But Purdue also has something Kentucky and Murray State didn't have - a ton of size.
They'll have to make them, though, as that's what Kentucky didn't do. Opponents shoot 29.5% from 3 and 44% from 2, but they get to the line a lot. They take their time and limit possessions, but they also just give up nothing easily except maybe fouls. Peter's is a really difficult team to play against. The way Brady Manek has been playing, though - 54 points in his first 61 minutes of Tournament play on 18 of 28 shooting - it'll be quite the battle of versatile big men. The Bruins can and will go small, which could help Armando Bacot go to work inside but could also hurt if they pull him away from the basket. They got it together to get the overtime win, though, and here they are, still playing with house money. They demolished a solid Marquette team in Round 1, and were well on their way to doing the same to the defending national champs before Brady Manek's ejection and subsequent unraveling. But what Carolina has done in this postseason has been incredibly impressive. Mary's, it put up the best mark the Gaels allowed all season. Still, we all saw what it was capable of last year and against St. The Bruins' defense has been a steadying force all season but the offense has been inconsistent. Mary's team playing as well as anyone in the country in the Round of 32. To beat Akron is one thing, but UCLA utterly dominated a St. Everyone has been waiting all year for the Bruins to look like the team that made its magical run to the Elite Eight last year, and they might just be back. Our Take: This was a matchup that was supposed to happen in December in Las Vegas, but COVID issues meant UNC had to find a last-minute replacement in Kentucky. Now, things will only get harder every step of the way. But Duke can't make the mistake it has made plenty all season long - assuming that things will be easy now.
Texas Tech scores most of its points from the inside and it's hard to imagine without significant foul trouble from Mark Williams that they have an easy time doing so. But they're also 4-6 when allowing over 100, and Duke's been under 100 just twice all season. And that's the hesitation in this game - can Texas Tech score enough, especially if Duke is fully engaged on the defensive end, to pull the upset? Texas Tech is so good defensively that they've only lost one game all year when it didn't post an offensive efficiency over 100 - not a high bar to clear, but it's enough for that defense. If Texas Tech just had a touch more 3-point shooting, they'd be a national title favorite.
#NCAA BRACKETS PLUS#
Texas Tech does get called for a lot of fouls, which is good news for Duke, but there's not a whole lot else they do poorly on that end, blocking 12.2% of opponents' misses and allowing just 44% from inside the 3-point line, plus forcing turnovers on 23.5% of possessions. And that's good, because things will be tough against the Red Raiders and the nation's No. That was the equivalent of what Duke did against Michigan State, reminding itself that it can win games when things are tough. Our Take: When you're in a slump, sometimes you just need to see 1-2 go in to feel better. It'd be nice for Gonzaga to get him going. Meanwhile for Gonzaga, Chet Holmgren has only been in single digits scoring six times all season, but three have come in the last five games. Notae did have eight steals in Arkansas' Round of 32 win and averaged 17.5 points in the two games. Gonzaga's offense is elite, but its defense isn't too far behind. The Razorbacks must also manage to find some offense against Gonzaga's defense, and that will be the real issue here as scoring enough points to beat the Zags is easier said than done. When Arkansas won nine in a row earlier this season to save their postseason chances, they did it with defense, but that had slipped in recent weeks until New Mexico State. The Hogs do just about everything you could ask for well on defense except avoid fouling, and they'll need their defensive prowess. But they'll face an Arkansas team that also had to fend off upsets in the first two rounds, both against double-digit seeds. Their win over Georgia State was close at the half, and they had to rally to get past a talented 8-seed in Memphis. 1 seed, but they haven't exactly been dominant so far. Our Take: Gonzaga might be the overall No.
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