SEC NCAA Tournament Primer: West Region
Posted by EMoyer on March 22nd, 2012
On Thursday night, Florida will play in its seventh Sweet Sixteen, facing Marquette . Here we preview the game between the Gators and Golden Eagles as well as the possibilities for the Gators in the Elite Eight. The West and the East are the two regions to feature four prior champions.
SEC NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal Capsule
WEST Region
- #7 Florida: Championship Appearances: 15; Record 31-12; Best Finish: Champion – 2006, 2007; How Qualified: At-Large, SEC; Last Appearance: 2011 – L, Elite Eight
- #3 Marquette: Championship Appearances: 30; Record 38-30; Best Finish: Champion – 1977; How Qualified: At-Large, Big East; Last Appearance: 2011 – L, Sweet Sixteen
- #1 Michigan State: Championship Appearances: 26; Record 54-24; Best Finish: Champion – 1979, 2000; How Qualified: Automatic Bid, Big Ten; Last Appearance: 2011 – L, Second Round
- #4 Louisville: Championship Appearances: 38; Record 62-39; Best Finish: Champion – 1980, 1986; How Qualified: Automatic Bid, Big East; Last Appearance: 2011 – L, Second Round
All-Time Meetings
- Florida vs Marquette: Marquette leads 2-0; Last Meeting: Dec. 10, 1977 (Marquette 81, Florida 67)
- Florida vs Michigan State: Tied 3-3; Last Meeting: Nov. 27, 2009 (Florida 68, Michigan State 52)
- Florida vs Louisville: Louisville leads 7-1; Last Meeting: Dec. 11, 2004 (Louisville 74, Florida 70)
A Starting Five of the Top Players Florida Could Face
- Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette, Sr., G: Johnson-Odom joined Crowder on the First-Team All-Big East squad after averaging 18.5 points per game. He ranks fifth in program history with 219 three-point field goals and is a 40.4% three-point shooter for his career.
- Peyton Siva, Louisville, Jr., G: Siva led the Cardinals to the Big East Tournament tile by earning Most Outstanding Player honors. He has averaged 13.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals in in the Cardinals’ six postseason games (four Big East, two NCAA). His 191 assists this season ranks as as the second-best single-season total in Cardinal history (LaBradford Smith, 226 in 1989-90).
- Keith Appling, Michigan State, So., G: Appling earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors after averaging better than 11.0 points and 4.0 assists per game.
- Jae Crowder, Marquette, Sr., F: . Crowder garnered the Big East’s Player of the Year honor. In his last 10 games, Crowder has averaged 21.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.5 assists per game. He is shooting 51.7% (74‐of‐143) from the field and has seven double-doubles in that span.
- Draymond Green, Michigan State, Sr., F: The Big Ten Player of the Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player leads the Big Ten with 21 double-doubles. He needs 13 rebounds to set the Spartans’ all-time record, passing Greg Kelser (1,092 from 1975-1979). Green recorded his second NCAA Tournament triple-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists vs. LIU Brooklyn. It is just the eighth official triple-double in NCAA Tournament history since assists were officially counted in 1984.
