Happy Sweet Sixteen, everyone. The RTC Podcast crew is back with several of our NCAA Tournament Region correspondents this week to break down what we saw over the weekend and what to expect in the coming one. As always, Shane Connolly (@sconnolly114) is our host, with Kevin Doyle (@KLDoyle11) and Bennet Hayes (@HoopsTraveler) joining us to discuss the South and Midwest Regions, respectively. We’ll have our podblasts for the other two regions up a bit later today, so be sure to watch for those as well. Enjoy the Sweet Sixteen!

South Region

• 0:00-6:47 – DUNK CITY!
• 6:47-11:41 – FGCU Chances Against In-State “Rival” Florida
• 11:41-16:18 – Kansas Under the Radar Struggles
• 16:18-20:04 – Michigan Looking Good Again (With Kevin’s Florida Love Mixed In)
• 20:04-25:11 – Previewing a Hypothetical Florida-Michigan Game
• 25:11-33:35 – Minnesota-UCLA Battle of the Walking Dead Coaches

Midwest Region

• 0:00-3:30 – Oregon’s Proving the Committee Wrong
• 3:30-7:22 – Louisville Proving the Committee Right
• 7:22-11:13 – Clash of the Coaching Titans in Duke-Michigan State
• 11:13-13:53 – Final Four Picks
• 13:53-17:20 – Favorite Game of the Region
• 17:20-20:15 – Surprises of the Opening Weekend
• 20:15-24:40 – Opening Weekend MVPs and More Oregon TAlke
• 24:40-27:00 – Opening Weekend LVPs
• 27:00-31:22 – Coaches That Deserve Ben Howland-Tubby Smith Treatment
• 31:22- 34:50 – Hedge Your Bets Predictions

1. Not only does Louisville own the number one overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, but the Midwest region favorites are also the most profitable college basketball program in all the land. The value of the KFCYum! Center and an abundance of donations to the program have led to the landslide top ranking in this year’s Forbes list of the most valuable basketball programs in the country. Syracuse was the only other Big East squad in the top 20 of Forbes’ list, coming in at ninth.
2. During Syracuse’s round of 32 game against California on Saturday night, Michael Carter-Williams‘ family’s house in Hamilton, Massachusetts was destroyed by a fire, which is believed to have started in the chimney. The family was inside the house watching his game when the fire started, but luckily everyone made it out of the house without injury. Carter-Williams’ aunt told the Boston Globe that the point guard is a bit “shaken up because he can’t do anything to help,” but that he remains focused on the NCAA Tournament, and won’t return home until after the East Regional games in Washington, D.C., this weekend.
3. Saturday’s Third Round game between Marquette and Butler could very well mark the beginning of a budding rivalry in the new Big East conference. Both schools play similar, bruising styles of basketball and thrive in close-game situations, this one won by Buzz Williams’ squad. Both are private urban universities in midwestern cities with proud recent basketball histories and top flight young coaches. Where some of the programs that joined the Big East in the mid-2000s expansion failed to live up to their basketball promise, Marquette has played at a consistently high level, and the new conference led by the Catholic Seven will look to Butler to make an immediate impact in a similar fashion.
4. While Pitt fans seem a bit split on Jamie Dixon, especially after another early NCAA flame-out, Dixon is very happy to be sticking around the ‘Steel City‘.  The university has locked the coach up for the next 10 years, ending much speculation that Dixon would take the vacant job at USC.  The signing gives Pitt security heading into a new conference, if nothing else, and gives the Dixon family a similar sense of stability: “My family’s excited. Our administration felt it needed to be done, so we’re excited and happy.”
5. There is, of course, a fourth Big East program still dancing… or at least shuffling its feet off away from the spotlight. Providence knocked off notorious Kentucky-killers Robert Morris 77-68 in the second round of the NIT at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, setting up an upcoming quarterfinal with Baylor. In the team’s final hurrah at home, coach Ed Cooley made sure to deliver a message to the Friars faithful to try to kick-start some momentum heading into 2013-14: “We want to see this place full next season as we begin our quest for a national championship.”  While an NCAA title might be a gaudy task for next season, an NIT crown should be attainable this year, and it would be a nice feather in the cap for a program that was better than many probably thought this season.

