Elite 8 Preview: No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 11 VCU

When: Sunday, 2:20 pm EST, CBS

The Details: The comparisons between the George Mason run to the Final Four and VCU run to the Elite 8 are, frankly, astonishing.

Mason and VCU are both CAA schools. They both struggled at the end of the regular season. They both got questionable at-large bids and had quite a few folks criticizing the committee for including them into the tournament. And in the Elite 8, both played the last No. 1 seed left in the tournament, who also just so happened to be the most talented team in the country.


George Mason shocked the world. They beat UConn and made the Final Four. As an 11 seed. Can VCU do the same?


Key Matchups: The Morrii vs. Bradford Burgess

Marcus and Markieff Morris make up one of the most versatile, talented, and efficient front line duos in the country, and that doesn't even include Thomas Robinson, who may end up being the best NBA prospect of the three. They can score on the perimeter or in the post. They can pass and they can rebound. The Morrii are the reason that Kansas is able to run the offense that they run.


VCU, on the other hand, does not have a ton of size. Jamie Skeen is a borderline NBA prospect and has been one of the most important pieces for the Rams all season long. And while Shaka Smart does have a couple of other big men available in his rotation, VCU is at their best when they play Brad Burgess at the four. Burgess is more of a perimeter player than a post player, and part of what makes VCU's offense so dangerous is the fact that their four man can do things like score 49 points and hit 9-11 from three against Purdue and Florida State.

Will Shaka Smart be able to stay with the small lineup, or will the Jayhawks be too big?


Key Stats: Kansas' turnover percentage

Kansas is a better basketball team than VCU. That much cannot be debated. They are going to make things very difficult for the Rams defensively, and as we mentioned earlier, their front court strength will be difficult for the Rams to matchup with.

That said, VCU likes to press, and they are pretty good at forcing turnovers in that press. The Jayhawks, specifically the three members of their point guard rotation (Tyshawn Taylor, Josh Selby, Elijah Johnson), have a penchant for turning the ball over. VCU is going to need to force some turnovers and get some easy baskets if they want to pull off this upset.


X-factors: Brandon Rozzell

Rozzell is an instant offense kind of player for Shaka Smart. He's got the ability to knock down six or seven threes in a game. He can go for 25 points on a given night. He's perfectly capable of reeling off 10 points on his own in a three minute span. But he's also capable of having an 0-9 night. The Rams will need Rozzell to be shooting well on Sunday.

Rozzell's shooting underlies a bigger point -- VCU has to make their threes. Kansas is far and away the best team that the Rams will have played in this tournament. I hate to use the cliche, but the three pointer in the great equalizer in college hoops. The Rams will have to be making them to have a shot.


And the winner is?: Kansas Jayhawks

The thing that I liked the most about Kansas on Friday night was the attitude that they had coming in. On Thursday, the local media in Lawrence reported an incident where one of the Morris twins said "you boys better be ready" to the Richmond players when they crossed paths at a practice session. Prior to the game on Friday, the two teams had a bit of a skirmish in the tunnel leading to the arena floor. Kansas is playing with an attitude and a swagger. They are now the heavy favorite to win this tournament, and if they are playing with that attitude, with a chip on their shoulder, they are going to be very tough to knock off.