Sweet Sixteen…Thoughts

While analysis can continue, now that the Sweet Sixteen is set, from tonight until Thursday afternoon…I figured it’d only be fair to speak out, even if it was just a thought or two or SIXTEEN.

Be sure to check out a few pictures of some "regional x-factors" below.

East Region

Tennessee's Chism may be playing defense much further away from the paint than he's accustomed to.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

North Carolina – Scoring around 110 points in each of their two opening games, will the Heels struggle at all against the suffocating defensive attack of the Cougars? Or will their torrid fast-breaking pace be too much for the sudden Pac-10 threat?

Washington State – How on Earth does Tony Bennett plan on game-planning for the ridiculously high-octane Heels offense? HOW!?!?

Louisville – Will Rick Pitino’s boys stick to what has worked (3/4 press on defense and outside shooting on offense) the majority of the season or will a new gameplan be required to take out the East Region’s 2-seeded Vols?

Tennessee - Will Tennessee be able to use their blended style of agility and interior strength against the suffocating pressure, terrific passing, and outside shooting prowess of the Cardinals?

Midwest Region

Hughes must have a substantial impact on both sides of the ball, regardless of his age, for Wisconsin to survive a tough Midwest Bracket.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Kansas – Will a Bill Self-coached team not overlook a dangerous 12^th-seeded team from the nation’s most competitive conference?

Villanova – Are the Wildcats playing with company money at this point OR are they legitimately viewing themselves as Final Four material?

Wisconsin – Will the Badgers be able to dictate tempo, specifically out of the halftime gates when Stephen Curry becomes superhuman?

Davidson – Will the Wildcats be able to eliminate the tremendous boost the three-ball has given the Badgers in their opening two matchups?

South Region

Kemp's impact off the bench is vital towards the Tigers have a consistent, balanced attack.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Memphis – Does the Tigers history of missing free throws really matter until the Final Four?

Michigan State – Can the Spartans maintain their incredible first weekend momentum and continue to play 40 minutes of basketball a game?

Stanford – Will the Lopez twins be able to keep up with the pace of DJ Augustin and the run’n’gun Longhorn attack?

Texas – Can Texas stay out of foul trouble against the Lopez twins in the blocks?

West Region

Both Lee and Brazelton may need the games of their lives to take out the heavily-favored, yet vulnerable, Bruins.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

UCLA – Can UCLA give Kevin Love 20-30 touches in the paint and finally run their offense consistently through their incredibly talent post-player?

Western Kentucky – Can they shoot the 3-ball well enough to turn their game against UCLA into a shootout?

Xavier – Does Xavier have the depth to handle the incredible mismatches on the perimeter and in the paint West Virginia has caused its early opponents?

West Virginia – Can the Mountaineers, and their coach, continue to make all the right moves and all the big shots?

Interesting questions, indeed.

But the real question is: can YOU answer any of them???

Until next time…

Thursday's Headlines - Spot On

* Late last night, Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart received permission from the University of Florida to speak with Billy Donovan about their coaching vacancy. Donovan is scheduled to meet with Florida AD Jeremy Foley today and then plans to vacation in the Dominican Republic, according to ESPN's Andy Katz. ESPN and CBS Sportsline (no, they aren't the only two sports websites I visit) are now reporting that Billy Donovan is staying put and that he will be in talks for an extension at Florida. Now, was I right or was I right? How many hours will it be until we hear about Rick Barnes or Billy Gillispie being asked if they're interested?

This Donovan decision should have little to no bearing on the decisions to be made by Horford, Noah, Brewer, and Green.

* West Virginia is hot on the heels of Kansas State head coach Bob Huggins, who calls the state home and played for the Mountaineers during the mid-1970s. In the eyes of many, Huggins accepting the job is contingent upon whether he will be able to take top recruit Michael Beasley with him.

* Butler has its new coach. Brad Stevens, 30, served as an assistant at Butler for six years under Todd Lickliter and Thad Matta. The Bulldogs return three of its top scorers (AJ Graves, Mike Green, and Pete Campbell) from the squad that made the Sweet 16 and gave eventual national champion Florida its stiffest test.

* Louis Orr is back in the head coaching ranks at Bowling Green. This is the guy who took a worthless Seton Hall team last season to the tournament, albeit in controversial fashion with a very low RPI and 40+ point losses, and proceeded to get whooped by Wichita State. As a reward for his efforts, he got canned.

On the PHSports Docket
* NFL Mock Draft
* NCAA basketball coaching carousel
* NBA Draft early entries