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The Large Ten superior solely two groups to the second weekend of the 2022 NCAA match and has a 9-7 document by means of 16 video games.
No. 3 seed Purdue is the highest-seeded Large Ten workforce remaining adopted by No. 11 seed Michigan. Within the preseason, the Boilermakers and Wolverines were picked to finish at the top of the league standings.
Large Ten groups who misplaced to decrease seeded groups throughout the opening weekend of the match included Iowa (Richmond), Wisconsin (Iowa State) and Illinois (Houston). Indiana won a First Four game earlier than falling to Saint Mary’s in the round of 64. Rutgers misplaced to Notre Dame within the First 4 in Dayton. Ohio State beat Loyola-Chicago earlier than falling to Villanova. And Michigan State gave Duke a scare earlier than falling to the Blue Devils 85-76 within the spherical of 32.
Right here’s a have a look at the Large Ten matchups within the NCAA match Candy Sixteen:
No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 11 Michigan (San Antonio, Thursday, 7:29 p.m., TBS)
It’s been a curler coaster season for Juwan Howard and Michigan, however the Wolverines are some of the proficient groups within the convention and have confirmed to be a tough out in March. After falling 74-69 to Indiana within the Large Ten match, Michigan had every week off earlier than it knocked off Colorado State at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Wolverines trailed by as many as 15 within the first half earlier than pulling away from the Rams late for a 75-63 victory.
Michigan then obtained dominating performances from Hunter Dickinson (27 factors, 11 rebounds) and Eli Brooks (23 factors) in a 76-68 victory over No. 3 seed Tennessee to advance to the Candy Sixteen for a fifth straight season.
The Wolverines shall be an underdog on Thursday when it travels south to San Antonio to tackle Villanova. The Wildcats have gained seven straight video games and seem like peaking on the proper time. Villanova has the nation’s eighth-best offense, in accordance with KenPom, and the thirtieth greatest protection.
How Villanova defends Dickinson shall be an attention-grabbing storyline within the sport. The Wildcats don’t have a giant with comparable measurement and should ship assist to defend the Michigan heart. The flip facet to that, nevertheless, is that Villanova’s smaller frontcourt ought to be capable of successfully house the ground and pressure Dickinson to defend away from the basket. That’s not his robust go well with. Given its postseason pedigree and the truth that it has an All-American level guard in Collin Gillespie, it’s no shock that Villanova is the favourite to advance to the Elite Eight.
KenPom: Villanova 71, Michigan 66
No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s (Philadelphia, Friday, 7:09 p.m., CBS)
The Boilermakers had a snug win over Yale to open the NCAA match after which beat Texas by 10 to advance to the Candy Sixteen.
The storyline on this sport, nevertheless, is the unlikely opponent for Purdue. Saint Peter’s, the champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Convention, are the story of the NCAA match to date.
Within the opening spherical, the Peacocks surprised the school basketball world with an upset of No. 2 seed Kentucky in Indianapolis. Saint Peter’s adopted that up with a 70-60 win over Murray State to advance to the Candy Sixteen. Remarkably, Saint Peter’s gained two NCAA match video games and is ranked simply 226th nationally in adjusted offensive effectivity, per KenPom.
What does Saint Peter’s have left within the tank? We’ll discover out on Friday night. On paper, this seems like a mismatch in favor of Purdue. Jaden Ivey is enjoying in addition to any guard in faculty basketball and the duo of Zach Edey and Trevion Williams is hard for any workforce to cowl. For a workforce with the restricted measurement of Saint Peter’s, it’s an excellent harder job.
With Kentucky and Baylor already eradicated from the bracket, this can be a golden alternative for Purdue to achieve the Remaining 4 for the primary time since 1980 and for simply the third time in program historical past. If the Boilermakers can knock off Cinderella, a Sunday matchup towards the winner of UCLA-North Carolina awaits. Unsurprisingly, Purdue is a double-digit favourite towards Saint Peter’s on Friday with the Vegas line at present sitting at Purdue -12.5.
KenPom: Purdue 73, Saint Peter’s 63
Filed to: 2022 NCAA tournament, Michigan Wolverines, Purdue Boilermakers
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