South
No. 4 Michigan Wolverines vs. No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks
Earlier this year, Jayhawks coach Bill Self referred to his team as “the worst team that Kansas ever put on the floor, since Dr. 
Naismith was there,” because they struggled to get into any kind of continuity at the offensive end.
Why did they struggle?
Mostly, because they didn’t have their point guard situation figured out and weren’t running smoothly.
Last Sunday against UNC they got off to a slow start, scoring 21 points in the first half… But then they outscored the Tar Heels 49-28 in the second half.
Nadir Tharpe, the sophomore point guard who has grown into his role as a lead guard and an opportune scorer, dropped a 12-spot in the past round on 3-6 fron distance. Will he play well enough to give KU a boost?
Regardless of the outcome, coach Self and co. deserve a lot of credit for their ability to make adjustments throughout the season.
Michigan, on the other hand, is led by 5-11 Trey Burke, who is the opposite of a struggling point guard.
Burke had an excellent, POY-worthy season for the Wolverines, and he’s got help on his side in the form of Hardaway Jr., Robinson Jr. (who will have to play aggressively, as he’s done for the majority of the season), and a blossoming freshman forward in Mitch McGary.
Kansas has Withey up front combined with the nations most unheralded role player, forward Kevin Young, and the surefire top 5 pick in scorer Ben McLemore.
Moreover, senior Trevor Releford stepped up huge in the second half against UNC and finished the game with 22 points (9-13 FG).
Prediction: This is going to be one of the closer games of this round. I’ve been leaning Michigan all week… and I’m gonna take them by the score of 79-76.
No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles vs. No. 3 Florida Gators
Ah, the Dunk City darlings of the 2013 dance.
How can I even analyze this matchup?!
One team is (obviously) as high in the sky as they’ve ever been while the other is trying to restore the prominence of back-to-back national championships in 2006-07.
Can the Eagles block out the distractions of this past week, where they were mobbed on campus and slobbered over by the national media? Can the Eagles maintain their level of play from the first two games and turn this into an in-state battle with the perennial power Gators?
The answer is that it’s highly doubtful that FGCU can keep up its play against one of the tougher, veteran-laden teams in the country, coached by a veteran, future HOF coach who has been there before…
But this is what the Big Dance is all about, and the Eagles Cinderella slippers don’t vanish until the buzzer strikes 0:00.
We’re not counting them out and neither should you.
Prediction: The emotion of FGCU makes this a no brainer. I’m taking them for the upset – not because I necessarily believe it’s going to happen or because they’re they better team – but because if I pick Florida then I’d be more inclined to root for them during game time, which I damn sure don’t want to do.
And neither do you…
Enjoy the Sweet 16.
(RELATED: A statistical look at the Sweet Sixteen)
Jeremy Bauman is an aspiring scout and shooting coach who writes columns and blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.