Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Sweet 16 East Preview

1. UConn vs. 5. San Diego State

UConn has won 8 straight tournament games by double digits. San Diego State doesn’t have enough offensive firepower to beat them. UConn’s spurtability will let them pull away and win comfortably.

The Pick: UConn 70 San Diego State 60


2. Iowa State vs. 3. Illinois

Contrasting teams meetup in this fascinating game. Iowa State is 49th and 1st in effective offensive and defensive efficiency. The Illini are 1st and 92nd in those categories.

Looking at the 4 Factors, Illinois is actually solid across the board defensively except turning teams over. They’re 360th of 362 teams in turning the opponent over (Interestingly, Creighton is the worst). Iowa State typically doesn’t turn it over. There isn’t anything they do bad on offense, they’re just not excellent in any category. I think these two seemingly weaknesses of both teams might not matter.

The Pick: Illinois 71 Iowa State 69

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