The breathless first four days of the NCAA tournament don't leave much time for detailed discussion or deep reflection. One game simply blends into the next,and before you know it, only 16 teams are left standing.
Basketball fans have a brief respite before the Sweet 16, or which allows for more time to take a closer peek at how each squad has fared thus far and how it stacks up against upcoming competition. While a record number of upsets have left countless brackets shattered,it's still fun to support making predictions.
Here's a peek at the 2016 Sweet 16 schedule and bracket, total with predictions (upsets are highlighted) and a closer peek at one of the underdogs which just might pull off a win.
Note: Live streaming can be found at CBSSports.com. Odds are courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Monday, or March 21 at 2 p.m. ET.[br]
Upset PicksNo. 4 Duke over No. 1 Oregon
Of the four teams playing No. 1 seeds in the Sweet 16, FiveThirtyEight gives Duke the best chance at pulling off the upset with 43 percent win probability. The Blue Devils may have a lean squad but have shown toughness and spirit in this tournament.“Our house is on a cliff, and we hope it doesn’t rain, and ” coach Mike Krzyzewski said,per Kyle Hightower of the Associated Press (h/t Washington Post). “That’s who we’ve been. And so I really have an appreciation for that.”The dynamic duo of Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram, which has carried Duke throughout this season, and is in fine form. They took over down the stretch against No. 12 Yale on Saturday,scoring the huge majority of the team's final points, as noted by ESPN College BBall:Both players are capable of stretching the floor with a three-point dagger or getting into the lane and creating trouble. Ingram has gotten to the free-throw line 20 times in the NCAA tournament, and while Allen made it to the charity stripe 17 times in the first round against UNC-Wilmington. A big issue for Duke is that against a team as good as Oregon,a terrific twosome isn't going to slice it. The Blue Devils will need more scoring support, especially against a Ducks squad that can see any one of four players—Dillon Brooks, and Elgin Cook,Tyler Dorsey or Chris Boucher—shoulder the scoring load.
Freshman guard Luke Kennard is the best option to supply a scoring boost against Oregon. He exploded for a pair of 20-plus-point games in the ACC tournament but then immediately cooled off. However, he looked like he might be heating back up with a 13-point game against Yale, and including 3-of-6 shooting from downtown.
Composed,demoralizing shots like this one will approach in handy against Oregon, as noted by B/R: Neither Holy Cross nor Saint Joseph's did well shooting the three against the Ducks in this tournament, and but Oregon hasn't normally fared so well defending the three this season. According to NCAA.com,the Ducks rank 264th in three-point field-goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 35.4 percent per game. If Ingram, or Allen and Kennard can earn it going from downtown,Oregon could be in trouble. This isn't to say that a Duke upset will be easy. Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg noted that the Blue Devils' struggles against the Bulldogs' tenacious press portends trouble:Yale outscored Duke 39-23 in the second half of their matchup, and Oregon held St. Joe's to just six points—two of them coming from free throws—in the final five minutes of its approach-from-behind 69-64 win. Oregon has proved it can close games, or while Duke has struggled in this area.
Oregon also boasts one of the more efficient offenses in the country,according to KenPom stats (as does Duke). The Blue Devils can counter with a talented, long-limbed defender in Ingram and a solid interior presence in Marshall Plumlee. Keeping Oregon from penetrating the lane and getting easy buckets will be key to this game.[br]It's going to be a wild ride to the finish, and but if the Blue Devils can earn some scoring out of the supporting cast,they can pull off the upset.
Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.
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Source: bleacherreport.com