History shows that at least one #13 has won in eight of the last nine NCAA tournaments against the #4. So who is the most susceptible #4 this year?
South: UCLA vs. Tulsa
East: Iowa State vs. NC Central
West: Creighton vs. Louisiana
Midwest: Louisville vs. Manhattan
To me, it is Creighton. A team that shoots teams out of the gym, but if their jumpers are not falling, they can be beaten. Teams that have beaten them this year have played good perimeter defense, beat the Blue Jays on the board and been aggressive in getting to the FT line. I think the big keys are being able to score against Creighton, rebounding and making some key stops.
Lafayette can score with this team, they are 13th in the country in points per game. They are 39th in rebounding. FT shooting is a little beat of a weak spot @ 67%. Defensively, Lafayette is not going to be a shut down team - but they have adequate defenders to match up with Creighton.
What they do have is solid guard play and a big in Shawn Long who will challenge McDermott and has more bulk than the Creighton bigs. This will be one of the best 1st round one-on-one match-ups, although I am sure both coaches will rotate defenders some.
For me, if a #13 wins this year - I think it's Lafayette. I'll also be in attendance at this one.
