NCAA Basketball: Mock 2020 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen predictions
2) San Diego State Aztecs vs 3) Seton Hall Pirates
Max Hastings
An interesting clash of styles, this matchup brings up the classic sports question: Who wins, the better overall team or the team with the best player on the floor?
For San Diego State, their success this season has come through the beauty of teamwork. Ranking 38th in the nation in total assists, the Aztecs were one of the most balanced offenses in the nation, with four different players averaging double-digit PPG.
On the other side, Seton Hall’s offense is run through Naismith Player of the Year Award semifinalist Myles Powell. Ranking 8th in the nation in Usage %, Seton Hall’s success as a team relies solely on the shoulders of Powell and so far he hasn’t let them down, averaging over 20 points a game for the 2nd straight season.
These sorts of matchups usually lead to some of the most exciting games in sports history but unfortunately for Seton Hall, I see this game playing out very similarly to Villanova’s thrashing of the Buddy Hield led Oklahoma Sooners in the Final Four in 2016. Like Nova, SD State will be too high-powered for Powell to match, leading to an old-fashioned butt whooping.
San Diego State 86, Seton Hall 61
Sydney Chesser
With San Diego State entering the matchup with one of the best defenses in the country. Seton Hall enters the matchup with breakout player Myles Powell who helped elevate their offense to a completely different level this season. Seton Hall has a tendency to start slow and then gradually finds them-selves in a dominant offensive rhythm. San Diego State, who may be one of the most complete teams on both sides of the ball at times, relies heavily on successful three-point shooting, which has the ability to cause trouble for the Aztecs when going up against a team like Seton Hall.
Prepare for a close scoring game in the first half and an offensive battle between Myles Powell and Malachi Flynn. Turnovers will also be key for both teams in order to balance their performance on both sides of the court. Yanni Wetzell for San Diego State and Quincy McKnight, along with Romaro Gill for Seton Hall, will be key for each team’s defensive performance.
I predict that San Diego State will be able to dictate the tempo early on with Seton Hall continuing to hang around during the first half. However, San Diego State’s dominance both offensively and defensively will be too much for Seton Hall to overcome in the second half.
San Diego State 74, Seton Hall 67
Connor Gilbert
SDSU’s biggest test yet comes in the form of a Pirates team that is hot-and-cold on offense but has elite potential. The Aztecs have shown they are elite on both sides of the court (No. 10 defense and No. 11 offense per KenPom), but they haven’t had to face a frontcourt quite as intimidating as the Pirates’ all season long.
As is always the case with Seton Hall, Myles Powell is obviously the biggest factor in this game. His ability to find his own shots and play up to opponents as the lights shine brighter bodes well for a tourney run. Whether he is able to impose his will remains to be seen. But if he can keep the offense moving while Romaro Gill (7’2’’, 3.2 BPG) and Ike Obiago (7’2’’, 1.2 BPG) disrupt on defense, things look promising for the Pirates.