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NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Preview: Kentucky Looks To Claim Midwest Region

By Nathan Giese

Mar 21, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Aaron Harrison (2) high fives fans after the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KFC Yum! Center. Kentucky wins 64-51. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Aaron Harrison (2) high fives fans after the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KFC Yum! Center. Kentucky wins 64-51. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Wichita State Shockers guard Fred VanVleet (23) celebrates with teammates as they head into a timeout during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament against the Kansas Jayhawks at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Wichita State Shockers guard Fred VanVleet (23) celebrates with teammates as they head into a timeout during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament against the Kansas Jayhawks at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

Players to Watch

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish are led by their guards, most notably Jerian Grant, who leads the team in points per game at 16.8 and assists at 6.6 per game. Along with Grant, Pat Connaughton, the hero of Saturday’s win over Butler, is second on the team in points/game at 12.8 and leads the team in rebounding at 7.4 per game.

X-Factor: Zach Auguste is coming off of a whirlwind weekend. After collecting a 25-point effort in limited minutes due to foul trouble against Northeastern, Auguste nearly costed Notre Dame the game against Butler, coming up with a rebound with two seconds left in regulation, then promptly turning it over on a double dribble call.

Being the tallest player on the team at 6-foot-10, his inside presence is crucial for Mike Brey’s squad to advance.

Wichita State: Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker make up one of the best backcourt duos in the country, leading the team in most major categories statistically. Along with Tekele Cotton and Evan Wessel, these four have a combined 37 NCAA tournament games under their belt, which some teams in the Sweet 16 field can’t say for their entire team.

Experience can be a major factor in these types of games and the Shockers have it.

X-Factor: Darius Carter, though playing sporadic minutes throughout the season, is the lone big man with some experience. Though Wichita State isn’t afraid to use Shaquille Morris or Bush Wamukota, Carter is used more frequently when the Shockers play with a true big.

Establishing an inside presence early will be key to get Baker, Cotton, Wessel and VanVleet open looks from three.

Kentucky: Where to even begin? Probably the most obvious answer to this is Karl-Anthony Towns, who has made himself a household name over the past few months. However, it’s Willie Cauley-Stein, who brings leadership, experience and the best overall defensive presence on the team.

Cauley-Stein’s versatility makes him the most valuable player on the team, but the other half of the Hyphenation Brothers brings physicality and a growing offensive game to the table to complement him.

X-Factor: Devin Booker is second on the team in three-point shooting percentage and has taken the second-most threes on the team but has struggled lately from outside. Booker has missed his last seven 3-point attempts and is just three for his last 16 attempts. His shooting ability opens up the floor for Kentucky’s bigs to operating, but he has to hit a few to make it meaningful.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers rely on two players more than most in senior point guard Juwan Staten and sophomore big man Devin Williams. The duo leads West Virginia in points per game at a combined 25.8 per game while Williams leads the team in rebounding (8.2) and Staten leads the team in assists (4.6).

However, with WVU’s defense, it can be anybody at any time to be the leader in terms of scoring as the Mountaineers like to score in transition whenever possible. That just depends on who gets the steal and who’s running the floor.

X-Factor: Gary Browne, who is tied for the team lead in three-point shooting at 38.5 percent, missed three of the previous five games, along with Staten, and is one of the lone deep threats the Mountaineers have. Shooting just 32 percent from three as a team, Browne’s ability to hit from outside makes him as vital of an asset as anyone in Bob Huggins’ system.

Next: Bigger Than Basketball