The first game in the Final Four is a matchup between a team most picked to win a championship against a team some picked to lose in the first round. Louisville, the #1 overall seed, is here by no surprise as they are the only team left to win their conference tournament and have rode that momentum in the Big Dance. The also have a little extra motivation after the terrible injury suffered by backup point guard Kevin Ware against Duke. The Cardinals will sport "Win It For Kevin" t-shirts during warmups. The Wichita State Shockers on the other hand are this years Cinderella, becoming the 5th team seeded 9th or lower to reach the Final Four. However, none of those previous teams made it to the championship game. If the Shockers hope to do that they will have to slow down a team nobody has been able to in the Cardinals last 14 games.
How They Got Here
Louisville - North Carolina A&T 79-48, Colorado State 82-56, Oregon 77-69, Duke 85-63.
The Cardinals have ran through every opponent they've faced and have lived up to their #1 overall seed. The nine point win over Oregon was the slimmest margin but it was not that close.
Wichita State - Pittsburgh 73-55, Gonzaga 76-70, LaSalle 72-58, Ohio State 70-66.
The Shockers upset the #1 and #2 seeds in their region to reach the Final Four but even won those games in impressive fashion. They led the entire first half against 1-seed Gonzaga before needing to comeback from seven down with less than six minutes to play. Against Ohio State they led for all but 42 seconds when OSU was up 9-7 early.
Player To Watch
Russ Smith is the hottest player in the tournament averaging 26 a game on 54% shooting and scoring in ever way. In transition, jumpers, 3s, and from the line. Smith is a catalyst on defense as well with over two steals a game and a season high eight against UNC A&T in the round of 64. Basically, Smith is the barometer for how Louisville will play as he's their leader on both ends of the court.
Key Matchup
Malcolm Armstead held his own going up against Aaron Craft, the best on-ball defender in the country, only turning the ball over three times.
Armstead now gets to face even more pressure from the Louisville press, spear headed by Smith and Peyton Siva,
that has forced over 60 turnovers in four games. Being able to get the
Shockers into their offense is going to be key to them staying in the
game. Cleanthony Early and Carl Hall will only be able to do damage if
Armstead can get them the ball. He's made a name for himself in the
tournament as a solid PG but if he has trouble getting passed half court
it's going to be a long night for the senior.
Prediction
Louisville was already going to be a tough out for any team in the tournament but now are on a mission playing for Kevin Ware. They are playing the best basketball of anybody left and want to bring a championship to their fallen teammate. Wichita State has made a great run but I don't think they can handle what Smith and Siva will bring in terms of pressure and Gorgui Dieng will negate anything Early tries to do inside. The Cardinals defense has been suffocating teams and Wichita State has seen nothing like them. They will treat Cinderella poorly and send her home from the tournament.
Game: Louisville
Bet: Louisville -9.5
Showing posts with label Cleanthony Early. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cleanthony Early. Show all posts
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Elite 8 Day 1 Recap
Wichita State shocks another top seed to earn a trip to Atlanta
Cinderella is still dancing as Wichita State took down the 2-seed Ohio State 70-66. The Buckeyes couldn't hit anything in the first half as the Shockers built a 35-22 halftime lead as Cleanthony Early led the way. In the second it was more of the same for the first nine minutes as WSU pushed the lead to 56-36 with 11:01 left. But Ohio State wasn't about to give up yet. After seeing Michigan erase a 14-point deficit with less than seven minutes to go against Kansas the night before, OSU started to chip away. The Buckeyes went on a 23-6 run to make it 62-59 with 2:49 remaining. In a spot where most thought the 9-seed Shockers would continue to wilt, they came up big. First it was Tekele Cotton who hit a 3-pointer on their next possession. Then after Deshaun Thomas scored, Fred Vanvleet made a shot in the lane that bounced at least six times on the rim before finally dropping. From then on it was a foul fest and OSU wasn't able to complete their comeback. Wichita State had great balance on offense as six players scored at least eight, led by Malcolm Armstead with 14 and Early with 12. The Shockers also played great defense holding the Buckeyes to only 31% from the field and 5-25 on 3-pointers (OSU was 50% in the tournament prior). On the outside, Armstead held Aaron Craft to only 2-12 shooting while Carl Hall controlled the paint with six blocks. OSU star Deshaun Thomas finished with 23 and LaQuinton Ross played well for the third consecutive game adding 19 but it wasn't enough. Wichita State only won by four but pretty much dominated for 3/4's of the game and earned their ticket to the Final Four. Their region was decimated with upsets but they managed to get past the #1 and #2 seeded teams in the West. The Shockers might be a mid-major 9-seed but they have proven themselves worthy and should not be taken lightly by either Louisville or Duke.
