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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 21, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Demetrius Jackson (11) talks to Fighting Irish guard Jerian Grant (22) during the first half against the Butler Bulldogs in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Consol Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Demetrius Jackson (11) talks to Fighting Irish guard Jerian Grant (22) during the first half against the Butler Bulldogs in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Consol Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Notre Dame-Wichita State Preview

Tipping off the Sweet 16 will also be the team that tipped off the tournament itself on Thursday as Notre Dame looks to advance to its first Elite Eight appearance since 1979. Meanwhile, Wichita State is looking to take their experience to their second Elite Eight in the past three years.

Quick Facts:

Notre Dame is on a roll, winning their last seven games and 10 of their last 11. The Fighting Irish are 7-1 on neutral courts this year, with their only loss coming to Providence in November by one.

Wichita is 6-2 on neutral courts this year and has won 11 of their last 12 games.

What to look for:

Guard play is going to be aplenty in this contest. Notre Dame’s trio against Wichita State’s trio. Offensively skilled versus defensively disciplined.

With Notre Dame’s senior leaders of Grant and Connaughton, along with Demetrius Jackson, the Fighting Irish have a dynamic trio that features solid three-point shooting, speed and great passing. Jackson can fly by just about any opponent, Connaughton shoots 42 percent from beyond the arc and Grant has some of the best court vision in the country.

For Wichita State, VanVleet and Baker get the headlines, but it’s the play of Cotton that will determine the success of this trio. Having been through it all in his four years with the Shockers, Cotton has the trust of his coach and works best when he’s aggressively trying to get to the basket.

All three are capable shooters and both VanVleet and Cotton are two of the most defensively sound guards in the country, Cotton winning two Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Mar 21, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard/forward Pat Connaughton (24) blocks the shot of Butler Bulldogs guard Kellen Dunham (24) in the last second of regulation time in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Consol Energy Center. The Fighting Irish won 67-64 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard/forward Pat Connaughton (24) blocks the shot of Butler Bulldogs guard Kellen Dunham (24) in the last second of regulation time in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Consol Energy Center. The Fighting Irish won 67-64 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

We talked about Auguste and Carter being the x-factors for their respective teams, but the deciding matchup could become between Evan Wessel and Steve Vasturia. Both players have the capability of standing out for their teams, but it’s in ways that don’t usually make the box score: doing the dirty work defensively, getting on the ground for lose balls and being an overall presence on the court.

Key to the game:

Balance. Balance is going to be the deciding factor here. If Notre Dame has to rely on Grant to do the bulk of the scoring, the Shockers will have done their job of shutting down the other four guys on the court and increases their chances of winning the game.

On the flip side, if most of the scoring has to come from VanVleet and Baker, Notre Dame’s chances of winning go through the roof. All three are very talented and capable of taking over games, but at this point of the season, it takes strong team efforts to come away with the win.

Here’s another factor to the game:

Prediction:

Wichita State’s defense comes up huge in spots, but Baker is unable to get his shot going when the Shockers need him the most. Grant hits 12 of his 15 free throw attempts and Auguste wins the battle down low. Notre Dame advances to the Elite Eight, 69-65.

Next: Kentucky-West Virginia Preview