Round 2 Predictions:Sunday

There were no big upsets on Saturday. Hopefully, that will change today. We see a lot of potential upset games, no teams are safe from elimination today. Yesterday, we went 6-2 in our picks. Hopefully, we can improve upon that record in today's picks. Here they are.

Syracuse vs. Arizona St.(12:15pm sun.)

Winner: Syracuse

Result: Correct, Syr 78 ASU 67

We like the 'Cuse to win this game. The Big East(or shall I say "Beast") has proven all this year and throughout this tournament that they are hands down the best conference in college basketball. Only one big east team has lost so far, and Villanova and UCONN both looked VERY good yesterday. Both of these teams like to play zone defense, so expect a low-scoring affair. We like Syracuse and their versatility. They can put the ball in the basket in so many ways, whether it be from Devendorf or Rautins firing from downtown, Randy Jackson or Arinze Onuaku in the paint, or Flynn and Paul Harris who can score from a lot of different places. The 'Cuse will have to watch out for the trio of Harden, Glasser and Pentergraph. This should be a very exciting game.

Dayton vs. Kansas(2:30pm sun.)

Winner: Kansas

Result: Correct, KU 60 Dayton 43


Can Dayton be the next Davidson? Well, both sound the same, both wear red and white jerseys...but we don't see Dayton getting past Kansas. This should be a fun game to watch because if Dayton does beat KU, it will have to play USC/MSU to get the right to play in the elite eight. So, we think that this will be Dayton's hardest challenge if they want to reach the Elite 8. But, in the end, Truck Bryant of West Virginia gave Dayton fits. He is a talented young prospect, but, Kansas has a better point guard in Sherron Collins. Collins should be enough for Kansas to overcome Chris Wright and the pesky Flyers.

Arizona vs. Cleveland State(2:30pm sun.)

Winner: Cleveland State

Result: Incorrect, Arizona 71 Cleveland St. 57

In our original bracket, we had predicted Cleveland State to defeat Wake Forest and then to beat Utah to earn a sweet sixteen bid. We still like that pick. Although, the Vikings will have to square off against the Arizona Wildcats today. Arizona likes to press a lot, and Utah couldn't handle the press well or hit their open three point shots. Also, Utah's big man Luke Nevill was in foul trouble for the vast majority of the game. Cleveland State has the guard play in Cedrick Jackson to break the press and hit their open three point shots. Cleveland State defeated wake Forest because they barely turned the ball over at all. Also, they shot very well from the flour. We think that the Vikings, who have now beaten Butler and Wake Forest in consecutive games, will continue the winning streak versus the Cats.

Wisconsin vs. Xavier(2:30pm sun.)

Winner: Wisconsin

Result: Incorrect, Xavier 60 Wisconsin 49

We like Wisconsin in this matchup. This is not the same Xavier team that made it to the Elite 8 last season. They lost their point guard among other significant losses and have turned the ball over too many times this year. Xavier does have a rebounding edge in this game, thought. But, Wisconsin has a terrific coach, and the players on their team play for the Name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back of it. Bo Ryan will have his boys ready to lace up their shoes and go hard for 40 minutes. Xavier averages nearly 15 turnovers a game this season, they are averaging more turnovers per game than assists. Also, this game should go down to the wire, and we like he battle tested Big 10 team over a team who only shoots 67% from the strike. Wisconsin wins.

Pittsburgh vs. Oklahoma State(2:50pm sun.)

Winner: Pittsburgh

Result: Correct, Pitt 84 Oklahoma St. 76

Pitt was our pick to win it all when the brackets came out. They had a terrible outing in their opener vs. ETSU. We like them to bounce back in this game, just like Memphis did. Pitt averages 40 rebounds a game and they are #1 in the nation in offensive rebounding. Dejuan Blair is a monster, Sam Young is a freakishly gifted athlete and Lavance Fields is a star point guard with an amazing 3.8-1 assist to turnover ratio. Oklahoma State has the guards, but not the frontcourt to win this game. Oklahoma State's top two leading rebounders are 6'5 and 6'6 feet tall. Dujuan Blair will fill up the stat sheets in this one.

Marquette vs. Missouri(4:50pm sun.)

Winner: Missouri

Result: Correct, Mizzou 83 Marquette 79

Missouri has shown that they can win games in bunches. They are on yet another winning streak(4 games). Marquette has not been the same team since the injury to Domonique James. They have clawed and scratched their way to close games since his injury, but rarely has their terrific effort resulting in wins. They have been playing with great heart and courage since James went down, but, we think that they are just a little worn out. They played a brutal Big East schedule in the last month and have suffered their fair share of tough losses. Missouri is going to press the life out of Marquette. While MU has the guards to beat the press, Missouri has to strong a frontcourt in Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll for Marquette to overcome.

USC vs. Michigan State(5:00pm sun.)

Winner: Michigan State

Result: Correct, Mich St. 74 USC 69

This should be an outstanding game. We still have yet to see a 10 over a 2 upset and USC is hot and in great position to be the first to give a 2 seed a loss. USC is on a roll and has won their last 6 games including a Pac 10 Conference Championship Game and a first round win over the Eagle of Boston College. Tajh Gibson is also hot for USC, as he was perfect from the field the other day vs BC. Michigan State is an on and off team, but Izzo always has his guys ready to play in March. We don't think that USC has an answer for the speedy Lucas and the towering Suton on the inside. Plus, MSU is a much deeper team and we think that Morgan will start to get it back on track. Michigan State advances.

Louisville vs. Siena(5:20pm sun.)

Winner: Louisville

Result: Correct, Louisville 79 Siena 72

Louisville is the Big East regular season and conference champions. They have Elite 8 experience and shouldn't have too much trouble with Siena. Siena is a team that we loved all year long, and we picked them to defeat OSU in the opening round. They did beat Ohio State in an overtime thriller. But, they had 21 turnovers in that game. They better get those things sorted out or else UL will have a field day on them. Siena needs Hansbrouck to get it going offensively quicker than he did on Friday night. In the end, Louisville is a better rebounding team, is more battle tested, and Siena doesn't have an answer for the versatility of Terrance Williams and Earl Clark. Crazier things have happened, but we like Louisville to live to play another day.