Posted by Brandon Rink on March 17, 2012 under ACC Basketball | Comments are off for this article
FSU's low-post defense will be put to the test by Cincinnati's Yancy Gates Sunday night (Pic per OrangeandWhite.com).
East: (3) Florida State vs. (6) Cincinnati, 9:40 (ET) Sun., CBS, Nashville, TN
Coaches Tourney Records: Florida State – Leonard Hamilton 6-6 (2-1 in the second round); Cincinnati – Mick Cronin 2-3 (0-1 in the second round).
FSU Has to Stop: F Yancy Gates (Senior, 6-9 260, 12.4 PPG/9.2 RPG) – Gates is a beast in the paint who can take a game over, and the Bearcats can struggle when he’s not scoring – both of their losses in a 11-game stretch where they’ve gone 9-2 have come when Gates was limited to single-digit scoring (46-45 to USF and 50-44 to Louisville).
Stat to Watch: 3-point shooting – In what should be a defensive battle, FSU’s ability to knock down the trey could be the difference. The Bearcats have three players with triple-digit attempts from the perimeter, guards Sean Kilpatrick and Cashmere Wright with respectable 36.8 and 36.9 shooting percentages respectively. FSU’s primary perimeter shooters Deividas Dulkys and Michael Snaer are more accurate – Dulkys at 37.5 (48-of-128) and Snaer 40.8 (64-of-157). The ‘Noles hit 7 3-pointers in the win over St. Bonaventure, while Cincinnati struggled against Texas (3-of-16).
What I’m Thinking: Let’s get the obvious out of the way – Leonard Hamilton’s Seminoles can’t get another bagel in the box score from Snaer. He has to hit 3s and attack the hoop for layups and free throws Sunday night. Bernard James stepped up in round one with 19 points and 9 rebounds, but his fellow forwards will have their share of issues with Cincinnati’s Gates Sunday night. These teams are both coming hot (8-2 in their last 10) and play a grinding style of defense. Looking over the numbers, the Bearcats remind of Clemson defensively, as they hold opponents to a low-point total, but don’t necessarily keep them to a low shooting-percentage. If Snaer is on, FSU should be able to outscore Cincinnati, but this is a very evenly matched game.
Coaches Tourney Records: UNC – Roy Williams 59-19 (14-7 in the second round); Creighton– Greg McDermott – 1-3 (0-0 in the second round).
UNC Has to Stop: F Doug McDermott (Soph., 6-7 220, 23 PPG/8.2 RPG/49.5 3PT%) – McDermott is one of the top scorers in the nation, versatile shooting 63.9 percent on 2s, 49.5 percent on 3s and 79.8 percent on free throws. He hasn’t scored in single-digits all season and posted 16 points in a defensive battle against Alabama (59-58 win) in round one.
Stat to Watch: Field goal percentage – As in, the Bluejays are No. 1 in the nation in it (50.7 percent), but face a Tar Heels team that’s No. 1 in the ACC and 18th nationally in field goal percentage defense. Creighton plays a moderate pace and score 79.4 points per game. We’ll see if they can hang with the Tar Heels and still make shots at the rate they typically do.
What I’m Thinking: On the season, Creighton has some good wins (68-61 over Wichita State and 85-83 over San Diego State) and not-so-good losses (89-68 to Wichita State at home). The Bluejays aren’t small so if John Henson’s wrist is okay or not – they could still pose a problem. What’s encouraging for UNC is James Michael McAdoo posting 17 points and 6 rebounds against Vermont Friday. As we’ve seen already this tournament, nobody is safe and Creighton is certainly capable of knocking off the Tar Heels, but UNC is my title pick and they should be focused and ready to move on to the Sweet 16.
Coaches Tourney Records: NC State – Mark Gottfried 6-7 (1-2 in the second round); Georgetown – John Thompson III – 8-7 (2-1 in the second round).
NC State Has to Stop: G Jason Clark (Senior, 6-2 170, 14.1 PPG/4.1 RPG) – When Clark is on, Georgetown wins, at 11-1 when he scored 15 or more points this season (only loss to Kansas) and coming off a 21-point game against Belmont in the first round. He was 9-of-12 from the field against the Bruins.
Stat to Watch: Fouls – Georgetown has five big men that average 20 minutes or more, while it’s basically C.J. Leslie, DeShawn Painter and Richard Howell for the Wolfpack. The Hoyas will be able to run a lot of bodies at NC State and try to get them in foul trouble. It’s imperative, especially after a 22-point game against San Diego State, for Howell to stay on the court.
What I’m Thinking: This is where I start to worry about the depth and experience of the Wolfpack. They have a really good shot if they play like they did on Friday (shooting 58 percent, four in double-figures, Lorenzo Brown with 17 points-8 assists-9 rebounds and so on), but Georgetown came out strong against Belmont and never let them in the game to a 74-59 win as well Friday. They control the tempo and NC State’s big men aren’t quite as on to a second-round exit.
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