet 16 Preview and Picks, Part 1

By Joshua Heron (student at Howard University)

Reading Time 4 mins

Two number-one seeds are eliminated. All the Blue Bloods have returned to campus. The Big Ten, ACC, Big East, and Pac-12 Champions have spoiled brackets with losses. Princeton, Florida Atlantic, Arkansas, and Michigan State are still punching. Madness indeed is present, and one can expect more this weekend.

FISLL previews Thursday’s matchups and predicts who will advance to the Elite Eight.

Kansas State (3) vs. Michigan State (7): A New York Battle

Madison Square Garden. No better place to kick off the NCAA Sweet 16. New York natives Tyson Walker (Michigan State) and Markquis Nowell (Kansas State) will face off against each other in a familiar place. Walker averages 17.5 points per game this tournament and has six assists with zero turnovers. Limiting turnovers will be critical if Tom Izzo wants to play his 80th tournament game. Nowell has 44 points through the first two rounds and dishes the ball at an exquisite level, accumulating 23 assists in the tournament. However, Izzo held Marquette’s star guards, Tyler Kolek and Kam Jones, to a combined 33 percent from the field. Izzo’s experience may play a factor here. This is Izzo’s 15th Sweet 16, and his team has the momentum following the upset victory over number two seed Marquette.

FISLL’s Prediction: Michigan State 69 vs. Kansas State 64

Where & When To Watch: Thursday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. EST on TBS

UConn (4) vs. Arkansas (8): Two Words…Adama Sanogo?

Adama Sanogo, the 6'9" junior forward from Mali, will be a problem. Sanogo is shooting 73 percent from the field and has scored north of 23 points in each tournament game. The big man averages 12.9 points in the paint this season. In addition, sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins is averaging nearly 16 points on the season. UConn can and will attack all fronts.?

They look like the projected number-one-seeded many thought them to be when they opened the season 14-0. Head coach Dan Hurley is filling the shoes of Kevin Ollie and Jim Calhoun one game at a time. Hurley admits that his upbringing plays a role in his program's success.

?"I'm the perfect coach for UConn because wolves raised me," coach Hurley said on First Take.?

His brother, Bobby Hurley, won two national championships with Duke as a player and currently coaches the Arizona State men's basketball team. Their father, Robert Hurley, is a high school coaching legend, earning 26 state championships at St. Anthony High School.??

However, opposing coach Eric Musselman has a 73 percent win percentage in the NCAA. His team stamped themselves as bracket busters and will have no problem doing it again. They are stacking draft prospects like a Blue Blood. Nick Smith Jr., Anthony Black, Ricky Council IV, and Jordan Walsh are a force to be reckoned with. Oh, and Davonte Davis. Davis poured in 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting in the Razorbacks' one-point victory over Kansas. They outrebounded Kansas 36-29, including eight more offensive rebounds than the Jayhawks. That aggressiveness can't dissipate if they expect to pull off another upset. However, once again, Adama Sanogo. And, if that isn't enough, UConn has 7'2" Donovan Clingan coming off the bench to clean up the mess on the boards.

FISLL’s Prediction: UConn 72 vs. Arkansas 58

Where & When To Watch: Thursday, March 23 at 7:15 p.m. EST on CBS

Tennessee (4) vs. Florida Atlantic (9): Defense > Offense?

The Florida Atlantic Owls have lost three games all season…the Florida Atlantic Owls. Undoubtedly this year's success story, the Owls enters Thursday with utmost confidence. After upsetting Memphis and crushing Fairleigh Dickinson's cinderella hopes, Dusty May's men look to escort another power five team out of the Big Dance. Johnson Davis is making a name for himself. The sophomore guard dropped 29 points on an efficient 10-for-16 from the field. However, they haven't played a power five since Nov. 14. Tennessee defends the three-point shot well, holding their tournament opponent to 33 percent and 27 percent from behind the arc, respectively. The Owls are twelfth in the nation in three-point attempts. Defense wins games and will give Tennessee the victory in this one.

FISLL’s Prediction: Tennessee 80 vs. Florida Atlantic 63

Where & When To Watch: Thursday, March 23, at 9 p.m. EST on TBS?

UCLA (2) vs Gonzaga (3): How Sweet This Will Be

A 2021 Final Four rematch awaits. Gonzaga defeated the Bruins 93-90 after current Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs sunk a miracle buzzer-beater three to send the Bulldogs to the national championship game. Expect another high-scoring affair between these juggernauts. Gonzaga is the highest-scoring team in Division I basketball. UCLA ranks sixth in scoring defense, holding their opponents to 60.2 points per game. Senior forward Drew Timme is averaging 21.1 points on the season for Gonzaga.

Furthermore, he has an experienced team surrounding him. There are no freshmen on Mark Few’s side. Despite losing PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year Jaylen Clark to an achilles injury in early March, the combination of Amari Bailey, Tyger Campbell, and Jaime Jacquez Jr. provides a dangerous threat to Gonzaga’s chances. Nevertheless, Gonzaga finds a way to replicate the same outcome as in 2021.

FISLL’s Prediction: Gonzaga 87 vs. UCLA 84

Where & When To Watch: Thursday, March 23, at 9:45 p.m. EST on CBS