Syracuse continues its strong defense, knocking off Big East foe
It wasn't the prettiest game but that's how Syracuse is making their opponents look on offense, ugly. The Orange held Marquette to only 18 points in the first half and 39 for the game as they smothered their Big East counterpart for the 55-39 victory. Marquette's 39 points was the fewest ever scored in an Elite Eight game in the shot clock era. The Syracuse 2-3 zone has been dominating opponents all tournament with their length and athleticism. To have a guy like Michael Carter-Williams (6'6) at the top of the zone is what causes trouble for other teams. His length makes it difficult to find passing lanes and he's able to challenge 3-point attempts. MCW had 12 points, eight rebound, six assists, and five steals with only one turnover against Marquette. Speaking of turnovers, Marquette is now the third team to have more turnovers than field goals made against the Orange in this years tournament, joining Montana and Indiana. The Golden Eagles had 14 TOs but only 12 shots made on 22% shooting. Cuse's defense is unbelievable right now, they are holding teams to 14 less points than in the regular season (45.8 per game), 29% from the field and 15% from long range. James Southerland was a big spark in the scoring department, putting in 16 and can be a killer from deep. The remaining teams should be fearful of Syracuse and their zone, nobody seems to be able to figure it out. If defense wins championships, the Orange are in prime position to cut down the nets.
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Cinderella is still dancing as Wichita State took down the 2-seed Ohio State 70-66. The Buckeyes couldn't hit anything in the first half as the Shockers built a 35-22 halftime lead as Cleanthony Early led the way. In the second it was more of the same for the first nine minutes as WSU pushed the lead to 56-36 with 11:01 left. But Ohio State wasn't about to give up yet. After seeing Michigan erase a 14-point deficit with less than seven minutes to go against Kansas the night before, OSU started to chip away. The Buckeyes went on a 23-6 run to make it 62-59 with 2:49 remaining. In a spot where most thought the 9-seed Shockers would continue to wilt, they came up big. First it was Tekele Cotton who hit a 3-pointer on their next possession. Then after Deshaun Thomas scored, Fred Vanvleet made a shot in the lane that bounced at least six times on the rim before finally dropping. From then on it was a foul fest and OSU wasn't able to complete their comeback. Wichita State had great balance on offense as six players scored at least eight, led by Malcolm Armstead with 14 and Early with 12. The Shockers also played great defense holding the Buckeyes to only 31% from the field and 5-25 on 3-pointers (OSU was 50% in the tournament prior). On the outside, Armstead held Aaron Craft to only 2-12 shooting while Carl Hall controlled the paint with six blocks. OSU star Deshaun Thomas finished with 23 and LaQuinton Ross played well for the third consecutive game adding 19 but it wasn't enough. Wichita State only won by four but pretty much dominated for 3/4's of the game and earned their ticket to the Final Four. Their region was decimated with upsets but they managed to get past the #1 and #2 seeded teams in the West. The Shockers might be a mid-major 9-seed but they have proven themselves worthy and should not be taken lightly by either Louisville or Duke.
Syracuse continues its strong defense, knocking off Big East foe
It wasn't the prettiest game but that's how Syracuse is making their opponents look on offense, ugly. The Orange held Marquette to only 18 points in the first half and 39 for the game as they smothered their Big East counterpart for the 55-39 victory. Marquette's 39 points was the fewest ever scored in an Elite Eight game in the shot clock era. The Syracuse 2-3 zone has been dominating opponents all tournament with their length and athleticism. To have a guy like Michael Carter-Williams (6'6) at the top of the zone is what causes trouble for other teams. His length makes it difficult to find passing lanes and he's able to challenge 3-point attempts. MCW had 12 points, eight rebound, six assists, and five steals with only one turnover against Marquette. Speaking of turnovers, Marquette is now the third team to have more turnovers than field goals made against the Orange in this years tournament, joining Montana and Indiana. The Golden Eagles had 14 TOs but only 12 shots made on 22% shooting. Cuse's defense is unbelievable right now, they are holding teams to 14 less points than in the regular season (45.8 per game), 29% from the field and 15% from long range. James Southerland was a big spark in the scoring department, putting in 16 and can be a killer from deep. The remaining teams should be fearful of Syracuse and their zone, nobody seems to be able to figure it out. If defense wins championships, the Orange are in prime position to cut down the nets.
Follow @JasonShusteric on Twitter
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