West
No. 6 Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
It’s a matchup that pits the teacher, Buckeyes coach Thad Matta, against the pupil, Wildcats coach Sean 
Miller. If you’ll recall, Miller got his start under Matta first at Miami (OH) and then at Xavier.
“What he’s meant to me is simply, I wouldn’t be here today without him,” said Miller. “I learned a lot from him, enjoyed being around him when we worked together, and we remain very good friends.”
Something tells me that tomorrow night at 7:47 EST these two won’t be friends in the slightest for the next few hours.
Ohio State’s defensive phenom Aaron Craft will have the task of sticking Arizona’s senior transfer and gutsy leading scorer, Mark Lyons. Craft will pester Lyons, and how he handles the pressure will surely play a role in the Wildcats chances to beat the Buckeyes. Lyons has proven time and again this season that he’s a tough guard capable of making big-time plays, so you can expect the senior to rise to the challenge.
Defensively, Ohio State plays a little like Arizona’s first two opponents.
“There are certain things that they do that other teams have done,” said Wildcats forward Solomon Hill. “They down ball screens. The first two teams we played in the tournament do the same thing. So it was all about just keeping the same reps that we did in practice. They have a couple big guys. We still like to get the ball down low to our bigs, and really get them going. I think Kaleb, Brandon, and Grant have been playing magnificent for us.”
The Wildcats, on the other hand, will be trying to prevent the Buckeyes two leading threats from getting too hot.
“That will be my primary match‑up,” continued Hill. “He’s their go‑to guy. There’s a lot of sets that they run for him to get him open, get him shots. The mismatch problem shouldn’t be a big issue with us because I’m playing at the four and the three. But I’ll be guarding him regardless.
“I think LaQuinton Ross is a different guy that we have to have guys keyed in on. I think he’s the big spark off the bench. He’s a starter at any other team, and our young guys have to be prepared for him to really put it on the floor and shoot the outside shot.”
If Hill and senior Kevin Parrom can slow Thomas and Ross down while keeping the speedy reserve point guard Shannon Scott in check and controlling the glass, the odds tilt in their favor.
Another X-factor for Zona is the play of the freshman big men, Grant Jerrett and Brandon Ashley. Both big men have played a ton of valuable minutes this year. Ashley is a star in waiting (watch out next year) but he could be a huge difference maker in this one if he steps up. He’ll likely have around 20 minutes to make his impact felt.
Prediction: I think Ohio State is too experienced and Arizona is a year away. 64-57, Buckeyes.
No. 13 LaSalle Explorers vs. No. 9 Wichita State Shockers
Two teams who you (and most bracketeerers) likely didn’t pick to get to this point in the tournament squaring off in the Sweet 16; match-ups like this one are what March Madness is all about.
The LaSalle Explorers go seven deep and play each of those seven guys over 22 minutes per game. They rely on their experienced quad of guards: Ramon Galloway, Tyreek Duren, Sam Mills and Tyrone Garland create scoring opportunities for themselves and others while Jerrell Wright is a capable scoring option on the interior.
“Our guards are tremendous,” said coach Giannini, . “I think it makes it hard for the other team. I think Jerrell Wright playing more minutes is something I would not want to see if I was an opposing coach. And any of these teams with four guards would be not brilliant if you were going to slow them down and make them less aggressive.”
“Our guys are hard to guard,” he continued. “They’re very quick. They get in the lane. They’re good decision makers. They find each other. If I’m a coach, I’d rather play against a team that has a bunch of plays versus a team that has a bunch of players. And right now we’re a team that has a bunch of players, and they’re hard to guard when they play together.”
Wichita State shot the lights out in the second half (the last 8:00, to be precise) of their 76-70 win over 1-seeded Gonzaga.
How?
“We just got all our guys back at the right time, and we started clicking at the right time,” explained senior forward Carl Hall. “It’s 
just, you’ve got to have your team clicking at the right time of the year, and it just so happens we got all our guys back, and we’re kind of playing good defense and getting stops.
“Then, we’ve got a deep bench,” he continued. “So that helps too. We’ve got a strong team and 11 guy that’s can play.”
Simply put, they’re a deeper team than LaSalle and have a 6-8, inside-out threat named Cleanthony Early, who should pose a mismatch for the Explorers. Hall, who is yet to really get going in the tournament, should be poised to have a big game.
Prediction: Wichita State will prove to be too deep and strong on the inside. 68-64, Shockers.