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NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Preview: Wisconsin Goes For Back-to-Back Final Fours

By Nathan Giese

Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Wisconsin Badgers players and cheerleaders and mascot Bucky celebrate after defeating the Oregon Ducks in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Wisconsin Badgers players and cheerleaders and mascot Bucky celebrate after defeating the Oregon Ducks in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 21, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (23) celebrates against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (23) celebrates against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Arizona-Xavier Preview 

Sean Miller looks to take down his old team to advance to another Elite Eight appearance. Chris Mack has led Xavier to three Sweet 16s in his six years, while Miller has taken Arizona to its fourth in the same time frame.

Quick Facts:

Arizona has won 13 straight games with 11 of those coming by double-digit margins. The Wildcats are 8-0 in neutral court games this year.

Xavier, while talented, has been up-and-down through the year, but has won five of their last six contests. The Musketeers are 5-3 in neutral court games this season.

What to Look For:

Both teams rely heavily on their balance to win games. Arizona has four players that average double-digit scoring numbers, led by Stanley Johnson‘s 14.0 per game, and two more that average over nine per game. Meanwhile, Xavier has two players with double-digit scoring averages, led by Stainbrook, and three more that average between 8.5 and 9.9.

The balance is critical for both teams’ success.

Of course, sometimes it take star performers from one player or another to come away with wins in the NCAA Tournament. For the Wildcats, you can pick and choose who could have a star performance.

McConnell has been fantastic lately, Brandon Ashley has had three 20-plus point outings over the last seven games and Johnson has the tools to have breakout performances every night.

Xavier has gotten big games out of Jalen Reynolds (21 points against Georgia State) and Stainbrook over the past few weeks. Stainbrook has been the most consistent player for the Musketeers, especially down the stretch, but getting big performances from the likes of Reynolds, Dee Davis and Trevor Bluiett, who has really struggled lately, would be big contributions to the team effort.

Mar 21, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller instructs against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller instructs against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Key to the Game:

Though both teams are well-balanced, it’ll come down to the battle of the point guards with McConnell against Remy Abell. Both are their respective team’s primary defense options, but McConnell has been called upon to be an offensive weapon lately. He’s a capable scorer and shown the ability to take over a game in the blink of an eye, something we never thought we’d see at the start of the 2013-14 season.

McConnell doesn’t have to take over a game, but he’s certainly able and willing to do so.

Another factor to the game will be Stainbrook going against Kaleb Tarczewski. As good as the Big East is, the conference didn’t feature a ton of players big enough to deal with the 6-foot-10, 260-point Stainbrook. At 7-feet tall, Tarczewski will have no problem in the height department and has dealt with a number of players bigger and strong than him throughout the year.

It’s entirely possible Stainbrook has a difficult time getting anything going in the post, which would put more pressure on his teammates to step up and hit shots.

Prediction:

Arizona clamps down on defense early, jumping out to a sizable lead in the first half, forcing the Musketeers to play catchup throughout the second half. Xavier starts hitting a few threes to gain some momentum, but during their last efforts to close the gap, McConnell drains a three with the shot clock running out and breaks the camel’s back. Miller tops Mack and earns an Elite Eight rematch with Wisconsin, 74-63.

Next: Sweet 16 Midwest Preview: Can Kentucky Continue to Run the Table?