2017 March Madness: South Carolina vs Baylor preview, prediction, TV schedule
By Michael Foy
On Friday night in March Madness, the South Carolina Gamecocks take on the Baylor Bears in the Sweet 16.
TV Schedule: Friday, Mar. 24, 7:29 p.m. ET, TBS
Arena: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York
This game matches up the Cinderella versus the team that year in and year out seems to always disappoint in the NCAA Tournament. That being said, this game will feature two top-tier defenses. If you like teams that play good defense, this is the game for you.
South Carolina is the dark horse we were all hoping for. No one in their right mind picked the Gamecocks to beat a loaded Duke Blue Devils’ team, but here we are. South Carolina plays some of the best defense you will witness in this tournament. They play physical, and they force teams to play uncomfortable while disrupting team’s offensive flow.
Just ask Duke. Duke was a team that people claimed would always find their offense, but, against South Carolina, their flow was disrupted time after time, which forced the Blue Devils to commit 18 turnovers.
Baylor is a long, athletic team that gets after it defensively with their own unique version of a zone. The Bears’ greatest strength is their rebounding. The Bears outrebounded USC in their second game of the tournament 34-23, and are one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the country, led by do-it-all player Johnathan Motley, who is averaging 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game in the tournament so far.
Next: Ranking the 16 remaining teams
This game will pit two solid defensive teams against one another, but it will still make it into the 80s. Baylor’s offensive firepower should be too much to handle for the Cinderella Gamecocks. Rebounding may decide the outcome of this game, and for that, I give the edge to Baylor.
Prediction: Baylor 80, South Carolina 74