After four straight days of wall-to-wall hoops, the Circle of March is now down to just 16 lucky schools. Note the one surprise school sorta drifting out to sea over on the left hand side. How much further can the ridiculously fun group from Florida Gulf Coast advance in this year’s NCAA Tournament? We’ll find out soon enough…

Teams Eliminated From National Title Contention (03.23-24.13)

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Brian Otskey (@botskey) is in Philadelphia for tonight’s Third Round NCAA Tournament games and filed this report after Duke advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a victory over Creighton.

Three key takeaways:

Duke Marches on to Coach K’s 21st Sweet Sixteen Appearance

1. Duke’s defense was tremendous. The Blue Devils held Creighton to a paltry 30.2% shooting and limited star Doug McDermott to just 4 of 16 from the field. McDermott said that Duke switched screens all night on him but that he missed some shots he usually makes. However, it wasn’t just McDermott who was limited. Austin Chatman and Jahenns Manigat shot a combined 3-18. Mike Krzyzewski had high praise for Tyler Thornton’s defense after the game but it was a complete team effort. Creighton was no match for Duke’s outstanding length and athleticism on this night.
2. Fouls ruined the flow of this game. 46 fouls were called in this game, meaning there was one foul call every 52 seconds on average. The zebras completely ruined the flow of this game and I’m sure that contributed somewhat to the poor shooting we saw tonight. Neither team was able to get into any kind of rhythm offensively and it was a parade to the foul line for the better part of the evening. Doug McDermott only made four field goals but still scored 21 points because he was able to get to the charity stripe 12 times. This was definitely a physical game between two teams that played terrific defense but there was no need for that many fouls to be called.
3. Let’s hope that wasn’t the last time we see Doug McDermott in college. One of the best players of this era, McDermott just completed his junior season and now has a decision to make. His coach and father, Greg, said after the game that the two of them discussed it six weeks ago and decided to wait until the season was over to think it through and make a final decision. That time has now come but the elder McDermott said they’ll be in no rush to sit down and talk, rather that they’d let this all sink in and calm down first. Doug McDermott has to what is best for him but it would be a shame for college basketball fans to see him forego his senior season, one in which his school is moving to a power conference in the new Big East. One more year of college basketball could help McDermott’s draft stock, especially on the defensive end.

Star of the Game:  Rasheed Sulaimon, Duke. Mike Krzyzewski’s talented freshman poured in 21 points on an efficient 5-9 shooting in what was a rough game for jump shooters. Sulaimon’s efficiency helped Duke keep Creighton at arm’s length for much of the game before pulling away down the stretch. Sulaimon has to be a contributor going forward if Duke is going to get to Atlanta.

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Brian Otskey (@botskey) is in Philadelphia for tonight’s Third Round NCAA Tournament games and filed this report after Florida Gulf Coast’s victory over San Diego State.

Three key takeaways:

The First #15 Seed to Ever Reach the Sweet Sixteen: Florida Gulf Coast

1. History. For the first time in the 75-year history of the NCAA Tournament, a No. 15 seed has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Florida Gulf Coast, a little-known school from Fort Meyers, has advanced to play the Florida Gators in Arlington later this week. This team absolutely dismantled two very good teams on its way, Georgetown and San Diego State. Regardless of what happens against the Gators, this will go down as one of, if not the most improbable runs in the history of the NCAA Tournament.
2. Florida Gulf Coast played its style and never let up. Head coach Andy Enfield said after the Georgetown game that he told his team to play “FGCU basketball.” That’s exactly what it did tonight. The Eagles pushed the pace and showed no fear in taking it right to San Diego State. Florida Gulf Coast forced 17 turnovers and turned them into 22 points, a key to any team that prefers an up-tempo style. This game quickly snowballed out of control for San Diego State and the Eagles never gave it a chance to recover or make a run at them late in the game. It was total FGCU dominance down the stretch.
3. You can’t fault San Diego State. The Aztecs were in this game for most of it but simply ran into a buzz saw with nothing to lose over the final 10 minutes of the game. Steve Fisher’s club put up 71 points but just was overwhelmed by the Eagles.  Florida Gulf Coast went on a 17-0 run in the second half that sealed it, fueled by the energy of this crowd and their own incredible confidence. It was a dominating second half, one in which San Diego State had no chance after

Star of the Game:  Brett Comer, Florida Gulf Coast. Austin Rivers’ former high school teammate is making quite the name for himself. Comer electrified the Philadelphia crowd once again by pushing the pace and making some incredible passes along the way. Comer controlled the tempo of the game and recorded 14 assists to just three turnovers. How this kid slipped through the recruiting cracks is anyone’s guess. Given the way he played in these two games, Comer would have a spot on almost any major conference team.

