NCAA Tourney - Wichita State vs Louisville

[MVCfans]

Shox are a ten point underdog. I've picked them to win each of the 4 NCAA games so far, but this will be the most difficult yet.

My quick preview: www.mvcfans.com

[musiccitybulldog]

Shockers will beat the Cardinals, so keep your Monday night open.

[CBB_Fan]

The Cardinals "should" win. They have the best defense Ken Pomeroy has seen since he started keeping track of defensive efficiency. They have star players, have been scoring with good efficiency, and combine a great press with a terrific halfcourt defense. They've out-rebounded the best rebounding team in the country, and destroyed a #2 seed to get to the Final Four. They've been flat out dominant in the last 14 games, and have won their NCAA games by over 20 points a game.

BUT, they aren't perfect. They are not a great shooting team, and would be the second worst 3PT team in the Valley. They give up even more fouls than Wichita State does, and rely on getting good looks in the paint to win (through offensive rebounds, turnovers, and guard penetration). Here is where they would rank in the Valley at a variety of stats:

Offensive rebounding: 1st
Defensive rebounding: 11th
eFG%: 6th
eFG% defense: 1st
Offensive TO%: 5th
Defensive TO%: 1st
Block%: 2nd
FT%: 8th
2PT%: 3rd
3PT%: 10th

They are good, no doubt about it. But they aren't invincible. They have weaknesses, some of which are pretty big. Wichita State has faced teams in the MVC that can outshoot Louisville, and rebound better than them.

Also, they have a lot more to deal with off the court. The Ware injury will hurt their depth and have a big impact on their play, but the psychological stress of that injury may be even more important. They have the pressures of the #1 overall seed to deal with, and the added pressure of performing for a coach that recently became a Hall of Famer. These things can cause distractions that prevent the team from properly preparing for the game, and they all add stress that can make players make mistakes.

Basically what I'm saying is that Wichita State can win if they execute. They'll need to play their best basketball, but Louisville has a lot more to distract them. If Wichita State can impose themselves early, they'll have a shot.

[glm38]

It should be interesting to see how the Shox guards handle Louisville's vaunted pressure defense. I think they can handle it. I think Shox win by 4.

I'm really pulling for the Shox. Haven't been this excited about a final four game in years.

[ShocksRbest]

The Cardinals "should" win. They have the best defense Ken Pomeroy has seen since he started keeping track of defensive efficiency. They have star players, have been scoring with good efficiency, and combine a great press with a terrific halfcourt defense. They've out-rebounded the best rebounding team in the country, and destroyed a #2 seed to get to the Final Four. They've been flat out dominant in the last 14 games, and have won their NCAA games by over 20 points a game.

BUT, they aren't perfect. They are not a great shooting team, and would be the second worst 3PT team in the Valley. They give up even more fouls than Wichita State does, and rely on getting good looks in the paint to win (through offensive rebounds, turnovers, and guard penetration). Here is where they would rank in the Valley at a variety of stats:

Offensive rebounding: 1st
Defensive rebounding: 11th
eFG%: 6th
eFG% defense: 1st
Offensive TO%: 5th
Defensive TO%: 1st
Block%: 2nd
FT%: 8th
2PT%: 3rd
3PT%: 10th

They are good, no doubt about it. But they aren't invincible. They have weaknesses, some of which are pretty big. Wichita State has faced teams in the MVC that can outshoot Louisville, and rebound better than them.

Also, they have a lot more to deal with off the court. The Ware injury will hurt their depth and have a big impact on their play, but the psychological stress of that injury may be even more important. They have the pressures of the #1 overall seed to deal with, and the added pressure of performing for a coach that recently became a Hall of Famer. These things can cause distractions that prevent the team from properly preparing for the game, and they all add stress that can make players make mistakes.

Basically what I'm saying is that Wichita State can win if they execute. They'll need to play their best basketball, but Louisville has a lot more to distract them. If Wichita State can impose themselves early, they'll have a shot.

What I find interesting is the same Ken Pomeroy calculated that WSU had the most difficult path to the Final Four of any team for the past 11 years, while Louisville had the 7th easiest path. As much acclaim Louisville has received about blowing people out, WSU has been even more impressive given their path difficulty and the caliber of teams they have played and beaten. Will be an interesting game.

[rlh04d]

Should be a great game.

I think WSU will be able to handle the pressure. Three straight years of VCU's Havoc ... we've got the experience in coaching to handle it. And we did well against it this year.

I think it'll come down to three things: Pitino is too good of a coach to not identify our weakness against zone and make us prove we can beat it, so how we perform there will be vital. Being hot from the perimeter will be very important, and we need to shoot at least 40% from 3 at an absolute minimum. How our interior defense stacks up against them will be important. I'm confident in how we handle the other aspects of the game, but those are the three variables that could range from us winning to us getting blown out depending on how we perform.

[capnkirk]

Totally pumped for the game tomorrow. You always hope and dream about your team making a run in the tourney and getting to the final 4, but when it actually happens it is unreal.

Both teams are playing their best ball of the season right now. This one is gonna be a war. I believe WSU has Patino's undivided attention. But the same can also be said for Louisville and the shocks.

I can't decide which favors the shockers, a low scoring game or high scoring game.

The only thing I know is that at 5:09 tomorrow I will be ready for a roller coaster ride of emotions and I hope it ends on a good note.

GO SHOCKS!!!!!!!

[sixth ace]

Take care of the ball and play a clean game w/o fouls and WSU should play Monday

Go Shockers

[valleychamp]

http://deadspin.com/wichita-state-players-know-as-little-about-wichita-stat-470980076

At a news conference here Friday, Carl Hall, a senior forward, did not hesitate when asked how much he knew about Wichita State before enrolling.

“I knew nothing about Wichita State,” he said. “I had to Google it, see how big the city was. When I first heard the word ‘Wichita,’ I’m thinking a small country town, people walking around with cowboy boots on, things like that.”



Armstead, a senior guard, grew up in Florence, Ala., and had a clear – albeit admittedly incorrect – vision of what Kansas looked like before he stepped foot on Wichita State’s campus.

“When I heard about Wichita State and found out that it was in Kansas, first thing came to mind was ‘Wizard of Oz’ – like, Dorothy,” Armstead said. “That was the only thing I really knew about it.”

[GarH]

Let's get ready to Ruummble!!!!!!!!