Breaking down Thursday night’s Sweet 16 matchups

‘ ‘ ‘ With the first weekend of March Madness finished, many are left to lament their busted… ‘ ‘ ‘ With the first weekend of March Madness finished, many are left to lament their busted bracket and wonder why they’ve again wasted another five bucks in a tournament pool. Wake Forest all the way? Maybe next year. ‘ ‘ ‘ So far, boring brackets have been rewarded. For the first time in NCAA Tournament history, all No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds have advanced to the Sweet 16. This feat surely benefits the fourth-grade boys who are now leading their father’s office pool. ‘ ‘ ‘ While the success of the top-seeded squads might be disappointing for Cinderella-lovers, it certainly provides a fair share of marquee matchups for Thursday and Friday. Here’s a preview of some big Sweet 16 matchups and a look at the players that should make a difference. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The East (Boston, Mass.) ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Xavier, Thursday 7:27 p.m. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Key Players ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ When the first half of Pitt’s game against Oklahoma State became a shootout, Sam Young rose to the occasion. Young finished with 32 points and showed why he is projected to be an NBA lottery pick. ‘ ‘ ‘ Young should provide a matchup problem for the Musketeers. His athleticism and midrange game make him a consistent scoring threat and his shot fake will be effective against defenders who have never seen it before. ‘ ‘ ‘ On the other side of the ball, Xavier will turn to senior B.J. Raymond to propel its offense. Raymond led the Musketeers in scoring during the regular season and had 15 points, despite shooting for a poor percentage, against Wisconsin in the last round. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Storyline ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Xavier head coach Sean Miller is a former Pitt guard and assistant coach. Now Miller is looking to knock off his alma mater and take his team to the Elite Eight for the second time in his tenure. ‘ ‘ ‘ For Pitt, the table is set for the program to finally get over the hump. Xavier, an Atlantic-10 team that struggled near the end of the regular season, gives Pitt its best opportunity to finally advance past the Sweet 16. It is absolutely crucial that the Panthers don’t think ahead to a possible game against Duke or Villanova, because if they do, they’ll be going home early. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 Villanova, Thursday 9:57 p.m. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Key Players ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Anyone who has taken a peek at ESPN during college basketball season is probably familiar with Duke junior Gerald Henderson. Leading the Blue Devils in regular season scoring is no small feat, considering Henderson did it while playing alongside prolific scorers like Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer. ‘ ‘ ‘ Henderson scored 24 points against Texas and held steady as the Longhorns made one last comeback attempt. On a team full of stars, Henderson has taken the spotlight early on in the Tournament. ‘ ‘ ‘ Villanova forward Dante Cunningham notched a double-double against UCLA in just 24 minutes. Cunningham has been Villanova’s rock throughout the regular season and has provided the firepower and leadership to keep his team in games. ‘ ‘ ‘ Aside from Cunningham, guard Scottie Reynolds is always a threat. Although he sometimes struggles to find his stroke, if Reynolds heats up, it could be bad news for the Blue Devils. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Storyline ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The honeymoon is finally over for Villanova, as it’ll actually have to leave the city of Philadelphia in order to play its third game of the Tournament. After suffering a scare against American University, the Wildcats showed they weren’t intimidated of traditional powerhouses ‘- stomping UCLA by 20 points. ‘ ‘ ‘ Villanova lacks the big man to challenge Duke inside the paint, so this game might come down to perimeter shooting. The team that controls the pace of the contest and is able to hit shots in transition will win. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The West (Glendale, AZ): ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 5 Purdue, Thursday 7:07 p.m. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Key Players ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Despite being the co-Big East Player of the Year, Connecticut’s Hasheem Thabeet was a non-factor in the second round of the Tournament. Forward Jeff Adrien and guard A.J. Price picked up the slack with impressive performances in the first two rounds. Adrien gives the Huskies an athletic, powerful scorer, while Price provides scoring ability from beyond the arc. ‘ ‘ ‘ Purdue was able to squeak by Washington largely thanks to the play of JaJuan Johnson. The 6-foot-10 forward has been admirably efficient during the Tournament, scoring 36 points in two games and shooting 43 percent from the field. It will be up to Johnson and his teammate Robbie Hummel to match Connecticut’s physical presence on the inside. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Storyline: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Huskies have impressed the competition with their dominance during the first weekend of the Tournament. Connecticut displayed why it was given a No. 1 seed and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. If Thabeet can return to his regular form, Purdue might find itself joining the formidable group of Big Ten teams eliminated from the Tournament. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ No. 2 Memphis vs. No. 3 Missouri, Thursday 9:37 p.m. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Key Players ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Memphis has four players averaging double digits in scoring, but its most dynamic player has to be true freshman Tyreke Evans. In the first two Tournament games, Evans has 34 points and 10 assists. Although Evans has struggled shooting 3-pointers throughout the year, he is dangerous when making things happen off the dribble and is aggressive when Memphis is on a fast break. ‘ ‘ ‘ For Missouri, senior Leo Lyons is getting hot at the right time. Against Marquette, Lyons racked up 18 points, and against Cornell he scored 23. Lyons and fellow senior DaMarre Carroll will need to keep their team in the game when Memphis pushes the tempo. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Storyline: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ One thing this game will settle is which team is the best M-something Tigers in the nation. But that’s not the only reason to watch this game, as both Missouri and Memphis tout high-octane offenses. ‘ ‘ ‘ Both teams like to run up and down the court and attack the basket in transition. This is a contest for people who enjoy fast breaks. The first team to fall behind the pace of the game will be waving goodbye to a prospective trip to Detroit. ‘