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Here are the game breakdowns for Sunday’s slate. From 24 to 16…

#2 Ohio State vs. #10 Iowa State – West Regional Third Round (Dayton, OH) – 12:15 PM ET on CBS

Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft will likely have to be their usual stellar selves to get past Iowa State. (Getty)

Friday night against Notre Dame, Iowa State hit nine threes as they rolled over Notre Dame into the Round of 32. Maybe just as impressively, they turned it over just six times, forced 17 turnovers and limited a good three-point shooting Irish team to just four threes on the night. Let’s just go out on a limb and say that none of those things are likely to happen when they face Ohio State today. But that’s not to insinuate that the Cyclones don’t have a chance. This is a team that can get scoring from all eight of the players in their rotation and guys like Will Clyburn, Melvin Ejim and Georges Niang are all inside/outside threats that are capable of creating matchup problems for their opponents. The problem is, the Buckeyes have shown their ability defensively to deal with versatile offensive teams; Michigan and Indiana are the top two offensive teams in the nation, and the Buckeyes have held each below one point per possession on one occasion earlier in the season. Of course, the thing is, on the other occasion when the Buckeyes faced those teams, they allowed an average of 1.21 points per possession and gave up a total of 21 three-pointers in those two games. In other words, while OSU has the ability to turn off the water for good offensive teams, there are just nights when good offense beats good defense. If Iowa State has it going, they’ve got enough talent to score enough points to beat Ohio State. The problem is, the Buckeyes have been pretty darn efficient offensively themselves of late and the Cyclones, meanwhile, are the third-worst defensive efficiency team remaining in the tournament. Iowa State’s offense has the ability to give Ohio State trouble, but it is just as likely that the Buckeyes will exploit that soft Cyclone defense.

The RTC Certified Pick: Ohio State

#1 Indiana vs. #9 Temple — East Region Third Round (at Dayton, OH) — 2:45 PM ET on CBS.

Fran Dunphy’s squad is known for defense, but lately the Owls have been putting up some major points. (Philly.com)

When you think of Fran Dunphy and Temple, you think of defense and a junkyard dog style of play. Not so much with this group. Since January 19, Temple has been an offensive juggernaut of sorts. The Owls have scored at least 70 points in their last 12 games and 16 of their last 17 games. Even in the one game they didn’t score 70, they fell only one point short of that mark. The point is the Owls can hang with Indiana offensively despite a talent disadvantage. The real question in this game is whether or not Temple can play the defense necessary to knock off the Hoosiers. Indiana is most vulnerable when teams slow the pace and get physical. Temple can surely get physical but we’re not sure the Owls can slow the pace against such a high-octane offense. For Indiana, the defensive key will be containing Khalif Wyatt. Although not a particularly great shooter, the Temple senior does it all. He gets others involved and averages 20.2 PPG with the potential to go for 30+ on any given night as he has done on six occasions this season, including in two of Temple’s last three games. Wyatt gets to the free throw line very well but one of Indiana’s many strengths is keeping opponents off the charity stripe. It’ll be very interesting to see if Wyatt can get to the line with regularity in this game. The Hoosiers have a significant talent advantage in this game but that was also the case with NC State, who Temple beat on Friday. Indiana can’t take this one for granted and must be focused defensively in the half court. Temple won’t turn the ball over often and Wyatt will be searching for contact all game.

The RTC Certified Pick: Indiana 

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RTC is at the San Jose pod this evening. We filed this report after Saturday’s Third Round game between #4 Syracuse and #12 California.

Three Key Takeaways:

