Iowa State vs. Iona
Noon Thursday, TBS
No. 4 Cyclones 21-11, 10-8 Big 12
No. 13 Gaels 22-10, 16-4 MAAC
RELATED:
Key matchup:
Cyclones point guard Monte Morris vs. Gaels point guard A.J. English. Morris has been battling a shoulder injury that will probably hamper him throughout the tournament. He was noticeably handicapped against Oklahoma a week ago. He averages more than 38 minutes per game and is Iowa State’s leader on offense. English may be the best guard in Denver this week. He’s the only player in Division I averaging 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game.
Up high:
English is the Gaels’ star, but wingers Isaiah Williams and Deyshonee Much are also proficient 3-point shooters who can change the game in a hurry. Much shot 45 percent from 3-point land. The Cyclones don’t have a dependable backup guard behind Morris and will have their depth tested. Junior guard Matt Thomas is Iowa State’s best pure shooter.
Down low:
Iowa State forward Georges Niang, who averages nearly 20 points per game, goes against Iona 6-foot-8, 255-pound forward Jordan Washington. The rebounding skills of ISU’s Jameel McKay (8.9 per game) will be on full display. It’ll be about athleticism and running the floor for these up-tempo teams.
Quote:
Iona coach Tim Cluess: “They may be better than us 364 days of the year, we just have to be better than them one day, and we’re hoping that day is tomorrow.”
The Post’s pick:
Iona 88-84. This may be the tournament’s highest-scoring game Thursday. The Cyclones have struggled at season’s end, and the Gaels’ English has the making of March’s next surprise star.
Purdue vs. Ark.-Little Rock
2:30 p.m. Thursday, TBS
No. 5 Boilermakers 26-8, 12-6 Big Ten
No. 12 Trojans 29-4, 17-3 Sun Belt
Key matchup:
Arkansas-Little Rock 6-foot-5 forward Roger Woods will see a lot of Purdue 6–9 forward Caleb Swanigan in one of the size mismatches in this game. Woods is one of Little Rock’s many veteran players who have bought into a defense-first mentality of their new coach. Swanigan is one of the most versatile freshmen in the country.
Up high:
Guards Josh Hagins and Marcus Johnson are the Trojans’ leading scorers, but they really increase the tempo with their high-pressure defense. The Trojans won’t grow overnight, so they’ll probably have to beat Purdue with their guard play and by controlling tempo. Purdue sends out 6-6 guard Vince Edwards, their best 3-point shooter.
Down low:
The Boilermakers are the tallest team in NCAA. Seven-footers centers A.J. Hammons and Isaac Haas solidify the paint defensively. Little Rock senior forwards Mareik Isom and Lis Shoshi don’t provide much offensively, but they clog things up on defense.
Quote:
Little Rock’s favorite pregame song? “It might be ‘Baby Daddy Broke’ by
Chief Keef and Gucci Mane,” Woods said. “And we have that ‘Ran off on Da Plug Twice” (by Plies). Those same two every day,” Hagins added.
The Post’s pick:
Purdue 66-57. The Trojans won’t have the size to hang with the Boilermakers for 40 minutes.
Utah vs. Fresno State
5:27 p.m. Thursday, truTV
No. 3 Utes 26-8, 13-5 Pac-12
No. 14 Bulldogs 25-9, 13-5 Mountain West
Key matchup:
Fresno State forward Marvelle Harris will be the most athletic player on the floor. His matchup, then, will be against the entire Utah defense. The Utes, so strong in the low post with 7-footer Jakob Poeltl, don’t guard the perimeter especially well. Teams shot 37 percent from 3-point range against them. But they are tough to score on inside. Somebody will have to clamp down on Harris, the Mountain West player of the year.
Up high:
Utah’s perimeter players swing the ball around like it’s hanging from a tether pole. Senior point guard Brandon Taylor and 6-foot-4 junior swingman Lorenzo Bonam combine for nearly seven assists per game. Fresno State leans on senior Julien Lewis, who scored 30 against Colorado State earlier this month.
Down low:
Poeltl is one of the best players in the 68-team field. He plays up to competition. He dropped 32 points on Temple in November and grabbed 14 rebounds against Duke in December. Fresno’s biggest player, 6-10 sophomore Terrell Carter, averages 10 minutes and 1.6 rebounds per game. Big mismatch here.
Quote:
“I’m a big fan of the Tony Dungy mentality,” Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. “Do the ordinary things extraordinarily well. Even though we’re in an extraordinary part of the season, I think it goes back to a lot of the fundamentals.”
The Post’s pick:
Utah 72-62. Unless the Bulldogs shoot the lights out, the Utes will dominate the boards and grind out a convincing win.
Seton Hall vs. Gonzaga
7:57 p.m. Thursday, truTV
No. 6 Pirates 25-8, 12-6 Big East
No. 11 Bulldogs 26-7, 15-3 West Coast
Key matchup:
They won’t go head to head, but the back-and-forth matchup of high scorers featuring Seton Hall’s Isaiah Whitehead and Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer will be relentless. Whitehead is averaging 25 points over his past seven games, including an MVP run through the Big East Tournament. Wiltjer scored 20 or more points in 19 games this season. And he averaged 17.8 in the NCAA Tournament last year.
Up high:
Whitehead will make the game go on both ends. He plays all over the court, averaging 5.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game (best in the NCAA among guards). With sophomore Khadeen Carrington, the Pirates’ backcourt averages nearly 33 points per game. Whitehead, a sophomore, will match up against Gonzaga redshirt freshman Josh Perkins.
Down low:
Gonzaga’s Domantas Sabonis, just a sophomore, could be headed for a top-10 selection in the NBA draft. The son of former NBA star center Arvydas Sabonis is listed as a forward, but he’s a center at heart. At 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, he can bruise with the best, and he averages a double-double. Seton Hall plays small ball. They’ll need to stay away from Sabonis.
Quote:
“It’s gonna be up and down. That’s why they call it March Madness,” said Seton Hall’s Derrick Gordon.
The Post’s pick:
Seton Hall 73-72. The Pirates took down two top-five teams on back-to-back days last weekend. Look for them to find a way against a hot Gonzaga team.
