Sweet 16 Preview: (2) Memphis vs. (3) Missouri

(2) Memphis Tigers:

Their Tournament so far: The Tigers survived a potential first round upset by 15th seed Cal State Northridge. Though they won the game 81-70, Memphis was down by three with nine minutes remaining. Sophomore guard Roburt Sallie came up big off the bench for the Tigers by hitting 10 3-pointers. In the second round game against (10) Maryland, Memphis showed why they were a number 2 seed by blowing out the Terps with a 89-70 win. The Tigers had 5 players in double figures and were too quick and athletic for the Terps to handle.

Hot Hand: Roburt Sallie scored just 150 points in the 33 games leading up to the NCAA tournament but has 48 in the Tigers first two rounds. Sallie has been a good 3-point shooter all year has caught fire in the tournament with a combined 13-19 from behind the arc. Freshman guard Tyreke Evans has added 34 points for Memphis and has been disruptive on defense.

How they match-up with Missouri: Memphis match-ups well with Missouri. They are very similar teams, both like to get out in front of their opponents and score in transition. Both teams are very adept at creating turnovers and forcing bad shots. Memphis doesn't have the 3-point shooting ability to match with Missouri but does have more overall talent in their back court. Memphis also has a depth advantage over Missouri, with a more balanced offense.

X-Factor: Win the battle of the big men. Missouri's two best players are forwards and if they get hot, Missouri will advance to the Elite Eight. Memphis needs their own forwards, senior Robert Dozier and junior Shawn Taggart, to match-up and shut down the Missouri threat. Dozier and Taggart will need to control the boards as well and give their team some second shot looks.

(3) Missouri Tigers:

Their Tournament so far: Missouri had a 19 point victory over (14) Cornell in the first round. The Tigers were led by senior forward Leo Lyons who had 23 points and 10 rebounds. In the second round the Tigers had a tough match-up against (6) Marquette. The Tigers pulled out a four point victory behind clutch free throw shooting down the stretch.

Hot Hand: Lyons has paced the Tigers with 41 points between the two games. He's been strong from the free throw line hitting 11 of his 13 attempts. Senior forward DeMarre Carroll has scored in double digits in both rounds and has been the team's leader all season. Freshman guard Kim English has come off the bench to score 30 points and has gone 6-10 from beyond the 3-point line.

How they match-up with Memphis: They can't match the star quality or depth of Memphis but they can play defense and force Memphis to play their game. While both teams rely on transition basketball, Missouri plays a tighter defense and is a better shooting team. They need to not give up so many second chance points and capitalize on Memphis turnovers.

X-Factor: Shutting down the Memphis back court. Missouri has the advantage on the inside but Memphis has a big advantage with their guards. While Missouri is a better shooting team, the Memphis guards are quicker and more athletic. For Missouri to win they have to slow down Evans, Sallie and senior guard Antonio Anderson. If Missouri can neutralize the threat on the outside their inside advantage should give them the victory.

March Madness: West Region Part 2

No. 2 seed Memphis Tigers:

Why they will win it all: The Tigers are a much different team from the one that lost in the finals to Kansas a year ago. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. They are a more balanced team with four players averaging at least 10 points a game. Memphis also has a deep bench with a total of 9 players that average at least 12 minutes per game. The Tigers are led by freshman point guard Tyreke Evans and senior forward Robert Dozier. Evans led the team in scoring averaging over 16 points a game and is a quality defender. Dozier is their best inside scorer averaging 12.2 points per game. Memphis is a very athletic team that likes to force turnovers and get the fast break.

Why they won't win it all: Memphis is a hard to team to project because of the weakness of their conference. They ran away with the Conferance USA regular season and postseason title but didn't face any tough competition. Tennessee and Gonzaga were the only tournament teams they faced that they beat. Memphis can also be very inconsistent. Dozier is one of their best players but he disappears in far too many games. The Tigers lack a true perimeter threat and their overall shooting percentage is under 45%.

Player to watch: Tyreke Evans. Evans has quietly filled Derrick Rose's shoes as the teams star point guard. Evans isn't as complete a player as Rose but is still a dangerous scoring threat. He does a little bit of everything for the Tigers. In addition to leading the team in scoring, Evans led the team in steals, was second in assists and third in rebounds and blocked shots. Unfortunately Evans led the team in another category by a wide margin; turnovers. Evans is not a good passer and will try to do too much at times. If he stays focused Evans can be an elite scorer and a shutdown defender.

Prediction: I think Memphis will come out of the West region for a Final Four berth. Their depth and defense should help them overcome challenges from Missouri and Connecticut.

Other teams to watch: The 3rd seed Missouri Tigers could be a strong team in this bracket. They won the Big 12 tournament and could make a run in this tournament as well. Led by senior forwards DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons the Tigers can run with just about anyone. They are an athletic team that plays good defense and matches up well against Memphis and Connecticut. The 4th seed Washington Huskies are a deep team that has four scorers averaging at least 10 points. The Huskies are led by senior forward Jon Brockman who averaged over 14 points and 11 rebounds a game.