The Orange March On to DC…

1. Size and Length. In spades. We hear it all the time but when you see it up close and personal, Syracuse’s size and length really stands out in an unbelievable way. There couldn’t be more than a handful of teams around the country who can match it. The problem is that sometimes the Orange play as dumb as they possibly can to give outmatched teams like Cal a chance to come back and even win the game. Between the poor decisions (Michael Carter-Williams is always good for at least two jump-passes with no intended recipient), the missed free throws (an astonishing 15 tonight), and an astonishing ability to turn the ball over in key situations, Syracuse managed to survive regardless (it helped that they played a team with some similar attributes). It’s unlikely that a team with these issues can just will them away at this late point in the season, but wow, if they were able to put everything together, the Orange have #1 seed talent and athleticism.
2. Good Syracuse and Bad Syracuse Showed Up Tonight. Jim Boeheim made reference to this in his postgame press conference. He thought, and there’s really no disputing him, that the Orange defense was spectacular. They completely took Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs out of their comfort zones, fully aware in the knowledge that the Golden Bears do not have any other reliable scorers. Richard Solomon had a beastly game (22/14) but they were willing to give that up to shut down the backcourt duo. At the same time, there were way too many unforced turnovers and the Orange left 15 points at the foul line (26-of-41 FTs). Then there was that last two minutes, perhaps most perfectly captured by the length-of-the-court pass to nobody. Suddenly an easy 15-point win got harrowing, as the partisan crowd roared to life. If Syracuse is going to beat a team like Indiana to make a run to the Final Four, they’re going to have to figure out how to play a full 40 minutes with concentration and focus. Otherwise, as we’ve seen several times this season, a game that should be a victory will quickly turn into a loss against another good team.
3. Crabbe and Cobbs. The California duo who averaged a combined 33.5 points per game this season had a grand total of six points during the first 38 minutes. They finished with 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting, but much of that had to do with a bizarre final two minutes where Bad Syracuse was doing its best to let Cal back into the game. Put simply, the Bears really had no chance of winning this one without at least one of the two going off, and Boeheim remarked in his postgame comments that their top priority was shutting down Crabbe, in particular. The only shot Crabbe made in the first half was a result of a little-used player Trevor Cooney blowing his assignment; as Boeheim put it, the freshman guard “got to watch Crabbe play from the bench the rest of the game.” Again, the size and length that the Orange could throw at these two really showed in terms of the openings they were (or were not) able to find.

Star of the Game: CJ Fair, Syracuse. Fair set the offensive tone early with six quick points to help Syracuse jump out to an 11-2 lead on his way to a solid 18-point, six-rebound evening of work. Mike Montgomery said that his players were tentative early, and Fair’s inside-out work helped raise the pressure on the Bears playing in front of a partisan crowd. 

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Andrew Murawa is an RTC correspondent. He filed this report from the Round of 32 game between #1 Gonzaga and #9 Wichita State at the Salt Lake City pod this evening.

The Shocker certainly live up to their name Saturday evening. (AP)

Three Key Takeaways.

1. Spectacular Ending. After trailing much of the first and start of second half, Gonzaga took a 43-41 lead with 13:39 remaining on a Mike Hart three. For the next seven minutes or so, it seemed like the Zags were on the verge of pulling away and a Kevin Pangos three with 6:30 remaining put the Bulldogs up seven. That was just the start of the madness. That Pangos three was just the start of five threes on six offensive possessions and a Carl Hall jumper gave Wichita State the lead back. Then, following a Ron Baker personal 5-0 run, Fred Vanvleet nailed the calmest, sweetest three anyone (anyone except a Zag fan, that is) ever did see with one second left on the shotclock to put the Shockers up seven and effectively seal the game. It was a wild stretch that left the West region without four of its top five seeds.
2. Wichita Three-Point Shooting. For the year, Wichita State is a 33% three-point shooting team, good for 213^th in the nation. And just one player on the roster had made more than 40 threes this season. Today? The team went 14-of-28, got four threes from 29.8% three-point shooter Cleanthony Early and four threes from Baker, a freshman who missed 21 games in the middle of the season. That type of performance was, well, shocking, but ultimately it is what puts Gregg Marshall and company through to their first Sweet 16 in the Marshall era.
3. Gonzaga Rebounding. We knew coming into the game that Gonzaga would have a big size advantage inside, but with the way Wichita handled their business on the glass against Pittsburgh, the expectation was that the Shockers would be okay. Suffice it to say, they were not okay. While they did a fine job on their own offensive glass (35.7 OR%), they got smoked on the defensive glass, allowing the Zags to collect 21 offensive rebounds, grabbing better than half of their own misses. It was this, and a striking advantage from the free throw line (at least until the Zags had to foul in the end game scenario) that even allowed the Bulldogs to remain as close as they did.

Star of the Game. Ron Baker, Wichita State. First off, this is a kid that missed the last 21 game of the regular season, returning only in time for the start of the MVC Tournament, where he immediately jumped back into the fire by dropping 15 points. He joined the starting lineup against Pitt (but went 0-of-5 from the field), then tonight dropped a phenomenal game, doing a little bit of everything for the Shockers. He scored 16 points, knocked down four threes, grabbed six boards and has four assists, along with some excellent defense against the Zag guards. In a game with a six-point final margin, the Shockers were +19 with Baker on the floor.

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