March Madness: Breakdown of each region for Sweet Sixteen games

Midwest Region

Bracket Busting Team: Syracuse

All the controversy over Syracuse getting in seems like a long time ago. The Orange’s zone defense has proven to be formidable in the first three games. Teams are shooting a combined 54-166 (32.5%). Michigan St. shot a dismal 25.8%.

As it’s been said time and time again, Syracuse’s 2-3 zone isn’t your typical 2-3 zone. The roles and responsibilities, along with their length present a huge matchup problem. The key for Syracuse is cutting off penetration and defending the corner three.

Favorite: Duke

The Blue Devils are looking awful good. Like Villanova, they’ve cruised through their first two games and the freshman no longer look like freshmen. Marvin Bagley III has been as good as advertised all season and the tournament has been no different. He’s averaging 22 points and 8 rebounds in the first two games. In Duke’s 66-44 regular season win over Syracuse, Bagley III shot 8-9 (19 points) and grabbed 7 rebounds.

His athleticism is what gives Syracuse problems. It’s not just the rebounds, his ability to keep the ball alive is a zone killer. He can receive the ball anywhere on the court and be a true threat to score or pass. When he’s shooting it well, teams collapse and his teammates end up with wide open threes.

Who Can Knock Off Duke?: Kansas 

The Jayhawks were pushed a bit by Seton Hall but made enough plays down the stretch to eek out an 83-79 win.

Going forward, the big question will be, can Kansas rebound enough? Seton Hall outrebounded Kansas 39-32 with 15 coming on offense. This would be a recipe for disaster against a team like Duke.

The good news for the Jayhawks was their ability to survive even though Devante Graham had his worst game in a month and a half. Graham shot 1-7 from the floor with five turnovers. Malik Newman scored 28 points while Sviatoslav Mykhailuk chipped in with 16 points including a soul-crushing three-pointer that pushed a five-point lead to eight with 1:20 left.