Sweet Sixteen Impact Players for Friday Night
Written March 27, 2009 by Steve Janus
Louisville Cardinals – Terrence Williams: Without Williams on the team, the Cardinals may very well be watching the remainder of the NCAA Tournament from home. In Louisville’s second round game against Siena, the Saints pushed Louisville to the brink. It was Williams who turned in an super performance to save the Cards from being the first #1 team kicked out of the big dance this year. Williams hit 9 of 14 from the field including a 4 for 6 performance beyond the arc, ending the game with 24 points. He also dominated the paint with 15 rebounds, plus added 4 assists and a couple of steals to round out his night. Williams leads in steals and assists per game for the Cardinals, but he hasn’t been the leading scorer or rebounder this year for Louisville. That gives you a little idea of how good this team is. The Cards play Arizona tonight in what is probably the easiest draw for any of the remaining seeds, and I fully expect Terrence Williams to have another huge game. Louisville is favored by 9.5 over Arizona.
Oklahoma Sooners – Blake Griffin: Griffin will likely be named the player of the year in college basketball this year, and there’s no doubt he is deserving. Blake has had an enormous impact on the Sooner’s season, in fact, it’s hard to imagine them in the Sweet 16 without his play. He lead the team in scoring this year with 22.5 points per game, and rebounding at 14.4 per game (also first in the nation in boards). He’s been dominant so far in the tournament, turning in a 28 point, 13 rebound performance against Morgan State, then put up 33 points and 17 boards against Michigan in the second round. Griffin will face his toughest test to date against Syracuse, who, if they are smart, will employ a “hack-a-griffin” strategy and try to make him beat them from the free throw line, which is his biggest weakness. The Sooners are 1 point favorites against Syracuse.
Kansas Jayhawks – Cole Alrdich: Sherron Collins gets a lot of the headlines, but Cole Aldrich has been a major part of Kansas’ success in the NCAA tournament this year. He’s most effective as a rebounder, having already grabbed 11 boards in the Jayhawks first round game against North Dakota State, then picking up a staggering 20 boards in their second round game against Dayton. In addition to his rebounding, Alrdich has really taken his game to another level in the tournament. He’s averaging 18 points and 6 blocks in the Jayhawks’ two tournament games as well. Kansas is +1 against Michigan State tonight.
North Carolina Tar Heels – Ty Lawson: Lawson fought back from injury in time for UNC’s second-round match up with LSU, but after the first half of play, it looked as though it was a mistake to bring him back into the lineup. The second half was a completely different story, however, as Lawson shook the rust off and scored 21 points in the second half, bringing the Heels all the way back to an impressive victory. Friday night’s game against Gonzaga should be a very fast pasted affair, which is exactly the kind of game Lawson excels in. Expect a big night from him against the Bulldogs. North Carolina is favored by 8 points versus Gonzaga Friday.
Get more winners with college basketball picks from Betfirms’ experts. They can help you beat the NCAA basketball spreads in the tournament this year if you bet on college basketball.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- Sweet Sixteen Picks & Predictions: Syracuse vs Oklahoma
- Sweet Sixteen Picks: Kansas vs Michigan State
- Sweet Sixteen Predictions: Xavier vs Pittsburgh
- Betting the Sweet 16
- Sweet 16 Betting Odds
One Response to “Sweet Sixteen Impact Players for Friday Night”
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